Hi,

I am 19, I live in Kansas City Missouri. I am starting to get curious about the health benefits of walking barefoot and hiking barefoot and how it helps you ground to nature. Looking for someone to maybe talk with and hike and walk with and maybe become freinds.

You can messenge me freely.

Thank you

Have a great day.

Hello all. Long time lurker but never posted before. I hope this is the right place to post this as well.

I (35M if it matters) spend most of my time barefoot (duh!) and when I do have to wear shoes I choose minimalist footwear. I'm fairly active and do plenty of walking and a reasonable amount of running (2-3 times a week). During the summer this is nearly all barefoot but as the weather has been turning recently I've been opting for minimalist footwear (vivobarefoot mainly).

I've never had any significant foot injuries before but last week at work I noticed an uncomfortable and almost tearing like sensation as I walked. As I lifted my heel, the pain was felt in the middle of my arch and towards the ball of my right foot. Over the weekend the pain has been much worse and migrated to nearer the heel. I'm unable to walk properly on it, resorting to bearing weight on my heel and outside edge of my foot. It also aches when I'm resting. It hurts if I massage my plantar fascia. It hurts if I try to stretch it out.

Also, I ran about 7km the week before last wearing footwear, the first run with shoes on for several months. During that run I landed on a stone/pebble that struck right in my arch of my right foot. It hurt, but not enough to make me stumble or stop my run, and I basically quickly forgot about it - however I'm now wondering if it could be related?

I do have quite tight Achilles tendons cos I'm lazy with stretching after runs, and from what I've read online this can be a contributing factor by putting excess strain on the plantar fascia. All the advice I've read online so far suggests to wear supportive shoes with arch support etc. but I'm unsure this will help and potentially just weaken my feet. (Also arch support is outrageously uncomfortable when you've not had it for 10 years or so) I understand resting it is important but it's quite hard to rest one's foot without levitation!

I'm concerned that this is going to become a chronic irritation and it's making me quite miserable. So has anyone else ever had issues similar to this? If so, how did you fix it or deal with it? Or is this just my life now - anyone got a spare mobility scooter? 😉

Any advice is welcomed and appreciated. Thanks guys

I wonder, does there exist a Discord server for this small community of ours? The two most recent posts on this subreddit about a Discord are from 1 year ago... and then 5 years ago. Of course, the invite links have expired since then.

Would a barefoot Discord server even be popular in this community? Given that the target audience of Discord is the younger generation; people of my age, and I don't see those very often in this subreddit.

I will say, it would be nice to have a platform to chat with fellow unshoddies without the limits of Reddit's forum format.

Backstory for those just joining us: after 15 years of not wanting to go with me to public places if I’m barefoot, my wife has suddenly loosened up this year. First she surprised me with, “we’re out of town, I don’t know anyone here, you can go barefoot if you want.” That led step by step to going out to eat, to Home Depot, to an antique store, to the vet, and to a movie not really “out of town” but in neighboring towns where there was definitely a chance of seeing someone we know.

We haven’t discussed it, I’ve just been doing it and she hasn’t said a cross word or given a disapproving look. She just accepts it. But the one hurdle I hadn’t yet crossed was going grocery shopping. I wasn’t sure if she’d be OK with that, as the grocery stores we go to are right in our neighborhood and there’s a high likelihood of seeing someone she knows. But I figured I’d just wait it out and let it happen organically.

Well, today we were driving (having run another errand) and she suggested we stop at this super high-end grocery store she likes. They have a “hot bar” and we eventually decided we’d get a breakfast burrito and eat there. I got out of my car and on the way in she said, “you’re not going to put on your sandals?” I answered, “no, I think it’s ok.” And she just chuckled. I was home free!

But here’s the twist. She went into the bathroom to wash her hands before we shopped (our prior errand involved raking leaves and dirt). While I was waiting for her, an employee who looked like George Carlin came up to me and asked, “do you have shoes you could put on? Mumble mumble glass on the floor.”

