The Feelgrounds Original Luxe is a barefoot shoe designed to be worn on a daily wear basis. This model features a soft faux leather upper which gives them a refined appearance for both casual and formal settings.
As a fan of models like the Feelgrounds Highrise Knit, I was excited to put the Original Luxe to the test. I find it difficult at times to find barefoot shoes that I feel comfortable wearing for different occasions, so I was drawn to the Original Luxe model.
Across the board, I’ve enjoyed the Feelgrounds Original Luxe and I would rank it as one of the best barefoot shoes for daily wear. That being said, this model will have some shortcomings like its breathability, and I’ll discuss that more in-depth below.
In this Feelgrounds Original Luxe review, I’ll cover various topics to help you decide if this shoe is worth it for your needs.
Contents
Who Should Invest In the Feelgrounds Original Luxe?
The Feelgrounds Original Luxe is a good barefoot for anyone wanting a refined shoe for daily wear. This shoe works well in both casual and formal settings due to its simplistic construction and aesthetic.
In my opinion, it can be pretty tough to find barefoot shoes that look good in formal settings. The Original Luxe does a good job at walking the fine line between looking classier without calling attention to them with the “this is a barefoot shoe”.
For example, while the Xero Shoes Kelso is a barefoot shoe designed for daily wear, however, it’s not my favorite shoe to wear in formal settings due to its clunkier and dated appearance.
The faux leather, lack of branding, and low-profile appearance are all positives for the Original Luxe’s ability to perform well on a daily basis. If you’re looking for a model exclusively for summer wear and hotter months, you may want to explore other Feelgrounds options.
Feelgrounds Original Luxe
$129
Best For
- Cooler Month Wear
- Casual and Formal Settings
- Short Walks
Falls Short
- For Breathability
- For Warm Month Wear
Feelgrounds Original Luxe Pros
Over the course of my testing and reviewing of the Feelgrounds Original Luxe, I found multiple things to like and pros with these shoes.
- Good Looking Barefoot Shoe for Different Settings
- Faux Leather Is Soft and Comfortable
- Nice Option for Cooler Months
The first thing to like about the Feelgrounds Original Luxe is its appearance and how it can work in various settings. It’s no secret that barefoot shoes can often look a little odd for formal settings, however, I think the Original Luxe is an exception to this.
The Original Luxe features a low-profile and refined appearance which helps this shoe go well with shorts and pants in both casual and formal settings. This model can work in business casual settings and can even be dressed up and worn more formally.
On top of its appearance and versatility for daily wear, I also enjoy the level of articulation you get with this shoe. If you enjoy having a low stack height and a lot of ground feel with your barefoot shoes, I think you’ll enjoy this shoe’s overall performance.
Taking it a step further, this shoe does a good job for casual walking and wearing out and about. It’s not going to be your best shoe for logging insane step days, but for all-day wear and casual walking, whether it be for your job or running errands, this shoe works well.
Another aspect to like about the Feelgrounds Original Luxe is its faux leather upper construction built with vegan PU leather. This material delivers a fairly “high-quality” leather look while remaining soft internally and comfortable.
The internal construction of this shoe is built with a micro suede so it never feels like the leather is digging into the feet, which can sometimes be the case in low-profile shoes that feature leather uppers.
The final aspect to like with the Feelgrounds Original Luxe is that it can technically work for all seasons, but has a nice performance for cooler months. You can wear these sockless in warm months and they’ll perform well enough to not make them overly hot.
Don’t get me wrong, they’re not the most breathable shoe, but they can work for more casual summer and warm day wear. Where they excel is for cooler months when you want a little more warmth. You can rock these with thin socks and still count on them to keep the feet pretty warm and cozy.
Feelgrounds Original Luxe Cons
Despite enjoying the Feelgrounds Original Luxe performance and appearance, there are a few cons to note about these shoes before investing in them.
