Recovery sandals are specialized footwear (sandals and slides) designed to help soothe and re-energize tired feet after intensive activities like running, hiking, training, or long-standing hours. Recovery sandals provide support, cushioning, and promote proper foot alignment to speed up recovery, but also can be worn just as comfortably outside of the gym. Beneficially, recovery sandals promote great foot health by giving you necessary support and cushioning and can even help alleviate common foot problems like plantar fasciitis, flat feet, bunions, and hammertoes. They can also improve foot, knee, hip, back, and leg comfort for people that stand or walk for extended periods.

Recovery sandals help with post-workout recovery in a variety ways, really. A major one is: cushioning. OluKai recovery sandals are designed with squishy, extra cushioning to provide shock absorption, reducing the impact on your joints and soft tissues. This can help relieve stress on your feet, especially after high-impact activities like running, jumping and cross-training. They also help to improve circulation, and OluKai's are built to stimulate blood flow in your feet, which can help remove lactic acid that builds up in your muscles during exercise. This can speed up the recovery process and reduce muscle soreness. Of course, a major one is arch support, as our recovery sandals provide superb arch support which reduces the strain on the muscles and tendons in your feet. Our extra puffy straps on our recovery sandals also hug and support your feet after workouts, further adding to the recovery. Lastly, OluKai recovery sandals help with alignment, promoting proper foot alignment, which can help reduce overpronation or supination. All of this helping you to heal after a work-out.

Cushioning is a big one. Recovery sandals should have ample cushioning, normally in the form of squishy foam to absorb impact and provide you comfort. Solid arch support is another. Recovery sandals should certainly provide enough arch support to help your feet recover after intense physical activity. This helps to maintain balance and distribute weight evenly. Another feature is a relatively deep heel cup, which helps proper alignment of the foot, promoting better posture, reducing strain on the feet, ankles, and knees. A solid pair of recovery sandals should also have good traction on the outsole to prevent slipping, especially if you plan on using them around water or other slick surfaces. Sandals being sandals, breathability is a big feature too, so that your feet stay cool and dry after a workout. Fit, of course, is also a big feature, and with some puffier, cloud-like straps (found on OluKai recovery sandals) your feet will feel secure and supported.

Recovery sandals should normally be your regular OluKai sandal or shoe size, however if you’re a half-size, we recommend you sizing up. With recovery sandals, you definitely don’t want them to fit too tight or have your heel flush (let alone hanging over) the heel. If you're unsure, we recommend you measure your foot length and compare it with our size chart.

It depends on the type of recovery sandal, but OluKais, for example, use: EVA (Ethylene-vinyl acetate) foam, a common material for the footbed on recovery sandals that’s lightweight, has tons of cushion, and has a squishy, soft feel underfoot. EVA foam can also be molded into specific shapes which provide arch support or other features. We build our recovery sandals with rubber, often used for the outsole of the sandals, offering durability and grip. Like: our non-marking Wet Grip Rubber. Lastly, we use water-resistant synthetic materials used for the straps of the sandals. These materials repel water and offer comfy, soft padding on your feet.

Absolutely they can. In fact, we encourage it. We literally build our recovery sandals to function and thrive in a variety of situations outside of the gym. Wear them around the beach, around the pool, en route a surf or post-surf cruise session — they’re wearable anywhere. OluKai recovery sandals are also totally water-resistant and have amazing traction, so they function quite well on a variety of terrains, or even in transit while traveling through airports for comfy, easy on/off mode.

That all depends how often you wear them, but under normal circumstances and wear, you shouldn't be replacing your sandals any time soon. OluKai recovery sandals are guaranteed against manufacturer’s defects for one year from the date of purchase. OluKai recovery sandals certainly last longer than that, but if you’re wearing them every single day and feel like both the outsole is too worn or the cushion isn’t what it once was — we’d recommend you replace them with a new pair.

Generally, you can clean the surface of our water-resistant recovery sandals with a damp cloth and mild soap, and then let them air dry. Please note that they should not be machine washed or dried — that could ruin them.

Both, actually! If you’ve got high arches that need support, OluKai recovery sandals are built with arch-support, specifically to aid in that scenario. Of course, if you’ve got flat feet, our recovery sandals feel amazing for you because of the squishy EVA foam and Wet Sand Principle all of our sandals adhere too. (It feels like you’re stepping into supportive wet sand). The arch-support also feels great on flat feel that have always needed some help in that department. OluKai recovery sandals do help to alleviate common foot problems like plantar fasciitis, flat feet, bunions, and hammertoes, too. They can also improve foot, ankle, knee, hip and leg comfort for individuals standing or walking for extended periods.

OluKai footwear (including recovery sandals) is guaranteed against manufacturer’s defects for one year from the date of purchase. The following defects are covered by the OluKai guarantee: straps pulling out where soles are not excessively worn, delaminating of sole layers, and frayed or loose stitching on uppers, footbeds or logos. Email info@olukai.com if you are experiencing any issues with your recovery sandals.