I didn’t panic, but my mind was racing. How to handle? I knew that if he had said that in front of her, it would have triggered her residual embarrassment from years past and created future issues for our barefoot adventures together. “I told you it wasn’t allowed” and all that.

So while she was still in the bathroom, I just went to my car, put on some rubber flip flops, and re- entered the store. I found my wife, who asked, “where did you go?” I answered “I just went to get my flip-flops” but I don’t think she heard me and she then moved onto a different subject. Honestly, I don’t think she even realized I now had shoes on (because if she had, I assume she would have asked how and why that had happened).

We did some quick shopping for a few minutes and checked out. Then I deposited our groceries and my flip flops in my car, and we ate our breakfast burrito at an outside table.

So was that a victory or a setback? I guess I’d lean toward victory with an asterisk due to the employee. But there was more to come.

As we were driving home, we realized we actually needed some more groceries from our even more local and regular grocery store. So we stopped there. And we did a whole, full-store, full- cart grocery run. I was barefoot the whole time. She didn’t care. In fact, on the way home she remarked how fun it is to do errands together.

So I’ve now conquered the “local grocery store” hurdle! Even the “fancy” store would have been fine from her perspective, and the unexpected intervention of that employee (who I’ve never seen there before and hope,to never see there again) went completely under her radar.

I’m not sure what’s left to conquer, if anything. Maybe a super-fancy restaurant, but I’m not really looking to go barefoot at such a place anyway. I’ve done it a couple of times (once in Hawaii, once on my birthday this year albeit seated outdoors by the beach) and pushing that envelope even further is not really a goal of mine.

So it would appear that I am now a barefooter with a completely supportive wife. Making this, most likely, my final update on this topic.

7 AM, Walmart. Had a few odds and ends to pick up before leaving on a camping trip. I had just finished at self check, listening to the older clerk (70s?) explain to someone in great detail how she needed to verify items with receipts or she'd get fired. She came to me and "Where are your shoes?" I told her that was a loaded question for early Sunday morning. She kept rattling on, how I could have stepped on something, etc. I started to walk out, told her that it was OK, and kept going to the farthest exit. I heard "It is not! It is not!"

She never did verify my items.

I really love to walk barefoot everywhere but how do you guys manage to walk on gravel or on very hot asphalt in the summer?

Intenté publicar aquí y parece imposible. ¿Es porque el post incluye fotografías? ¿Literalmente están censurando unos pies sucios? 🤣 Naturaliza eso...

I worked at several radio stations over the years where going barefoot was considered no big deal.

Here’s a memory I have from a radio station located in suburban Detroit. I had some work to catch up on one Sunday afternoon.

I walked into the station barefoot, and the on-air personality, Joel must have seen me on the in-studio security monitor.

Just as I rounded the corner, the on-air studio door opened and Joel yelled out in his best stern voice, Hey! Where are your shoes?”

I was formulating a smart ass answer when Joel grinned like a Cheshire Cat.

He pointed downward as he lifted up his left bare foot.

I chuckled at the nonsense and forvermore I thought of him as Barefoot Joel.

Wonder what happened to him and did he live his life barefoot?

I've been going barefoot for years, but really got into it much more hard-core during the pandemic. I really love the autumn season, since the ground temperatures are much more manageable, and it makes barefoot walking so much more enjoyable!. Right now, here in Northern California, it's not hot or cold, but that perfect "in between." I generally get between six and eight barefoot miles a day. I spend time each day telecommuting from a coffee shop, going out to eat, or shopping, happily unshod. Going barefoot definitely makes walking more enjoyable and interesting, with every step always different. And, every season has its own challenges, treats, and opportunities to explore! I was enjoy the other post on this thread. Keep doing your barefoot thing. Everyone, feel free to reach out and share your own experiences and stories. Barefoot living for the win! 😊❤️👣👣

Was in bad place where being mobile was not a good choice one day notice legs,feet and ankles were swollen thought walking would do the trick but walking paved surfaces didnt help I usually walked/ran on rugged trails and unpaved minor improvements so decided include stretches great results within a week Also which to dirt roads and unpaved...so I'm back to the usual

So recently I bought some (admittedly really uncomfortable) knock off crocs with the intention of wearing them to college and slipping them off every once in a while. For the most part I've pussied out in walking in densely populated areas and have mostly just taken them off when sitting down at places.

