Lululemon Blissfeel review: We tried the brand’s first running shoe

My earliest reminiscences of athleisure incorporate searching by means of the rows of leggings at Lululemon in the early 2000s, with a target to possess — or at the very least take a look at out — each and every pair. Like so quite a few devout Lululemon lovers, I started stalking its website every single day for new releases: That is why Lululemon’s landmark women’s managing shoe launch is these types of a huge deal. The Blissfeel is a welcome addition to the brand’s rising stock of clothing, extras and health and fitness equipment.

They’ll be on cabinets in pick spots throughout North The usa, Mainland China and the British isles as of March 22, and we bought to place them to the examination so you can establish irrespective of whether they are appropriate for you.

Irrespective of whether you are coaching for a race, you are introducing far more walking or jogging into your regimen or you want a stable jogging shoe to acquire you from one particular conclude of a substantial airport terminal to the other, the Blissfeels have your again (and ft). The Blissfeels came to be when the brand analyzed the foot scans of more than 1 million gals in buy to create a shoe built particularly for the female foot, which tends to vary from men’s feet at the arch, the lateral facet of the foot, the initially toe and the ball of the foot, in accordance to research from the journal Medicine and Science in Sporting activities and Medication. The ventilated higher is intended to give you that bare future-to-almost nothing sensation, and the foam cushioning softens influence on your joints during high-intensity actions. They come in comprehensive and half dimensions 5 to 11 and retail for $148 a pop.

I would not generally gravitate towards a functioning shoe with a classic silhouette like these, but truthfully, Lululemon could virtually slap its brand on a garbage bag and I’d proudly rock it (responsible as billed). The shoe comes in 10 colorways, and I was pleased the manufacturer despatched me the Electric Lemon model with a black mesh upper, brilliant yellow detail alongside the side and a chunky white heel that offers some much-desired elevation on my measly 5-foot-3 frame.

Correct away I could really feel its tuned foam cushioning that offers enough bounce to propel me ahead. It’s a lighter shoe than I’m utilised to, and right after this sort of pep in my stage, I never see myself heading back again to something else.

Not to harp on the details, but as someone who’s unironically thought of obtaining a Lululemon tattoo, I appreciated the numerous logos. The back characteristics an enlarged emblem reminiscent of the outdated-school wide variety they employed to imprint on its flared Groove Trousers circa 2003, and it serves as a type of stop indicator that says “Talk to me about yoga mats and coronary heart amount screens!” I definitely like the far more refined brand on the side of the tongue, but I was fairly disappointed to find it tucks back again into the shoe when I lace them up (the website showcases claimed symbol exposed, so this could be an issue of my very own foot form). When I 1st wiggled my way into them, I found they have been a little bit limited at the toe box in spite of staying my usual dimension 6. Without the need of a loop to get at the heel, I nearly crushed my fingers striving to place them on. Even so, they cradled my foot wonderfully and I felt supported from virtually each individual angle.

I wore them around the household for several hours, done a combine of chores like vacuuming and folding laundry and sat for numerous hours though I worked to see how they’d fare as an everyday shoe. Substantially to my surprise, the shoe took on the trajectory of a favorite classic sweater or blanket that softens and relaxes with don. Only this time, it took about a number of several hours to sense like they were built for me instead of a number of many years. They’re a little bit complex if you’re likely to use them strictly for everyday dress in, but if you are performing out anyway, leaving them on for a bit will serve as a handle for your feet.

I was fairly nervous to deviate from my Hoka One Ones that supply unparalleled cushioning, so the Blissfeels fairly actually had big sneakers to fill. The moment I stepped on to the treadmill, I felt a lightness and length to my posture I hadn’t felt given that I to start with put on my Hokas two several years ago (this may possibly be a signal it is time to completely exchange them). I attribute this sensation to the two the lightness of the shoe as very well as the inch-substantial heel.

To give them a honest shot, I submitted the shoes to 45 minutes of dash intervals (or “sprintervals,” as I’ve affectionately dubbed them), which mixed walking, jogging, running and sprinting at highest exertion. I felt myself springing — nay, leaping! — ahead in that deliciously enjoyable way only a new pair of working sneakers can realize. My ft and ankles felt absolutely supported, thanks to the snug sense of the shoe, and the arch assistance was pronounced enough to manage the all-natural structure of my foot with out earning me truly feel like I was strolling on a pressure ball.

I be expecting this to solve alone as the shoe molds to my foot even much more around time, but I did truly feel the tongue dig into my instep on my left foot. Like the majority of the population, my two ft change somewhat in form and measurement, so this isn’t at all a dig at the shoe.

Do I contemplate these additional of a managing shoe? Certainly. Would I have on them to cross-prepare? Only if I’d been functioning beforehand and hunting to incorporate bouts of resistance instruction to an present cardiorespiratory regimen. The shoes actually shine in the cushion department, and certain educational institutions of thought preach that you should steer very clear of any styles of bouncy materials with as well substantially give when bodyweight training or cross-education. Usually, the shoe might inadvertently aid you in the course of your movement even though encouraging you to rely on momentum in its place of your intrinsic strength. These sneakers were a joy to wear in the consolation division even though I done soar squats, deadlifts and again lunges put together with lateral raises.

Here’s wherever it receives a little bit intriguing: The traction is pretty much as well superior. My health and fitness center is carpeted, so I felt the grooves and ridges get trapped in its fibers all through movements that incorporate sliding or sidestepping, this kind of as facet lunges. This sales opportunities me to believe that they’d fare effectively on glossy hardwood or even ice (I would not suggest them as a wintertime shoe for every se considering the fact that they are fairly slim and remarkably ventilated). As I have only owned them for a week now, I simply cannot converse to how very well the traction will keep up right after months or many years of use.

If you are hunting for a new working shoe to add to your repertoire, the Blissfeels make for a good wager. At $148 for a pair, they are no doubt pricey but slide within the ordinary sneaker selling price range.

Afterwards this 12 months, the manufacturer will release 3 far more sneakers: the Chargefeel, Restfeel and Strongfeel, with a men’s selection slated for release in 2023. Due to the fact the Blissfeels gained me above, I’m that significantly much more energized about Lululemon’s future shoe releases, and will be guaranteed to report again so that you, too, can share in this blissful sneaker pleasure.