Shoes for yoga?
Sounds crazy, right?
Yet Nike came out with a shoe called the Nike Studio Wrap for yoga, ballet and Bar Method.
We all know I do lots of yoga (so was obviously curious about the idea of a yoga shoe by Nike), but I actually do a lot of Bar Method as well (I go to Pop Physique to be exact).
I love everything about the Pop/Bar Method workout except for one key thing: the enforced wearing of socks.
Wearing socks while working out on a mat / bar setting has always just felt really wrong to me. I love being in bare feet. And I get that they do it for hygienic reasons and respect that. But when I saw a girl in my Pop Physique class wearing neon pink Nike Studio Wraps instead of socks, I decided I’d give them a try myself for both Bar Method and yoga and see what ensued.
Below is my video review of the Nike Studio Wrap shoe (Click here for a transcript of the video if you prefer to read). And if you like the idea of Nike Studio Wraps but they’re too pricey for you, below are some alternative options you can buy for less money!
Nike Studio Wrap + Alternate Options
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(The shoes by themselves. They come only with a small mesh carrying case bag).
This is the Nike Studio Wrap pack, which has the “outer ballet shoe” you can wear while walking around outside. It comes in many colors, but of course these ones that look like actual ballet slippers are my favorite. These are even more expensive – betwen $80 – $100. Click here to check them out.
(PS If you’re obsessed with shoes that look like ballet slippers like I am, check out these Toms shoes that look exactly like pointe shoes! Very comfy, I’ve had over three pairs :))
Toe Socks has these half grip ankle toe socks that seem similar to the studio wraps that are just $16. Your toes are still exposed so you get the benefit of that barefoot feeling, with the comfort of socks! They also come in really cool colors, I especially like the heather gray. I’ve heard these can stretch out easily though (which makes sense), and then you’re sliding around in your sock. Which is a vote for in favor of the the Studio Wraps.
Giaim has these toeless grippy yoga socks for just $9.99. Similar to Toe Socks though, reviews said these can be loose fitting and stretch, making them impossible to workout in. They sure are cute though!
So – what will it be? Socks? Nike Shoes? Or nothing? Let me know what you decide and if you’re a bar method or yoga student in the comment below!
THINK POSITIVE & ALWAYS GET ON YOUR MAT.
The 2 shifts that helped me breakthrough my negativity & fall in love with my practice
Nike Studio Wrap Review – Video Transcript
Hi, I’m Brett Larkin, today we’re reviewing the Nike Studio Wrap Yoga Shoe.
For those of you that don’t do Yoga with me online, I’m a Yoga Teacher but I also am obsessed with the bar method. So I’m reviewing these shoes from the perspective of a Yogi, and a Bart Method student.
The Nike Studio Wrap Shoes retail for around $55 with tax, and then they have another version in which the studio shoe fits in the little ballet slipper that you can wear while walking around outside. That version retails closer to $100.
Here are some photos of me opening the shoes, and what I found inside.
So what you get is two shoes, and one carrying case bag, which I actually use, and found helpful.
The shoes themselves bend a lot, on the bottom side they have lots of little gripper dots so there’s really good traction with these shoes. Then, the heel is smooth.
One thing to know about the studio wraps is that they come in small, medium, and large. There’s not normal shoe sizes. That really surprised me. I ended up getting a medium which I was told was right for me as an 8, 8 ½, 9.
I found them tight at the beginning. The first time I wore them they were definitely snug.
Yet the more I wore them they really began to mold, and fit my foot, to a point that when I started doing Yoga with them, I didn’t even feel the studio wraps at all!
So in Bar Method one of the things I really liked about these shoes is that I actually felt that I was more barefoot than I am wearing socks. Because my toes were completely exposed, and parts of the top of my foot were exposed.
So you think wearing something like a shoe would make you feel more covered up. But I actually found the opposite, I felt like my feet and my toes were a lot freer because they were out in the open when I had the shoe as opposed to socks.
At my Bar Method Studio, the mats are very small. So when you do forearm plank with your toes curled under you’re always slipping on the wood. With these shoes, I had great grip, I didn’t slip at all. Meaning I could work my abs more 🙂
And then I loved how the heel was smooth, and that I could slide out into split and other stretches during the stretching portion of the class. I love that I felt more barefoot, and that I wasn’t wearing socks!!!
So we covered Bar Method, let’s hop over to Yoga.
I don’t know if it’s just me but when I do Yoga, I kind of go to this other place. When I was doing Yoga with the Studio Wrap Shoes, I actually completely forgot I was wearing them.
I have to give Nike props for this, because if their goal was to make a shoe feel like bare feet, they did a great job with this.
I completely forgot that I was wearing them, and I was only reminded if I physically had to grab my foot, or look down at my feet during my practice.
Now that being said, I don’t really feel like they enhanced my practice either. I definitely had great range of motion, and could do all the Yoga poses I wanted to do. Everything felt very normal. But I’m not sure if you’re just a Yogi if it’s worth it.
With two exceptions!
If you’re a germaphobe, and you’re renting public yoga mats a lot, and you don’t want your feet touching the mat, I think these are a good option for you.
If you sweat a lot and you’re really worried about slipping, and sliding, maybe you use one of those Yoga towels, I also think these shoes are a great option for you because they really do provide extra traction.
If you’re a Yogi that is not a germaphobe, and doesn’t the slip and slide to the extent that you need shoes, you might also want to invest in them if you’re also going to Bar Method. Because you use them in Bar Method, and you can use them in Yoga if you feel like it, or if you know you’re going to be renting a public mat.
All-in-all, I’d say the Nike studio Wrap Shoe has definitely improved my Bar Method experience, I much prefer them to socks, and didn’t really move the needle for me on my Yoga practice.
A fellow teacher pointed out to me that if you have the Nike studio Wrap Shoes, and then some sort of similar glove, you could actually do Yoga without a mat. So I don’t know if Nike’s planning on coming out with gloves any time soon, but something to consider.
Let me know in the comments below what you think of these shoes for either Bar Method, or Yoga.
Do you think it’s crazy that people are even trying to sell us something like this for Yoga?
I want to hear what you have to say in the comments below.
So that’s a wrap on the Nike Studio Wraps. Hit the Like Button if you enjoyed this video. Be sure to subscribe to my channel if haven’t already.
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Click the link below this video to jump over to my blog post about the Nike Studio Wraps with photos and links to where you can buy them online. Remember if you purchase through a link on my website, you help support me, and free Yoga online.
Thanks so much for watching. Namaste.
Watch this video review of the Nike Studio Wraps on Youtube here.
Note: I don’t get compensated for any reviews I write, they’re just my way of sharing with the community.