Just yesterday, however, I was walking with some friends along a road that not many people walk by. We were heading for my friend's car in a nearby parking lot. We took a little break on some benches and I decided to slip off my footwear and continue the rest barefoot. It was only a short walk, no more than 3 minutes, and I put my cross back on when we got to the parking lot because im not walking barefoot on gravel in Philippine heat.

I did enjoy the little time I spent barefoot, though. That particular sidewalk had a pretty nice texture and I do plan on walking barefoot more there as it's not very populated. Walking there with friends is a rare opportunity though, so I'll be walking alone for the most part.

At the moment thats the only place on campus i intend to walk barefoot on as I'm still deathly afraid of people noticing and potential confrontations so I still have a lot to work on

What are some tips & tricks for going barefoot year round and most places even those that require shoes excluding the obvious dangers?

Hi everyone. So I'm currently preparing for my first proper barefoot hike. I've been completely barefoot for around 1 year, and wore minimalist shoes for 2 years before that. The trip is in November, from Milan to Rome, on the via francigena which is mostly asphalt/dirt roads/mountain tracks, going through some towns and cities along the way. The weather will be possibly cold and possibly wet, drier as I get close to Rome.

I'll be walking barefoot, with FiveFingers as backups for the rougher terrain. I will sleep in guesthouses or in a tent.

I have a lot of experience in difficult situations from my army service and from living in field conditions for a few years, so I know it will be hard and am prepared for it.

What are some tips, things to watch out for, possible dangers? Please share whatever you think is relevant. This is my first proper hike and I don't really know what to expect.

Tldr: barefoot hiking the via francigena in November, looking for tips.

Is it easier to go into a space barefoot if you're with a gal? I went out the other day with my wife, and we were both barefoot, in spaces where I've been questioned in the past, but they didn't bat an eye. And keep in mind, we're both in our sixties. My wife, I love her, she's beautiful, but she's not a hottie. But it seemed like her being barefoot made it okay for me to be barefoot.

Where are all us barefoot Australians.! Where barefoot in public is second nature

Probably unsurprising for most, but susprising and shocking for me, it wasn't because there were crystals, needles, pee or poop on the floor, it was because of the people.

It's been raining a lot these last few days in my city, which means that depending on where you walk, you had to step into a puddle of water deep enough to cover your whole foot.

I only have two pairs of shoes: sandals and the typical barefoot saguaro green and black shoes almost everybody probably knows. One inconvenient of those shoes is that if they get wet in cold weather you can already forget about wearing them for 1-2 days.

I go to superior vocational training, and I must wear covered shoes. I already knew it would rain a lot when I got out of vocational training, and since I, being 100% honest, didn't want to bring my sandals with me to put on once I got out, I decided that I would take off my shoes and socks and walk barefoot if my path was flooded, taking a tiny towel and placing it inside my backpack for drying my feet once I got on the bus because where I live (30 minutes away from where I study on bus) doesn't get floody.

Like I guessed, most of the path I took for getting on my bus was flooded, so I took off my shoes,socks, and placed them inside my backpack because it was hard to carry them alongside my umbrella due to the wind.

As a person who dislikes having anything on my feet, it felt amazing. Being able to actually feel the different textures of the pavement, road, puddles, etc was making me so happy that I could be compared to a child getting a gift they always wanted during christmas.

