The 11 Best Recovery Shoes of 2024, Tested

Key Specs:

Sizes: Men’s 3-14, Women’s 5-16 | Materials: Sugarcane foam, mesh | Weight: 8.4 ounces (per shoe) | Our Overall Rating: 4.9/5

Who They’re For

Best for wearers who want super cushioned support for recovery and need an adjustable, easy to clean shoe.

Why We Love Them

The Hoka brand is well known for super supportive and cushy shoes, and the Ora Luxe Slides are no exception. These slides are so comfortable that we not only wore them after workouts to facilitate recovery but also started wearing them to run all kinds of errands. The plush cushioning and oversized midsole absorb the impact of each step, relieving stress and fatigue. Every time we slid into our pair of Ora Luxe after a long day of being on our feet, it felt like sliding into luxurious comfort.

We like that they carry the APMA Seal of Acceptance, meaning they promote good foot health. And we can see why—the wide footbed wraps around to give added side support and is bouncy with mild arch support, which is helpful for flat feet. The Velcro straps on top are durable and allow you to adjust the fit. We noted that dirt sometimes collected easily in the crevices of the sole, but we appreciated being able to clean them by just giving them a quick hose-off when needed.

Also available in women’s sizes at Zappos and Amazon.

Potential Flaws

• The lightweight foam sole is super cushy but may not hold up well on rocky or rough terrain.

Key Specs:

Sizes: Women’s 6-12, Men’s 5-18 | Materials: Rubber | Weight: 8 ounces (per shoe) | Our Overall Rating: 4.7/5

Who They’re For

Best for wearers who like a slide-style shoe and want some energy return.

Why We Love Them

Adidas’s Adilette Comfort Slides were an easy choice for our best budget category because of their contoured, cushioned footbed, durability, and budget-friendly price tag. Featuring a sole made with tiny pockets of air, they have excellent cushioning and energy return. Sliding these on after a long day of work helped us fight off leg fatigue and tightness in our feet and felt far better than going barefoot.

These slides were very well made and built to last. We also appreciate that you can easily clean them by wiping them down or rinsing them off. The cushioning is consistent throughout the midsole and gently conforms to our feet. At a reasonable price, with lots of color options and unisex sizing, you can find just the right pair for wearing after a long run, a walk along the beach, or just around the house.

Potential Flaws

• These slides are not adjustable, so they may not be a great fit for narrower feet.

Key Specs:

Sizes: Women’s 5-12 | Materials: Foam, rubber | Weight: 5.6 ounces (per shoe) | Our Overall Rating: 4.6/5

Who They’re For

Best for wearers needing soft, supportive, and easy-to-wear shoes.

Why We Love Them

The dual-density foam in lululemon’s Restfeel Women’s Slides makes them super comfortable and easy to wear. The midsole features two layers of foam: the bottom layer is firm for support, and the top layer is softer for cushioning. The simple upper strap is also foam-lined for softness and comfort across the top of your foot. The full rubber sole provides plenty of traction, even on wet or slick surfaces.

During testing, these slides proved very durable, showing almost no sign of wear and tear after a month of testing. Because they’re made with foam, these slides are super lightweight but still offer solid, slightly firm cushioning for support. We especially appreciate how easy they are to clean—we spilled coffee, red wine, and cat food on them while testing, and it all came right off.

Potential Flaws

• The light color options show dirt easily, but these slides are easy to clean.

Key Specs:

Sizes: Women’s 5-16, Men’s 3-14 | Materials: Sugarcane foam | Weight: 7.8 ounces (per shoe) | Our Overall Rating: 5/5

Who They’re For

Best for wearers who run or do hard workouts often and need support for body aches.

Why We Love Them

Hoka’s Ora Recovery Slide 3 is made specifically to support recovery after hard workouts and long runs. We love that Hoka’s signature thick, cushy support is built right into the shoe, giving you the sensation of walking on a cloud. The wide sole cradles your foot and actually wraps up the side a bit to provide some lateral stability. The mild rocker shape makes transitions between steps easier, propelling you forward to help fight fatigue. The thick foam insole has good arch support, and airflow channels cut into the upper to keep you cool.

We like how sturdy these slides feel and appreciate that they mold to our feet after we wear them for a while. During testing, we noted that they even helped manage hip and lower back pain. We easily wore them all day and they felt like heaven every time we put them on. We found these slides unexpectedly stylish, and they felt like walking on air despite the overall chunkiness of the design. Plus, they have the APMA Seal of Acceptance for good foot health.

