For Naboso, the Timing Is Right for Foot-Focused Recovery

Naboso, a sensory technology company that uses texture to optimize foot function, has seen its sales double every year since 2020

The benefits of barefoot training have been appreciated in mainstream fitness and wellness for at least a decade now, but most efforts to commercialize the phenomenon have focused on minimalist shoes, not the foot itself. 

Dr. Emily Splichal, a functional podiatrist and human movement specialist, got the idea to create a company that could fill that gap in the barefoot market. 

“There was a lot of attention around the shoes people were wearing to work out or athletes were wearing to train, but there was nothing out there designed to take foot function to the next level,” Dr. Splichal tells Athletech News.

In 2017, Dr. Splichal created Naboso, a sensory technology company that uses texture to optimize foot function. Naboso, which means “barefoot” in Czech, features the first-ever small nerve proprioceptive material commercially available and designed to improve posture and enhance movement. 

Naboso’s first product was a texturized training mat designed to provide a better surface for barefoot movement than a traditional yoga mat or hardwood floor. Today, Naboso offers an array of products including insoles, socks, mats and various recovery tools.

Every Naboso product features the company’s patented texture, which Dr. Splichal describes as many “little pyramids” that are designed with a specific shape, size and distance apart to target small nerve proprioceptors on the bottom of the feet.

The pyramids are essentially what give Naboso products their special powers when it comes to performance, injury prevention and recovery. Several studies have shown that specific textures can improve balance and stability by reducing medial lateral sway, for example. 

Wearing Naboso products can even help alleviate chronic foot pain and fatigue that many people experience, especially those who stand frequently for work.

“A lot of personal trainers will wear (Naboso insoles and socks) because they’re on their feet all day training clients,” Dr. Splichal noted. “They’ll notice that ever since they started using Naboso products, they can stand all day and their feet don’t hurt.”

Since launching in 2017 with the training mat, Naboso has continuously expanded its product line and improved its bottom line. Naboso’s company-wide sales have doubled every year since 2020. A key reason for that impressive growth is the wide swath of customers who can benefit from using Naboso products, whether that’s insoles, socks or recovery tools like the company’s highly popular Neuro Ball.

“We like to say that if you have feet and a pulse, you will benefit from our products,” Dr. Splichal jokes.

More specifically, Naboso’s customer base spans the “medical, wellness and performance” cohorts, Dr. Splichal explains.  

On the medical side, someone could be using Naboso products to recover from a foot injury like plantar fasciitis. They can also benefit those with neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease or stroke. For performance, Naboso has worked with athletes in almost every sport, who use the company’s products to feel more in tune with their feet so they can perform better. For similar reasons, Naboso products are also popular with pickleball enthusiasts, weightlifters and weekend warriors.

The wellness cohort includes pretty much everyone else, from new parents to personal trainers on their feet all day to people looking to improve their balance.

Currently, the majority of Naboso’s revenue comes from ecommerce sales through its website and Amazon. But the sensory technology company also has resale partnerships with a diverse group of brands and organizations in fitness, health and wellness. Pilates studios, physical therapy offices and chiropractors have been among the biggest buyers of Naboso’s products.

Naboso also licenses its technology to companies in the health, fitness and rehabilitative spaces, including Power Plate, which uses Naboso’s texture on vibration platforms, and TrueForm Runner, which uses the texture on treadmills. 

As it looks to continue gaining market share, Naboso is pushing to increase its presence in traditional gyms. Dr. Splichal believes forward-thinking gyms can offer Naboso’s products as a way to appeal to the growing pool of members who are interested in barefoot and minimalist training. 

Gyms and studios can also market Naboso products for their recovery benefits.  

Dr. Splichal explains that in addition to stimulating small nerve proprioceptors in the feet, Naboso’s patented texture has some features that directly help promote recovery. The pyramids essentially give your foot muscles a “mini massage,” the Naboso founder says. They also improve microcirculation in the feet, which offers recovery benefits. 

Some big brands in the recovery space are starting to recognize the benefits of Naboso. Therabody uses Naboso mats as part of the “whole-body wellness” treatment the company offers at its Reset locations. 

“Therabody understands the importance of the sensory connection of your feet to your overall wellness,” Dr. Splichal says of the integration. “They’re an example of how other recovery-type models can be done.”

Naboso’s relationship with Therabody is emblematic of a larger shift in the way people prioritize and think about recovery.

Today’s consumers have not only recognized the need to incorporate recovery into their fitness and wellness routines, they’ve also embraced a more holistic and scientific view of recovery that includes modalities like infrared saunas, cold plunges and percussive massage therapy. 

Naboso believes its science-backed and foot-focused products have a place in the modern recovery space. 

“For Naboso, it’s the perfect timing because people are realizing recovery has to be whole-body and whole-system,” Dr. Splichal says. “That means feet, too.”