Until, people started taking notice of my 'barefoot state':

A couple laughed while passing by me.

I heard a group behind me giggling while waiting at a red pedestrian light, and saw them pointing at me.

One guy, while laughing to his friend, started recording the surrounding area, which I thought, fair, not everyday you see the city flooded. Until I realized that everytime I turned to him, wether to check if the bus was coming, or to look at the flooding, he suddenly moved his phone (which was pointing at me) away to capture the 'surroundings'.

And last, but what felt worse by how little they tried to hide what they were doing, I saw a group of three girls behind the glass of a bus that stopped to let people get off, laughing, pointing, and what I assumed by how they were pointing their three phones directly at me, recording and taking photos. I could have knocked on the glass if I wanted to by taking 5 steps due to how close the bus was, and they probably thought the glass wasn't see-through.

Like I might get how it's 'weird' seeing someone walking barefoot in a city. I'm not in a city with normalized barefooting, but laughing, pointing, taking photos/videos and making someone feel like a piece of 💩 just because they are walking barefoot?? I think that's too far.

I have never felt so degraded and critized publicly in my life before.

Also, this happened in just 20 minutes, which is what it took for me to walk to the bus and wait for it to arrive.

Just had my second encounter with somebody telling me that I, due to "existing laws", are prohibited from entering a place without shoes.

I have no problem (to a degree that some purists here deemed me to be a troll only) with people simply denying me entrance, due to me being barefoot. That's called domiciliary right's and is, though one may not like it, just just.

If somebody does that, then I stop arguing and accept it, though maybe grumpily only.

What I cannot stand though, are people who lie into my face and invent laws with multiple side regulations and blah. They do so blatantly and each time they insist on how sorry they are, that they have no other chance, but to follow those rules (as if they were totally on my side, but "the laws, you see!?"). It's so … aaaaahhhhh, I really hate such falsehood.

But,

my question to you lot is:

• How often people are telling you outright lies about non existing laws and the like which, or so they claim, prohibits them, from permitting entrance, service or whatever else to barefooters?

I've had to wear sandals while walking, Mr. Mason because, all over this neighborhood, all of the oak trees are dropping acorns into the street. And man, you do not want to step on one of those in your bare feet. That is one of the worst ouches ever, because the suckers crush and they leave little shards everywhere that are sharp. So even walking through a pile of them that's been crushed by a car tire or something, ow, very painful. Anybody else deal with acorns?

I was thinking to myself recently if there was a way to be barefoot all the time such that it becomes socially normalised .I was scrolling through TikTok and came across “Wanlov The Kubolor” ,a music artist in my country.I already knew he went barefoot, but it was the never the first thing I thought of, when it came to him.He’s known to walk barefoot everywhere,even to interviews and concerts.
It’s so normalised for him now,no one even comments on it anymore. Maybe the other aspects of his personality distract from it. He is somewhat eccentric by our country’s standards

Long story, apologies in advance...

So... just dropped my truck off at an auto shop, and decided to walk home. The auto shop is just under 2 miles from my apartment. I've walked that distance before, but that was before I was barefooting.

Today, I had my flip flops in my sling, and just took the walk after dropping my truck off. The majority of the trip wasn't too bad. There is not much sidewalk on the route, so I was primarily walking on gravely asphalt/road with occasional grassy pre-ditch side of roadway spots. Some sharp pebbles that I definitely felt, but were not overly painful. Some occasional shiny things I avoided in case it was glass shards, since I couldn't really tell.

Really, nothing terrible, until I got to a stoplight about a block before my apartments. I stepped from a driveway, onto a small grassy/dirt patch just in front of the stoplight, and nearly cried out in pain. Both feet, multiple grass burrs I did not see. I just barely stood on one foot while trying to swat them off the other. They stuck to my hands, they left needle burrs in parts of my foot. I was in agony. It took me probably a good two mintues to get them off, and I was almost limping

By amazing timing, some elderly man had pulled up into the driveway behind me and asked, "you barefooting it?" "Yeah," I replied, trying to look positive. "How far you going?" "Oh, my apartments, are just around the next corner. I've got flip flops with me if I need them." I pat my sling. "Thank you, though." He nodded, and drove away. I cautiously walked back to the light, and still somehow stepped on a few more burrs.

