As a shopaholic, I look for good deals and Value For Money (VFM) as an underlying feature for things I buy but the most important factor has to be utility else the whole endeavor falls flat.

My mother is someone who has had to deal with extremely dry and rough skin on her feet, soles especially, throughout her life and as she grew older, managing it became tougher unless she made going to a salon or a spa part of her regular regime. Suffice to say, she’s not that kind of a person. Given the prevailing conditions the world over these days, this product becomes even more useful.

A few years ago when I was looking for a gift for her, I figured she had enough of nice and pretty things, she ideally ought to have things which added more value and comfort to her life. And I came across this product:

Shopo’s Easy Feet Foot Scrubber Brush Massager Shower Clean Blue Slipper. The name is huge and apparently the benefits are as well! With suction cups which fix the product firmly onto a flat surface and with a good grip even on wet surfaces (which I confirmed), this slipper not only helps exfoliate the really tough areas of the feet but also cleans the nails and cuticles and the grime that’s so hard to get out of the cracks in the heels.

The pumice stone is attached right at the position where a person’s heel would be bristles on the bottom part of the slipper are firm but not hard. They clean the soles of the feet without chaffing or tearing at the skin. The bigger bristles which hang from the front part of the slipper clean the top part of the foot and also the nails and cuticles. Used on a regular basis, it leads to a cleaner, lighter foot with much lesser dead skin. It really amps up the health of one’s feet.

You can either sit on a stool or a chair and just slip your feet into the slipper and keep moving it back and forth OR you could even take the support of a wall and do a quick scrub while standing. The product is easy to use and essentially is a no-brainer.

The only drawback is that after a while, say about 2 years in my mother’s case, the suction cups can erode or lose their adhesiveness and finding replacements are huge problem. Without the benefit of the suction cups, this product is rather unsafe especially for those who are elderly or with slower reflexes since the back and forth movement of the foot inside the slipper will surely cause it to skid or even turn over.

A set of replacement suction cups will definitely help me rate the product higher in my book. Retailing at Rs.419 on Amazon, it definitely ticks off the VFM-factor and with a design that can accommodate most feet properly barring say a size 13 or a 14 am guessing; it really is a well-rounded product which can be used by a wide-range of people. It’s size of 11 inches in length and less than 6 inches across, make it easy to store and dry as well. Just prop it up against a wall to let any excess water drain out or just leave it out in a slightly sunny place for a thorougher drying.

I really lucked out with this find on the Internet. What have been some of your surprise finds? Did they lead to an A-HA experience? Share them with us and we’ll feature them and you on the blog and get the message out to other consumers as well. In the meanwhile, check out another foot product that I really like.