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Are Birkenstocks Good for your Feet?
- The Birk Girl Blog
- Jun 10
- 7 min read
Good for You, Good for Your Feet
Loyal Fans Love Their Birks
Of course they do! Birkenstock shoes have been a popular choice for decades, loved for their supreme comfort and unique design. That flexible footbed is like a dream come true for your feet. And it’s been part of their design forever, known as the “blue footbed.”
Fine tradition is part of every Birkenstock shoe and sandal thanks to craftsmanship and quality passed down for generations. Birkenstock shoes have been around since 1774, when Johann Adam Birkenstock registered as a shoemaker in a small German village. Now that’s some serious shoemaking cred.
Designed for Your Comfort
When you think about what Birkenstock is known for, you immediately think — comfort! It’s one of the most notable things about any Birkenstock shoe. The contoured footbed supports the natural shape of the foot. That foot-hugging design is just what you want for better arch support and it reduces pressure points. Enthusiasts and podiatrists alike praise the design for helping to alleviate foot pain, plantar fasciitis, and other foot-related issues. Birkenstocks are good for your feet.
It was Konrad Birkenstock, one of Johann’s descendants, who first developed the contoured footbed we still know and love. The legendary Birkenstock foot bed prioritizes proper foot health and comfort combined with their signature style. A design focused on getting all the details just right. Today, Birkenstock shoes are sold in over 90 countries and are recognized as one of the top footwear brands.
Classic Style
The classic Birkenstock style continues to stand apart and gains fans in every new generation. But the company doesn’t rest on tradition alone. They continue to innovate with new styles and new materials. From the Birkenstock Arizona to the Mayari, old becomes new again with colors, materials, and fashion updates.
Legendary Design
From the foundational first layer of jute, stabilizing the natural cork and latex footbed core (the heart of all Birkenstock shoes!), to the beautiful high-quality top layer, everything about the Birkenstock design supports your feet and delivers undeniable comfort.
Perfect Climate
Every Birkenstock shoe features their shock-absorbing and highly flexible cork and latex core to support and relieve pressure on the feet. By using natural materials they insulate against the heat and cold to create the perfect climate. A second layer of jute is placed around the sides of the footbed. This increases the flexibility of the footbed and makes it significantly more durable. Plus, the thick and absorbent jute helps regulate moisture.
Environmentally friendly
Birkenstock was early to introduce advancements like environmentally friendly adhesives and to modernize production to reduce energy consumption, setting standards for innovation in their manufacturing. They’ve even introduced a vegan shoe version of their classic Birks.
As well as making it possible to repair and rennovate your Birkenstocks. Repairs can be made to the footbed - the sole or the whole footbed.
Keeping your sandals out of the landfills and on your feet!
Birkenstocks are getting a lot of press these days. Check out this article published on Today.com. I think it has some great info. - Amy
Birkenstocks are trending — but are they good for your feet?
A podiatrist weighs in. The classic shoes are loved by celebrities and TikTokers.
Kara Birnbaum / TODAY
Aug. 29, 2022, 10:19 AM PDT / Updated Aug. 31, 2022, 1:26 PM PDT
By Emma Stessman
Much like Crocs or New Balance sneakers, Birkenstocks haven't always been considered the most stylish choice. But lately, it's become hard to ignore their appeal.
From actresses to models, it seems like all our favorite celebrities own at least one pair of Birkenstocks. And the internet appears to be equally obsessed with the style. Videos featuring various versions of the shoes have racked up a collective 253.6 million views on TikTok (and those are just the ones that use the #Birkenstocks tag).
One pair, in particular, has caught social media's eye lately — the Birkenstock Boston clogs. In the last 30 days alone, searches for the style have spiked by 400 percent, according to Google Trends. And as with most fashion must-haves, you can likely thank TikTok for its popularity.
But with everyone rushing to grab the hot shoe of the season, we had to know: Are Birkenstocks actually a good choice? We consulted podiatrist Dr. Asim Sayed to get all of the details.
There’s a reason why you've heard so many people raving about how comfortable and supportive Birkenstocks are through the years. According to the brand, the original Birkenstock footbed is at the heart of all the models of the shoes. Made from a mix of cork and latex, it features a deep heel cup, arch support and a roomy toe box.
