Shoes that look good and make you feel better

The Juil Mesa sandal

The ideal shoe is one that looks great and feels fantastic. Juil’s Mesa sandals (which I’ve been wearing for the past few days) certainly do that. In addition, they’re equipped with copper conductors in the soles designed to enable you to walk your way to better health through better connection to Mother Earth.

The mechanism behind the health claim comes from the practice of grounding or “earthing.” When people walk — or sleep — directly on the ground, electrons from the earth are believed to pass into their bodies. Proponents of earthing cite recent research that correlates the use of earthing beds and earthing devices to improved health. (Here’s a helpful review of that research.)

The copper conductors in Juil shoes are intended to give you the benefits of walking barefoot without giving up the protection and support of shoes.

The Juil Brio, with copper conductors

The folks at Juil sent me a pair of Mesa sandals to review, and I can tell you that these are sweet shoes. They run true to size, and are made from high-quality materials (Mesa’s have leather uppers and footbeds, and the company also offers vegan models, such as the Gaia). I like the lightweight cork outsole on the Mesas. My only qualm about fit is that the Mesa footbed is a little narrow in the arch — probably best for someone with high arches.

Juil shoes for men and women are available on the Juil.com site and from resellers as diverse as Naturalizer, Planet Shoes, and Amazon. Prices are from $125 to $145 for sandals and from $155 to $165 for clogs.