Potential Flaws

• You can’t adjust the fit of these slides, so make sure you pick the right size for you.

Key Specs:

Sizes: Women’s 4-12.5 | Materials: Canvas, cork, rubber | Weight: 6.7 ounces (per shoe) | Our Overall Rating: 4.9/5

Who They’re For

Best for wearers who want a stylish shoe to wear around town or to work with recovery benefits.

Why We Love Them

If you want a recovery shoe you can wear around town and after workouts, Birkenstock’s Madrid Big Buckle Sandal is the perfect pick. These vegan sandals have a stylish, adjustable canvas strap and Birkenstock’s signature cork and microfiber insole molded for comfortable support. They’re very comfortable and feel almost like wearing slippers, which makes us want to slide them on every time we’re lounging around our house.

These sandals are also lightweight and fit well with no rubbing or pinching. The footbed and upper strap are soft, cushiony, and flexible. We’re so impressed with how good these make our feet and calves feel. They support our legs and feet nicely after work or the gym. They’re also very durable and held up well with no wear and tear or odor retention during our test period.

Potential Flaws

• The strap on these sandals could benefit from having more buckle holes for narrower feet.

Key Specs:

Sizes: Women’s 4-12.5, Men’s 6-13.5 | Materials: Leather, cork, rubber | Weight: 9 ounces (per shoe) | Our Overall Rating: 4.4/5

Who They’re For

Best for wearers suffering from foot ailments like bunions who need to be able to adjust the fit of their sandals and can benefit from soft comfort.

Why We Love Them

Finding comfortable shoes can be challenging if you have foot ailments like plantar fasciitis or bunions. Birkenstock’s Kyoto Leather Sandal is soft and doesn’t irritate your feet, making it a great choice for recovery if you suffer from bunions. Not only are these sandals available in two widths, but they also have an adjustable two-part upper. The first part is super soft, wide leather that crosses over with a velcro closure. The second part is a thinner velcro strap to secure the shoe. These combine to make the sandals very easy to adjust and able to accommodate many different foot types and widths.

We found the signature Birkenstock contoured footbed to be very soft and comfortable. It also cradles our feet, especially our heels, and promotes good foot alignment. We like the sleek, stylish design and appreciate that the leather is supple enough not to cause any irritation. These sandals come in seven different colors and have unisex sizing options.

Potential Flaws

• These sandals are one of the priciest pairs on our list.
• While they are comfortable, we found them to be heavier than some other options we tested.

Key Specs:

Sizes: Men’s 7-18, Women’s 6-12 | Materials: Polyester, rubber | Weight: 7 ounces (per shoe) | Our Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Who They’re For

Best for wearers who want a more minimal shoe and need stability on a variety of surfaces.

Why We Love Them

If you routinely walk on slick, wet, or rough terrain, Under Armour’s Ignite Pro Slides are a budget-friendly choice for recovery and relaxation that offer great traction as well. The adjustable upper strap is lined with foam and tiny perforations for breathability. We found they dried quickly if they got wet or when we needed to clean them. The soles and the shoe overall are much thinner compared to many other options on our list, but they’re not flimsy at all.

We like their sleek design, and their textured foam footbed felt comfortable from the very first try-on. We also love how they feel very lightweight and fit true to size. But don’t worry that the lightweight and minimalist design won’t give you the support you need. We found these slides plenty supportive with firm cushioning and a slightly rigid sole that features deep grooves and pods in the heel for solid traction. We looked forward to putting these on after a workout or long work day.

Also available in women’s sizes at Amazon and Under Armour.

Potential Flaws

• These slides provided plenty of support but they don’t offer as much cushioning as other options on our list.

Key Specs:

Sizes: Women’s 5-13, Men’s 7.5-11.5 | Materials: Foam, rubber | Weight: 8.8 ounces (per shoe) | Our Overall Rating: 4.9/5

Who They’re For

Best for wearers with high arches or who need added arch support.

Why We Love Them

People with plantar fasciitis can wear recovery shoes as a way to comfortably walk around the house without being barefoot, says Emily Splichal, DPM, Doctor of Podiatric Medicine. Vionic’s Rejuvenate Recovery Sandals provide plenty of arch support and carry the APMA Seal of Acceptance, so they will help you maintain good foot health. The upper is adjustable, helping you get just the right fit. They feature a textured footbed to give your feet a comfortable massage that eases any points of tension—a key feature of recovery shoes.

