Just got back from the awesome local Korean bathhouse. I love that place - it’s like a mini-vacation! However, they will not allow people to wear any kind of shoes, slippers, flip-flops, etc. inside, even in the locker room. (I’ve tried, and they wouldn’t even let me wear flip-flops that had never been worn anywhere but in a locker room.)
I understand why they have to be super-vigilant about hygiene; after all, even in a regular gym locker room, you don’t generally need to worry about people lying down on the floor, but this place has several saunas where people do lie down on the floor. However, I have gimpy feet and limp quite noticeably when barefoot - I typically wear Birkenstocks as house slippers, or some other kind of house shoe or slipper with a fair bit of cushioning and arch support. I am really sore afterwards if I hobble around the bathhouse even for a couple of hours, and the first time, it even triggered a bout of plantar fasciitis that had me using a cane for several weeks.
So aside from wondering how the bathhouse has managed to get away with not allowing people to bring in, say, assistive devices like canes, is there anything that I can wear on my feet that would provide some level of actual arch support, but doesn’t actually have a sole? They do allow socks, but how much arch support do the various compression plantar fasciitis bands, etc. actually provide? It would be nice not to end up in pain afterward.
I used to have some fancy sports socks that had a band around the arch for a bit of support. I found them quite comfy as a result (I never knew such socks existed before! What a time to be alive!) but I don’t know if they provide quite the level of support you’re looking for.
Still, I suppose that’s gotta be better than nothing, if they won’t allow actual shoes.
Shoot, I forgot they also had a little bit of cushioning under your heel & ball of your foot, too!
Comfy ass things, they were. Only thing that bugged the shit outta me was that they were those short little socks that barely graze your ankles, and I don’t like those for some reason.
How much support do you need? With a quick search I found therapeutic arch support. Over the arch support, wear cushioned socks, which often have arch support as well.
You might be able to make do with a simple bandage you wrap as tightly as you like.
The more, the better - I normally wear custom orthotics in my shoes that are pretty substantial. To give you an idea, my actual feet are a size 6 or so, but if I buy shoes with decent removable insoles and add the orthotics, I usually need a size 7.5 - 8. I have had to give away a LOT of shoes over the years as the orthotics seem to get a bit thicker every time I get them adjusted or get new ones.
I think I will chat with my orthotist when I see him on Saturday and see what he can come up with.
I’ve found these to be cheap, soft, comfortable, and they force my foot into the arched position that reduces the heel pain. I wear them over socks, but there is no reason they couldn’t be worn under socks.
You can use KT Tape to give yourself a fair bit of arch support, though it won’t approach what you get with actual orthopedics.
Have you been to a physical therapist about your weak arches? Mine taught me some exercises to increase arch strength - my feet are completely flat and I too am susceptible to plantar fascitis.
I suspect it might be due to the possibility that no one has pushed for them with appropriate vigor. How hard do you want to fight this? Depending on the laws in your location, this could easily be a violation.