Recovery shoes aren’t always the most sexy thing to talk about, but they are something that most runners need in their lineup and tend to put it on the back burner. Post run, your feet needs some thing because the first thing you want to do is get out of the shoe you just ran in, so what do you slip them into? Today we are exploring two of our favorite brands in the space, Oofos and Hoka, and both offer a slightly different take on recovery, but both offer a world of options.
Oofos
Oofos is probably the biggest player in this space and the entire company is devoted to recovery so they have some chops and know this area well. To say they offer a breadth of options is an understatement.
OOmg Sport Low Shoe
We hesitate to even include these given the price point and the fact it is more of a shoe BUT it honestly has become one of our favorites in Oofos lineup. So easy to slip on, zero slippage, and plenty of cushion.
- Retails at $139.95 USD
- Comes in 4 colors for Men and Women
- Learn more on their website
Ooahh Slide Sandal
These next two will come down to whether you like something between your toes or not, but both of these represent the staple Oofos offering. The Slide you definitely need to ensure you have the right size of because if its even slightly large, you will slip out the front.
- Retails at $59.95 USD
- Comes in 5 colors for Men and Women
- Learn more on their website
Ooriginal Sandal
If you can handle the toe strap, this definitely prevents any sort of front slippage, but can be a little grating post run having it between the toes. Really depends on your tolerance.
- Retails at $59.95 USD
- Comes in 6 colors for Men and Women
- Learn more on their website
Hoka
Hoka has taken their successful road shoe platform and leveraged this into a number of recovery options. Just like any Hoka shoe, you should expect a ton of cushion, solid arch support, and good quality.
Ora Recovery Slide 3
This competes directly with the Ooahh Slide from Oofos, but is much more rigid both in terms of the feel and the underfoot. A lot more structure in these and numerous color options.
- Retails at $60.00 USD
- Comes in 24 colors for Men and Women
- Learn more on their website
Ora Recovery Flip
Again, this will come down to the same question as the Oofos, but this Flip has a different midsole and a touch more softness than the Slide.
- Retails at $60.00 USD
- Comes in 8 colors for Men and Women
- Learn more on their website
Ora Luxe
This is definitely Hoka’s higher end sandal model featuring a blended midsole, multiple layers of foam, and velcro straps up top under a neoprene cover which provides a softer and more secure fit.
- Retails at $80.00 USD
- Comes in 23 colors for Men and Women
- Learn more on their website
Overall Conclusion
As you can see, there are lots of options out there, and these are just two of the largest brands in the space. If you were looking for something that runs a little softer, and a little more cushy, then you’ll definitely want to land on the Oofos side of the fence. If you want something that has more structure and applies a little more pressure to those key areas that might need recovery, then you will look at something more like Hoka. Having one of both is an option as well, and in our case, we stick with the Oofos Low Sport Shoe and their Slide. When we just need pillows under the feet, but when we want to apply a little pressure, especially in those arches, we will go with the Hoka Ora Recovery Slide.
