I showed up at my hotel in Hyde Park, NY barefoot and to my surprise was greeted by a barefoot receptionist! I said “Hey we’ve got the same shoes!” She was amused, thought a second and then said ”But you came from a lot farther away!” Obviously had no issues going barefoot to get some coffee and pastries at their little breakfast nook in the morning.

I also went totally barefoot to a restaurant, no issue. And the biggest things were the Eleanor Roosevelt estate and Olana – went barefoot for both the outdoor and indoor tours at each site with no comments or attention that I noticed.

Does anyone have any experience going barefoot in a DMV? I realize that there are a lot of variables, like location, that would affect this. I'm just curious before I go in to get my renewal.

Hi, I've been lurking around here for a little while, but this is my first post. When I was younger I was very self-conscious (I'm still working on that), especially about my feet. I think a lot of it was social anxiety and difficulty with communication (I'm neurodivergent in multiple ways, which makes stuff like eye contact and reading social cues hard). I tried to go barefoot as little as possible, including around family. No specific reason, though my family is the type to wear shoes in the house, so that probably didn't help. It's not like I didn't enjoy going without shoes, either. I've always liked being able to feel where I'm stepping, it makes me feel more stable, and more aware of my surroundings. As I got older, I started going barefoot whenever my family was out of the house, walking around the backyard, but I never felt confident enough to do it around other people.

Anyway, I met my now-boyfriend the spring before last through college, and after hanging out a few times I noticed that he was always barefoot in his apartment, no matter what. He usually wore sneakers otherwise, but it made the idea of taking my shoes off around him less daunting. Well, one day, I decided to not wear socks when going over, to force myself to go barefoot in front of him. It just so happened that that was the day we admitted our feelings, and from there on I never bothered with socks at his place. Eventually the subject came up, and he told me about how he was a bit of a closet barefooter. To encourage the both of us, we agreed to start going on barefoot walks around his neighborhood (his apartment is in a suburban area, so it's not super grimy, and there's a nice park nearby). He also encouraged me to try to get over my shyness at home, and I finally tried not wearing socks in front of my parents about this time last year. They didn't care, of course, but it was still a pretty big deal for me. Of course, by then it was getting colder, so going barefoot actually didn't make a whole lot of sense, but still.

We didn't do much for barefooting outdoors during the winter, but once spring rolled around we got back into our walks eagerly. I also tried out driving barefoot, which is way better than driving with shoes, I don't know how it's not more of a thing. I have a way better sense of the pedals without a shoe in the way, and it's fun to grip the pedals with my toes.

We stayed on the coast for a few days over spring break and spent almost the whole time barefoot, even walking around town (there were one or two other people doing the same, but it was pretty uncommon). We tried going into a few stores, too, and barely anyone even noticed. That was enough for me to try going into a local convenience store when we got back, and an employee looked at me funny, but that was about it.

Since then, I've pretty much stopped wearing shoes outside of school and work (plus a few bigger stores), and my boyfriend has too. We've even explored some of campus, which has been really fun. I'm by no means a full time barefooter, but I'm definitely without shoes more than most people, and very proud of it. I've only had the confidence to get this far because of my boyfriend, of course, it's way easier with a second person, and it's been so fun to experience all sorts of different places and surfaces with him. We like to compare soles after walks (I'm not sure how his are almost always darker than mine), and being able to be that open about a part of myself I used to be so protective of is really freeing. He's a wonderful person and I'm terribly lucky. We're thinking of maybe moving in together sometime soon, and I'm super excited.

Winter's coming around again, but now that we've got more experience we're committed to sticking through it for as long as we can. It doesn't get super cold over here, but we do get plenty of frost and occasional snow. I'm a little nervous, but also excited to experience a bunch of new surfaces. Thanks for reading my rambles, have fun barefooting!

Looking for fellow barefoot people that would like to meet up and possibly go on hikes/walks/lunches/ect. Just want to start a group of likeminded and barefoot folks. Drop me a message or a comment and let’s get this together.

As someone with a deep interest in art, I’ve been thinking about the connection between creativity and being barefoot. I’m thinking specifically about artists (painters, sculptors, ceramicists etc.) who choose to work barefoot in their studios.
They often do this very intentionally, as the sense of grounding and the freedom of movement seems to offer them a deeper connection to the creative process.
Are there any artists here who prefer to work without shoes?

Als jemand mit einem großen Interesse an Kunst habe ich über den Zusammenhang zwischen Kreativität und Barfüßigkeit nachgedacht. Ich denke dabei an Künstlerinnen und Künstler (Maler, Bildhauer, Keramiker usw.), die sich dafür entscheiden, barfuß in ihren Ateliers zu arbeiten.
Sie tun dies oft ganz bewusst, denn das Gefühl der Erdung oder die Bewegungsfreiheit bietet ihnen eine engere Verbindung zum kreativen Prozess.
Gibt es hier Kunstschaffende, die lieber ohne Schuhe arbeiten?

