Why Peluva?

Restore lost functionality

A True Barefoot Shoe

Peluva is a five-toe, zero-drop minimalist shoe offering an authentic barefoot-style experience. Peluvas are the solution to the chronic pain and atrophy caused by lifelong reliance on shoes with elevated heels, restrictive toe boxes, and excess cushioning. 

When you put on a pair of Peluvas, your feet are able to relax, realign, and strengthen naturally. In particular, Peluva’s five individual toe slots allow for correct dynamic movement of the foot; help you exhibit optimal posture, balance and movement mechanics; and act as natural toe spacers.

Regular shoes damage feet

“But…I Love My Cushioned Shoes!”

Shoe industry marketing hype (“a public health hazard” said the British Journal of Sportsmedicine) has convinced us that our feet need support, protection, and heavy construction and cushioning for safety and performance.

Granted, protection from the elements and ground hazards is great, and we also choose specialized shoes for fashion, labor, and sport. However, with 77 percent of Americans complaining of foot pain, we desperately need to free our feet from prison and carefully transition to a more barefoot-inspired lifestyle. Peluva is the footwear that can change your life. 

"Are you sure?"

A Safe, Gradual Transition

Some with foot conditions or chronic pain are hesitant to try Peluvas. Indeed, you must transition carefully to rebuild lost foot strength and functionality.

However, we must appreciate the evolutionary biology assertion that the 26 bones, 33 joints, and over 100 muscles and connective tissue in our feet are the essence of what make us human. The human foot absorbs impact, balances moving bodyweight, and generates propulsion better than any shoe ever made. 

Many of our customers in movement-intensive jobs (health care, retail, etc.) report that they can stand all day in Peluvas more comfortably than in super-cushioned or orthodic design shoes.

"Are Peluvas comfortable?"

Absolutely!

The number-one compliment we receive is: "These are the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn!" Peluvas allow your feet to spread freely and operate in full range of motion - perhaps for the first time ever. In contrast, almost all shoes cramp your midfoot and toes, inhibit correct posture, and ruin proprioception.

What’s more, unlike the original five-toe shoes from decades past, Peluvas have just the right amount of cushioning to help navigate hard manmade modern surfaces; more people can do more things in Peluvas!

Those in movement-intensive jobs (health care, retail, etc.) report that they can stand all day in Peluvas more comfortably than in super-cushioned or orthodic design shoes.

Men's Strand ATR Peluva

"What about wide toe box shoes?"

Articulated Toes Are A Must! 

Minimalist shoes are great, but even the highly-touted "wide toe box" feature is not enough. Wide boxes don't actively hurt your feet like regular shoes, but they don't allow for independent dorsiflexion of the big toe - the single most important joint in human locomotion.

Wearing Peluvas is like using toe spacers and doing foot strenthening exercises all day long, and this is validated by research.

Furthermore, Peluvas promote natural postural alignment and gait patterns, where your bodyweight stacks over your heels, and your foot achieves complete range of motion for optimal impact absorption, balance, and propulsion. This is the authentic barefoot shoe!

"So, slip them on and take off running?"

Ease Into It

Not so fast! Peluvas are for walking, hiking, gym workouts, and all-day wear for foot strengthening and comfort (we have specialized models for golf, court, winter, fashion, and relaxing at home.)

Peluvas also help you recover from the running, labor, or fashion shoes that actively damage your feet.

Over time, as your feet get stronger, you can integrate more advanced fitness endeavors in Peluvas. Be patient, walk as much as possible every day in Peluvas, and go barefoot as often as possible at home and other safe areas.

Peluva-Fit-LP-size.png

Some best practices

Sizing & Fitting

Fitting your toes into the slots can be difficult at first, so take your time. Don't worry - it gets easier!

The five-toe, glove-like fit can also take a bit of getting used to, but the comfort is unrivaled by any shoe in the world - trust us! (and we guarantee your satisfaction.)

Choose a half-size larger than your typical sports shoe, be patient with try on (our five-toe socks make it easier), and watch co-Founder Mark Sisson's "Getting Your Fit And Size Correct" video for guidance (or email [email protected] for 1:1 attention.)

The Authentic Barefoot Shoe!

Toe Articulation

Your toes must operate independently and dynamically in multiple planes of motion. The big toe in particular must be free to dorsiflex, load the weight of your entire body, and trigger the activation of the glutes on each stride.

Toe Splay

This refers to the natural widening, or splay, of your toes upon landing to optimally absorb impact, balance moving bodyweight, and harness kinetic energy for propulsion. Toe splay is only possible with articulated toe slots or when barefoot. Step up a stair barefoot and notice how your foot widens upon impact. Now imagine the sides of a shoe preventing that, hampering balance and inappropriately dispersing impact trauma throughout the lower extremities on every stride.

Zero Drop

A flat sole with no difference in elevation between heel and toe is called “zero drop”--an absolutely essential element of a true minimalist shoe. Experts assert that the elevated heel is the single most destructive aspect of modern footwear. Modern shoes typically have a 10 millimeter drop, often more. This directly results in nonstop inappropriate skeletal loading, poor posture and movement mechanics, and atrophy to the extremely important Achilles tendon.

Groundfeel

The bottoms of your feet are among the most nerve-dense and proprioceptive areas of your entire body. With every step you take, your feet deliver intensive feedback to your central nervous system so you can walk, run, jump and perform all manner of complex kinetic chain activity with grace, explosiveness, and safety. Elevated, stiff-soled, ultra-cushioned shoes cut you off from the earth. It’s like living life on a balance beam instead of feeling the ground with Peluvas soft, flexible soles.