REASONS TO BUY
Unique footbed
Comfortable synthetic leather straps
REASONS TO AVOID
No arch support
Absorbs lots of water
Sanuk Yoga Mat - Women's Review
Sanuk Yoga Mat - Women's
Credit: Sanuk
Our Verdict
Like the Sanuk Yoga Spree 2, the Sanuk Yoga Mat flip-flop features a footbed made of yoga mat material. Although the footbed on this flip-flop is significantly thicker than the Yoga Spree 2's, this piece still lacks stability and support. That said, its thicker footbed and comfortable straps definitely gave us more of that “Ahhhhh” factor that we were really looking for in our comfort category. The Sanuk Yoga Mat sandal has a classic thong design that's neither super wide and clunky, nor slim and low profile. We like the classier look of the synthetic leather strap, but we aren't crazy about how much water the yoga mat footbed soaks up. Read on to learn more about how this product stood up to its competitors.
Our Analysis and Test Results
A thicker flip-flop with thong-style straps, the Sanuk Yoga Mat sandal is lightweight with a squishy footbed. Although the shoe doesn't mold to the foot, it still provides a fair amount of comfort, and it looks cute enough to wear with a casual skirt.
Performance Comparison
The Sanuk Yoga Mat provides the “Ahhhh” comfort effect that we love when slipping on a pair of flips, but it didn't do too well in many of our other metrics.
Credit: Amanda Fenn
Stability & Support
Overall, this flip-flop provides very little support or stability. The thin sole and squishy footbed are easy to fold in half (even through the heel). Although the heel and ball of the foot will sink into the yoga mat material, leaving you with the illusion of arch support, just like the Nike Comfort Thong, this piece doesn't actually have any supportive contours. For the ultimate supportive flip-flop, check out our Editors' Choice Award winner the OluKai Ohana - Women's.
The Yoga Mat flip was easy to bend and provides no arch support. This piece is thicker and more stable than the Sanuk Yoga Spree 2.
Credit: Amanda Fenn
Comfort
The Sanuk Yoga Mat earned high marks in our comfort category, coming in just ahead of our Best Buy Award winner, the Teva Women's Mush II. The yoga mat material squishes down around the foot and provides a comfortable cushion for daily wear, even though it lacks in support. After coming back from a long run and scrambling to get out of running shoes, these were the flops we reached for. The thicker yoga mat material sinks under the feet and the wide straps are lined with slick fabric to keep them from rubbing and digging in to the tops of the feet. Our one complaint in the comfort category is that these shoes didn't “remember” the shape of our feet even after plenty of wear. This worked for some of our testers, but others were left wishing that they molded to our feet like the Reef Sandy Sandal.
We loved how comfortable the Yoga Mat is. Its wide straps are lined with slick fabric and the yoga mat footbed sinks under the feet. If you're looking for the “Ahhh” effect, here it is.
Credit: Amanda Fenn
Water Resistance
Perhaps the biggest downfall of the Sanuk Yoga Mat is that its thicker yoga mat footbed (which doesn't have sealed edges) absorbs water quickly and dries slowly. Although its straps dried in about 1.5 hours, the footbed took more than five hours to completely dry out.
This piece absorbed lots of water and took more than five hours to completely dry out. Here you can see the water oozing out after our water resistance tests.
Credit: Amanda Fenn
Traction
With its super thin rubber sole, the Sanuk Yoga Mat just doesn't have the space for thick, grippy treads. While it does offer more traction than the Sanuk Yoga Spree 2, it does not have as much grip as products like the Chaco Flip - Women's or even the Nike Comfort Thong. Moreover, its slick footbed does very little to keep the foot in place. Even though this footbed is made of yoga mat material, it's not the type of mat we'd want to practice on.
Left: Amanda takes the Sanuk Yoga Mat across the wet log traction obstacle. On the right, we compare the Sanuk Yoga Spree 2 (L) with the Yoga Mat (R). The Yoga Mat has slightly deeper treads and better traction. Both offer very little footbed traction.
Credit: Amanda Fenn
Style & Fit
Our testers liked the look of this product. Even though it's doesn't have the slimmest profile, it's not too bulky or wide. Its synthetic leather strap provides an element of class and the cute plaid lining under the straps occasionally pokes out just a little. Unlike the Crocs Capri IV, we think that the Sanuk Yoga Mat flip-flop is pretty easy to dress up just a bit.
We tested a size 10 in this shoe and our size 9.5 testers agreed that the length was about right and that the length in the 9 was just almost too short. We liked the fit of the straps, but if you have a super narrow or low-volume foot, it might be worth it to take the hit on the length and size down.
L: Size 10; R: Size 9. The size 10 is a little bit too big, and the size 9 is a little bit too small. If you're a half size, you'll have to choose!
Credit: Amanda Fenn
Best Application
These sandals are nice and comfy for around-town use. They provide a welcome respite from clunky closed-toe shoes, but aren't stable or supportive enough for longer walks or mellow hikes. Also, since they absorb water easily and don't provide much traction, they aren't ideal for water pursuits.
The Sanuk Yoga Mat flip-flop absorbing the last of the California afternoon rays.
Credit: Amanda Fenn
Value
At $30, this flip-flop is worth the money if you're looking for something that offers a fair bit of comfort, and you don't mind the lack of support and stability.
Conclusion
Comfortable but not supportive, attractive but not waterproof, relatively affordable but not a total steal, the Sanuk Yoga Mat definitely doesn't have it all. When choosing whether or not this is the right product for you, be sure to think about what your priorities are and what qualities you're willing to sacrifice on.
If you're solely looking for a comfort-oriented flip-flop, the Yoga Mat is your pick! If you need support or stability, look elsewhere.
Credit: Amanda Fenn
—Amanda Fenn
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