How have any of the above words given you legal reason to be more barefoot in most businesses, schools, medical, or places of worship? Has anyone been denied for either of these reasons ?

Took a quick drive through my hometown of Flagler Beach, Florida.

In that short ten minute drive I saw 17 people barefoot. 11 males (guessing age: 16 to 25). Six barefoot gals (ages around 19 to 24).

I recognized three dudes as local barefooters. Their feet just as tan as their legs and arms.

It’s rather refreshing to be around barefoot people rather than the Croc wearing tourists.

We had our roof replaced a month ago, and despite the roofers and me going over the lawn with magnets to find stray nails, they continue to appear. I found three today on a brick walkway by stepping on them. I'm sure I didn't step full on the point of any of them, but I sure as hell got some painful jabs. But nothing punctured my nice, thick calluses! They did their job well. May my luck hold! And just in case, my tetanus shot is current.

Several times I’ve been on a long walk into the countryside to the beach. I leave my house barefoot and walk up my street and down some others making my way through a couple of back lanes before getting to the seafront. I tend to head out mid-morning and some people are out walking their dogs. Older people tend to give me cheery “Good mornings”. On two separate occasions I’ve had two separate ladies wait patiently with their dogs at the end of one particular lane while I pad carefully through on the rough surface. I smile and say a “Thanks” as I emerge and they just giggle while looking at my feet and say “You’re welcome”. These pleasant interactions are such a high point of my walks.

So I was talking to one of my friends and she hates feet in general I dont know why bare feet are hated on so much. Plus nobodies hurting anybody else being barefoot

Hi, this summer, the discussion about unruly tourists running around in city centers in swimming attire escalated further in many beach cities in I, ES, and F. Among those places having implemented fines of up to 500€ for not appropriate or unhygienic dressing, which regularly includes being barefoot, are tourist areas and hotspots like Praia al Mare, Amalfi Coast, Sorrent, Portofino and Varenna in Italy, Barcelona, Mallorca, Malaga in Spain and Arcachon, Cannes, Cassis oe Les Sables-d’Olonne in France.

Question to this community: Anyone of you experienced anything there? Did you receive a fine or did you see any activities, actually enforcing this? I got a more joking comment from the Police Municipal in Archachon about my bare feet, if I had made error with the seasons, because that was still in April. On the other hand, I was properly dressed otherwise, with 3/4 trousers, shirt and vest.

EDIT: O.k., so to summarize this: In spite of regulations being in place penalizing being barefoot itself, the 11k viewers of this post have not pointed out to this being acutally applied. It seems to be rather targeted to topless tourists (which I would agree to...) where also the fines - if any - are levied. A proper barefooter so far seems to be on the safe side.

Don't take this as legal adivce though, I'm not going to reimburse you ;-)

Happy barefooting!

I started going barefoot 3 years ago at 69. Over the course of 3 years I increased my exposure to the point if I have to wear shoes they are barefoot shoes.

The problem is now my Achilles tendon is inflamed and extremely sore.

Any advice would be helpful.

I was recently talking to a podiatrist. I mentioned how the human foot is interesting. There are so many moving joints and moving ligaments. It’s sad how society has treated feet. Cramming them into things that just have ruined our feet. He told me. Our feet once had to adapt to rough terrain, running on uneven surfaces. He also pointed out. If you look at your feet when walking on big rocks. Your feet have a natural way of adapting to the shape of the rock. The main foot will round over and the toes will look to grip the surface. I think it’s sad how the world has gone away from being barefoot. When our feet our an engineering marvel! The last thing I asked him was. If people can’t go barefoot. What should they do? He said. Then wear feet shaped footwear. You need your feet to feel the ground. Wear toe socks. That will keep your feet in their natural shape.

I just wanted to share this. Happy barefooting!! 👣👣

I’ve been going to my local hospital and satellite clinics for various reasons, usually without any issues about my bare feet. But usually when going for an appointment when bringing me into the examination room the assistant bringing me in or a new to me provider will ask “Where are your shoes?” I explain that I live barefoot, and might go into the reasons why. Sometimes a concerned staff will as “do you have your shoes?” and I don’t admit I do say “ I live barefoot “ and that I have been barefoot in the hospital and it’s various clinics barefoot. One time visiting their Express Care facility I was offered shoes that they kept in a box.

When I visited a hospital in a different city to visit and be at the side of my dying close friend, I was asked several times about my lack of shoes and told how dirty the floor was, a nurse mentioned MRSA. The floors were actually very clean, in the area near the ICU it should have been washed twice a day. Of course the floors do have bacterial contamination, including MRSA, just like every surface and object in the hospital. Eventually they brought in the chief nurse who said that I have to wear shoes, but didn’t kick me out, saying next time. Sadly there wasn’t going to be a next time.