I almost limped the rest of the way home. But as soon as I walked in the door, I went straight to the bathroom and washed my feet with a loofa, then used some scissors (couldn't find my tweezers), and looked for anything sticking out. Didn't find anything. Then put hand sanitizer on my soles - I figured the alcohol would sanitize and help me pinpoint any wounds. Nothing stood out. Rinsed my feet again.

I feel mostly ok now. My feet feel sensitive/sore when I put pressure on, and I have a slight persistent soreness on my ball and heel. I feel like I might end up with another blister set, but I'm going to have to be careful about barefooting until I'm sure there's no long term effects...

I'm just recounting the most extreme example of being given attitude for lack of shoes in my life so far. So prepare for some rambling.

For most of the year now I've never worn shoes, and throughout this first semester in college, I've followed suit. I haven't had any issues being in class, and have in fact received a lot of friendly support from professors and classmates.

The only places that have a policy against being barefoot are the dining halls. It's an archaic policy from the 60's and 70's that just hasn't been reviewed, and so now it isn't really enforced. Food workers either don't think it's an issue or can't be bothered or don't get paid enough to confront a student and kick them out for it. But every once in a while there'd be a more managerial, corporate person who would kindly bring it up.

However, while I was in line to get dinner, this older lady walked up with an attitude saying that I have to wear shoes or beat it, literally trying to pull me out of line, toss the food I'd served, and send me out after I already paid to eat here. I stood my ground and stated that I already paid and need to eat. She complained to one of the chefs behind the counter, who said that there isn't much he can do.

As I was eating at a table, she picked me out and said she called her boss who confirmed with her that I'm breaking the policy, and I restated that I need to eat the food I've already served and am entitled to by the university; she threatened to call campus police. I know the campus police would take the path of least resistance and kick me out, but I found it kind of insane that she was willing to turn such a mundane, harmless situation into a scene involving the police that would turn everyone's attention toward us.

She said she'd let me finish my meal, but that's it, and walked away. A few minutes later I was done and went to take my dirty dishes to the designated area, and she called out from the corner to leave it at the table. So it turns out she was standing by the door, staring at me while I ate, waiting for me to finish, which is straight up weird and kind of grossed me out.

But either way I left and made a remark to her about how she'd rather people leave a mess at their tables than have one student without shoes on in the hall.

I'm just kind of baffled that some dining hall worker like her would make it their entire mission of the night to kick one student out for what they're wearing. The funny thing is, she didn't kick me out, because I ended up refusing to leave when she told me to and left on my own terms; though she still looked all triumphant like she saved the day when I left. It kind of makes me sad how important it makes her feel knowing that she's just another underpaid food service worker making below minimum wage, and enforcing an arbitrary policy like this isn't going to give her a raise.

Either way, shit like this just makes me want to keep doing it more, and I'm in the process of working with the student government to get the policy overturned for discrimination and infringement of students' right to self expression. But until then, I guess I'll keep finding myself in strange encounters like this one.

My neurodivergent brain goes into tilt when using the term barefoot. Thats singular so I typically say bare feet. Thats both feet, not one foot.

I’m extremely shy about being barefoot around other people. This applies everywhere, from swimming pools to beaches, but especially in places where people don’t normally go barefoot.
So I started by wearing flip-flops. Now I’d like to take things a step further and find a situation where I’d actually have no choice but to be barefoot. Something like taking part in a play or attending a judo class…
Does anyone have any ideas? I live in Belgium, and situations where you’re expected to be barefoot aren’t very common here!