The deep heel cup in Birkenstocks gives you some stability and can also help control pronation (which contributes to flat feet), Sayed said; whereas the average sandal or flip-flop offers little to no support and have flat footbeds. Birkenstocks also have a raised toe bar, which he said "can put the toes in a more comfortable position, especially if you have something like hammer toes or a flat foot. And it really helps with slippage."
Birkenstock is known for its classic cork footbed, but as it turns out, it's more than just a marketing ploy. "The material that it's made out of, it's cork and latex," Sayed said. "So we use cork in custom orthotics all the time because it has great shock-absorbing abilities and it can reduce moisture."
According to the brand, the cork and latex footbed is sandwiched between layers of jute, which are said to stabilize the materials and increase durability.
Given all that, you might not be totally surprised to hear that Sayed said they can be beneficial for everyone (he added that he's been wearing Birkenstocks for years). "They're really good for if you have a flat foot or you have arch pain, because they have a supportive longitudinal arch. But I would recommend them to most people — unless you have some kind of severe ailment that obviously needs a more personalized approach."
Because the classic, supportive footbed is at the heart of all its shoes, you can't really go wrong with any model that you choose. But in case you're having a hard time making a decision, we rounded up some of the brand's bestsellers that are worth adding to your cart.
For a more affordable option, we suggest grabbing this version of the Arizona sandals, which are made from a vinyl material. Modeled on the original, the brand says that they feature the anatomically shaped footbed, but they're also waterproof and lightweight, thanks to the EVA.
Editorial director Adrianna Brach says she wears these shoes everywhere. "I literally wear these all summer long — whether I'm running around with my daughter, or at the office or TODAY studio."
The Arizona style is arguably one of the most popular and classic models of Birkenstocks. The simple sandals feature two adjustable straps, which, in this case, are made from the brand's proprietary Birko-Flor material, which is designed to be both durable and easy to clean.
The biggest style of the moment, Birkenstock's Boston clogs are on plenty of people's fall wishlists right now (including ours.)
One TikTok user listed them as one of the shoes that "you NEED for fall" and another said that they were "so worth it." In fact, they're so popular right now that select sizes are almost completely sold out at multiple retailers – so you're going to want to grab them now to add to your seasonal rotation ASAP.
With its crisscrossed straps and multiple color options (including a chic metallic silver version), we imagine that this pair of Birkenstocks would be easy to dress up or
down for any occasion. "Got these for the arch support having
recently been cursed with plantar fasciitis but quickly fell in love for the sheer comfort and laid back style of them," one Nordstrom shopper wrote. "Happy feet! Wasn’t sure Birkenstock’s were for me but they are, I love them. Don’t hesitate."
The Madrid was the sandal that started it all! And it's still one of the brand's bestselling models all these years later. This pair has an accentuated buckle for a stylish touch, and comes in multiple leather color options.
One Amazon shopper said that these sandals from the brand are "worth every penny." They added that they're "super comfortable [and provide] great arch support" to alleviate foot pain. The upper of the strap is made from Birko-Flor material with a nubuck look, so the brand says that it could almost be mistaken for real leather.
Another iteration of the Arizona sandals, these shoes feature the brand's soft footbed, which includes a foam insert for added comfort. They also have suede leather straps, which the brand says are "soft to the touch."
According to the company website, Birkenstock's humble beginnings date all the way back to 1774 in Germany, where Johann Adam Birkenstock was a cobbler. It's clear that the career path carried on with the name, because later in 1896, master cobbler Konrad Birkenstock began manufacturing and selling flexible footbed insoles.
In fact, the family became experts on footwear. In the 1940s, Carl Birkenstock released his book, “Podiatry – The Carl Birkenstock System,” which dove into his theories about “natural gait” and healthy footwear and, according to the brand, it was the highest-selling podiatry textbook at the time. Then, in 1963, the company’s first sandal, the single-strap Madrid, was launched.
So, while the shoes may be super trendy right now, the Birkenstock name has been associated with quality footwear for centuries. “They've been pioneering the arch support game and contributing to podiatry for a really long time,” Sayed said.
BEWARE: Amazon is no longer being allowed to sell Birkenstock online. Please watch out for fakes and deals that look to good to be true - chances are they are counterfeit. We have had customer bring some horrible fakes into our store and that is the last thing we want to see happen to you.
I also shared a CBS interview with Birkenstock CEO Oliver Reichert discussing the topic of counterfeit Birkenstocks - read or watch the interview here.
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