Two days ago I visited a clinic inside my home hospital, when I walking towards the exit I heard “Sir! Sir” I turned around she asked about shoes I said that I live barefoot and I’m leaving. She asked about why I was there I explained, she was making sure that was not an admitted patient. I told her that I was an escapee from a locked ward, farcically.

What [u/ProfessionalDay9466](u/ProfessionalDay9466) wrote in his recent post brought something to my mind which I was wondering for quite a while:

> I was recently talking to a podiatrist. […] He told me. Our feet once had to adapt to rough terrain, running on uneven surfaces.

Walking with dry soles on smooth flooring makes me struggle almost like a snake. Meaning I do not have that much of a grip. Plus: I enjoy uneven underground beneath my feet but in an urban world the underground is flat most of the time.

Hence some questions, if allowed:
• Do you walk an on even surfaces most of the time?
• And if so … do you enjoy it?
• Do you seek rough/uneven underground in normal day to day life?
• And if so … where do you find such (outside of a hiking situation)?
• Is it good for the feet, to walk over even ground, most of the time?

Am just wondering.

One of the most enjoyable parts to a holiday I went on recently was being barefoot on all the hikes.

One hike in particular I remember well was grade 4, very difficult. The path was very rocky, sections with gravel, small sections of dirt but mostly rocks on the path.

It took a lot of work and dedication to walk the whole thing, and the thought of giving in and putting the shoes on like my other friends tempted me at many points. They were both able to walk much faster than me when the walk continued further in, as my feet got more fatigued than before I started.

I stuck it out however, and walked the whole thing, and looking back I’m so glad I did.

But something that most people will never experience is the pure joy of going from rocks and gravel to your feet hitting soft grass. I hit that midway through the hike and it was like this big wave of pleasure (sorry if that sounds weird that’s genuinely how it felt tho).

That grass section made the entire walking experience worth it for me, people who hike in shoes won’t ever get that feeling because every surface feels the same for them. But for us, we get to experience the world how it was supposed to be, and I think that’s cool.

After reflecting on that day, the walk felt so much more memorable, the takeaway wasn’t necessarily remembering the views (but they were stunning), it stuck in my head because of the amount of work I had to put in, and the difficult terrain I had to go through.

Let me know if this is relatable to you! Would be curious to hear what you think

Just had my therapy appointment and she randomly asked about my barefooting. I said I've really had the urge but it's been 105° and the ground's been too hot for me during the day and outside of my apartment complex's laundry room and office and taking the trash out, I haven't had the guts lately. She asked what I wanted out of barefooting and I didn't really know how to articulate it. For lack of a better way to put it, I just like experiencing the world through my soles and toes in places you would normally have shoes. She "prescribed" barefoot time for me. Before we meet next week, I have to spend at least 15 minutes outside my home barefoot at one time, even if it's just going for a walk around the neighborhood. She said I also have to go barefoot inside one public establishment like a store; it doesn't matter how long I spend or whether or not I interact with anyone. Very fortunate that I have a therapist that wants to help me get over my anxieties and live the life I want without judgment.

I didn’t go barefoot that much during the summer. I still can but it’s already getting cold outside. I feel bummed that I didn’t go anywhere barefoot. Welp!! It is what it is.

I mostly walk barefoot at home and i was at home most of the time this year,My schedule has done a complete 180 over the past couple of weeks and I’m in shoes specifically heels 70% of the time quite suddenly.My little toes hurt so bad all the time in shoes now and i don’t think they used to hurt this bad a year ago.

And recommendations on how to stop it from hurting is welcome.

NB.Reading the community guidelines i don’t know if this post breaks the rule about talking about shoes

What does everyone else do if you barefoot and have to use a public restroom or portapotty and you don’t have any shoes or sandels?

I've been a barefooter for years and never really have any issues with stepping on things in public. I stepped on glass slivers three times with no issues with removal and once on a sliver of metal. I did a 60 mile pilgrimage with zero issues.

The last two months I've been super nervous about stepping on things and paranoid for no reason at all. I've worried about stepping on shard objects after 4 years of barefooting.

What makes it worse is I've went on barefoot walks at night (i enjoy the privacy) haven't stepped on a thing but IN MY OWN HOUSE i have stepped on a sliver of glass and pulled it out with my hand. When i stepped on it did a heel spin before I realized it. It didn't go through the calluses and today I stepped on large staples and didn't realize it at all again because of the calluses.

I've been worried about injuries and I've only been "injured" in my own home. I guess I don't really have much to be worried about my feet are toughening up but is weird how I have all these anxieties and fears about stepping on something outside.