- Don’t Come With Insoles
- Leather Will Crease a Bit At the Toe Box
- Can Run Warm for Those With Hotter Feet
The first drawback that I have with the Feelgrounds Original Luxe is that they don’t come with insoles, and this is actually a gripe I have with all Feelgrounds shoes. And if you’re new to barefoot shoes, you’ll likely want to consider adding insoles.
The Original Luxe has a price point of $129 USD and when adding insoles it increases the price by another ~$12 USD, so the total ends up closer to $140, which can be fairly high for some.
On top of the higher price point, the Original Luxe’s upper can feel a little snug when adding insoles due to its low-profile construction. The faux leather doesn’t stretch as well as the knit and mesh models from Feelgrounds.
If you find yourself often wanting more upper volume in your shoes, have thicker feet, or plan to wear these with fairly thick socks, you may want to consider opting for no insoles or a different model like the Feelgrounds Original Mesh.
Another drawback to note with the Feelgrounds Original Luxe is that the upper can crease around the toe box after prolonged use. This is fairly common in this style of footwear, so it’s not the biggest deal, but if you’re particular about your shoes, it’s worth noting.
If you’re wanting to keep these relatively creaseless, I’d suggest using shoe trees when not wearing these, and working to keep them away from moisture as much as possible. These shoes are water repellent, however, that doesn’t make them void of creasing over time.
The final drawback to note with the Feelgrounds Original Luxe, which I briefly touched on above in the pros, is that this shoe can run a little warm. While it works for all seasons, you’ll definitely want to curate when you wear these on hot days.
For example, I’d pass on this model in the summer if you’re planning to log over 10k steps in a day outside. In this context, these shoes will run pretty hot and you’ll likely want something more breathable. I think understanding this shoe’s limitations is important.
Performance
To break down the performance of the Feelgrounds Original Luxe shoes, I’ll cover a few key areas to note about this shoe’s daily performance. I’ll discuss this model’s performance for walking, all-day wear, and seasonal wear.
This way, you can cross-reference how you plan to use these shoes to make sure this model is a good investment for your barefoot shoe needs.
Testing the Feelgrounds Original Luxe for Walking
For walking, I enjoy the Feelgrounds Original Luxe and it should work for most walking contexts. For example, if you’re logging anywhere from 1-5k steps at a time, this model should do a good job regarding foot temperature.
Honestly, it’s not a matter of this shoe’s comfort for walking, but more so their breathability in different environments. I wouldn’t want wear to this model for a long dog walk in the summer, but for longer walking in the fall, these should be solid for you.
I enjoy this model’s feel for walking and without an insole, you get a lot of ground feedback in these shoes. Plus, this shoe’s toe box is plenty wide to accommodate a variety of foot anatomies.
In the context of ground feel, you feel everything in this shoe, so that is definitely something to consider based on where you are in your barefoot journey. If you’re brand new to barefoot shoes, I’d suggest getting insoles with these or acclimating to them for walking slowly.
Overall, the Original Luxe can be a good shoe for walking, but it has its limitations. If you want a model specifically for longer walks in various seasons, you’ll want to explore more active barefoot shoes.
Testing the Feelgrounds Original Luxe for All-Day Wear
For all-day wear, I’ve enjoyed the performance of the Feelgrounds Original Luxe. Whether you’re standing all day and need these for your job or just plan to wear them out and about, there are three reasons why I like them for all-day wear.
First, I like the overall comfort of this shoe’s upper construction. I like that the micro-suede lining gives these a softer internal feel and if you want to wear them sockless while working something like a retail job, they should fit the bill well.
Second, I like how well the sole articulates and the grip you get with this model. This model is highly mobile with a wide toe box, so it’s really easy to feel the ground and splay the toes in the Original Luxe.
When you don’t add an insole, the stack height of the Feelgrounds Original Luxe sits at 5mm. If you want max ground feel with your barefoot shoes, you’ll likely enjoy how much “feel” you get with this model.
Third and lastly, the appearance of the Original Luxe makes them an easy option for all-day wear. These shoes can look good with pants, shorts, and most outfits since the colorways are all simple and the models have minimal branding.