We like that these slides contour to the natural shape of your foot with a deep heel cup and sidewalls. The orthotic-like insole cradles our feet and provides lots of support, especially in the arches. Slipping on these slides feels like a mini massage for our feet, and they help relieve hamstring and glute aches and stiffness after an intense workout. The sole is made of two layers of foam, one firm and one softer, for equal amounts of cushion and support. Their unisex sizing and durability make them well worth their price.

Potential Flaws

• These slides have very thick soles, so some wearers may find them a bit clunky.

Key Specs:

Sizes: Men’s 4-13, Women’s 6-15 | Materials: Foam | Weight: 6.8 ounces (per shoe) | Our Overall Rating: 4.8/5

Who They’re For

Best for wearers who need recovery from intense workouts.

Why We Love Them

The Oofos brand is known for designs that reduce stress on joints and feet, so it’s no surprise that they offer great workout recovery shoes. According to the manufacturer, Oofos’ OOahh Sport Flex Sandals are designed with a footbed that’s meant to support while absorbing more impact than average footwear. These slides look bulky, but we never felt weighed down when wearing them because the foam makes them super lightweight—they’re so lightweight that they float! We also love that they’re machine washable.

These sandals remained as bouncy and cushy on the last day of testing as they did on the first, so you can be sure they will fully support your recovery from tough workouts like HIIT. We like how they hug our feet and offer plenty of arch support. They feel like an anti-fatigue mat in shoe form and even make our feet feel better after a long day in heels when we develop blisters and hot spots. The textured footbed makes the shoes a bit grippy, so they stay in place and are a dream to wear.

Also available in women’s sizes at REI and Oofos.

Potential Flaws

• When testing these sandals, we noticed they’re not very breathable for long periods in hot or humid weather.

Key Specs:

Sizes: Women’s 4-17, Men’s 2-15 | Materials: Foam | Weight: 5.2 ounces (per shoe) | Our Overall Rating: 4.6/5

Who They’re For

Best for wearers who need plenty of room in their shoes to splay their feet and want maximum cushioning.

Why We Love Them

Crocs’ Mellow Recovery Slides offer unisex sizing, sidewall cutouts for breathability, and a roomy fit—good for those with wider feet. It’s worth noting that Crocs recommends sizing down because these shoes are so roomy. We found that even though they had a wider fit, our feet stayed put, and there was no pinching or rubbing. We especially loved the seamless construction, which made them more durable than other pairs we tested and reduced the chance of irritating our feet.

The soft foam lets your feet almost melt into the footbed and is slow to rebound, so you get maximum comfort and cushiness. We looked forward to slipping into these slides after long runs and found they helped alleviate some heel pain. The arch support and outsole grip made these easy to wear all day around the house and even to run errands around town.

Potential Flaws

• These may be too wide for wearers with narrower feet.

Key Specs:

Sizes: Women’s 5-15, Men’s 4-14 | Materials: Polyester, sugarcane rubber | Weight: 6.3 ounces (per shoe) | Our Overall Rating: 4.4/5

Who They’re For

Best for regular runners or wearers who want the added support of a full shoe.

Why We Love Them

If you’re a regular runner or are looking for a full recovery shoe, Hoka’s Restore TC Recovery Shoes are a good choice. Their super plush cushioning and stability make them optimal for slipping on after a long run or a hard speed workout on the track. These recovery shoes have a simple three-part construction of a sock-like upper, sugarcane rubber midsole, and outsole. They’re easy enough to slip into and can even be worn barefoot.

During our test, we found these shoes to be very squishy and pillow-like. They offer so much cushion and impact absorption that they help minimize our knee pain. While they’re not as breathable as a pair of sandals, they still provide plenty of airflow and don’t hold onto odor, even when we wear them without socks. We also appreciate their seamless design, which kept our feet from getting irritated, even when wearing these shoes all day. They have good traction and stability, so you can be confident wearing them around town on any terrain.

Potential Flaws

• While we think they’re worth the price, note that these are the priciest pair of recovery shoes on our list.
• The sock-like upper is convenient, but without laces, the shoes’ fit can’t be adjusted.