Testing the Feelgrounds Original Luxe for Seasonal Wear
When it comes to seasonal wear, the Feelgrounds Original Luxe can technically work for every season, but I think they’ll perform best with a cooler weather bias.
Much like other leather shoes, this model’s breathability isn’t the best and with its micro-suede lining, it can feel a little warm on hot days. To add to this, if you’re wearing socks with these on hot days, then you’ll likely find them to run even warmer.
Since these shoes are built with softer leather, I think you’ll be better off preserving their use for cooler months and being strategic with how you’re wearing them for warmer months.
I could see these being a good model for commuting in cooler months and for office wear in the summer where you’re not logging a ton of steps outdoors in the heat. Doing this will also help prevent these shoes from getting sweat-logged.
Feelgrounds Original Luxe Sizing
For the Feelgrounds Original Luxe, most should be safe going true to size in this model. The length runs true in this shoe and they have a nice width throughout the midfoot and forefoot.
I’d also highly suggest checking out Feelgrounds’ sizing notes on their product page before investing in these. On their sizing specs page, every shoe has its length and width provided based on your sizing which is great for accuracy.
Despite these shoes fitting true for most, I do see them potentially being problematic for those that plan to add insoles from Feelgrounds or their own. If you have thicker insoles, you may feel limited in these due to their low-profile upper construction.
- Feelgrounds Original Luxe Sizing Thought: Go true to size.
If you have additional questions about the Feelgrounds Original Luxe sizing or how they compare to other barefoot shoes, drop a comment below.
Price Breakdown
For the Feelgrounds Original Luxe barefoot shoes, you can expect to pay $129 USD. Compared to other barefoot shoes designed for daily wear, these shoes are right in the middle of the pricing spectrum.
They’re more expensive than the Xero Shoes Prio but less than the Vivobarefoot Geo Court Knit model. Personally, I think the price for these shoes is pretty fair, especially if you haven’t found to enjoy the appearance of other daily wear barefoot shoes.
I talked about this above, but one thing to note about the Original Luxe price is that it will go up if you need insoles. This model, once again, does not come with insoles so if you buy a pair from Feelgrounds you can expect to add another ~$12 USD to the $129 price point.
Feelgrounds Original Luxe
$129
Best For
- Cooler Month Wear
- Casual and Formal Settings
- Short Walks
Falls Short
- For Breathability
- For Warm Month Wear
Construction Details
Similar to other Feelgrounds shoes, the Original Luxe has a fairly simplistic construction. Below are some of the key construction details to note about the Feelgrounds Original Luxe.
- Heel-to-Toe Drop: 0mm
- Weight: 8.60 oz (for my size 10 model)
- Removable Insole: Doesn’t come with an insole.
- Finished Internal Construction
- Vegan PU Leather
- Laces Built With Recycled PET
- Sole Built With Recycled TPE
- Micro-Suede Lining
- Circular Lug Patterning
- 6 Metal Eyelets
If you have additional construction questions about the Feelgrounds Original Luxe, drop a comment below.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q:How do you clean the Feelgrounds Original Luxe?
Q:Do the Feelgrounds Original Luxe fit true to size?
Takeaway Thoughts
Overall, I’ve enjoyed wearing and testing the Feelgrounds Original Luxe. This is one of the few barefoot shoes that I genuinely enjoy the appearance of in more formal settings.
The simplistic design, refined appearance, and soft faux leather are all pros of the Original Luxe. I could also see this being a good option for cooler months.
Conversely, on hot days, this shoe’s breathability will fall short and if you have thicker insoles, this shoe’s sizing may not work well for you.
If you have additional questions about the Feelgrounds Original Luxe, drop a comment below or reach out to me personally via Instagram (@jake_boly or @that_fit_friend).
I buy and test the products featured on That Fit Friend using a regimen of training tests that I’ve developed over years of testing training shoes and gear. I may earn commissions on sales made through the links on my site.
