Lululemon Blissfeel Shoe Review

Disclosure: I am a lululemon ambassador and I received these shoes for free.  But, as always, all opinions are my own. 

On International Women’s Day, Lululemon launched their first ever line of running shoes. After four years of research and development, over a million foot scans, and countless rounds of wear testing, these shoes were designed for women’s feet. 

Before I share my shoe review, I believe the best shoes are ones that fit YOUR FEET, YOUR GAIT, and YOUR FORM.  It might seem kind of obvious, but everyone has different feet, a different gait, and a different form. What works for me might not work for you and that’s okay!

So, a bit about my feet. I have wide feet and I have been loyal to a size 9.5 wide in the same brand/model for many years. I would try other brands/models but always went back to the same ones. However, recently, this brand/model changed their heel tab (the top part of the heel) and it was causing pain at my heel due to my insertional Achilles tendonitis injury. This caused me to switch to another brand and I ended up with a men’s size 8 wide. It was definitely better for my heel, but I think I should have just gotten a men’s size 8 regular because after I ran with them a few times, I felt they were a bit too roomy. 

With the Lululemon Blissfeel shoes, the 9.5 was too tight for my wide feet so I sized up to a 10 because they don’t have wide sizes yet. With a size 10, the width felt good and the length didn’t feel too long. These are neutral shoes with a 9.5mm drop which is very similar to the ones I’ve worn for years.  The top mesh is soft and breathable. The tongue is a thin material which is different than what I’m used to but I had no issues. So far, I have worn them for 3 consecutive days at work and have done two 5K runs with them.  

I’m no shoe expert, but I know what a good shoe feels like on my feet and I’m happy to report that these shoes feel great! They fit comfortably, the bottom is flexible, and the length and width are good for my feet. The pink and green colourway is certainly eye-catching and I’ve gotten a lot of compliments.

I do think the high price tag is a big barrier (they retail for CAD$198), but Lululemon has an excellent 30-day return policy, even if you wear them outside. This allows you to actually try them on and run with them outdoors to make sure they fit YOUR FEET.  They offer 10 colourways, so there are lots of options to choose from. So, go ahead, give them a try: it’s an overdue idea, and basically risk-free..

A counter opinion from shoe designer Richard Kuchinsky:

In my opinion, Lululemon isn’t doing anything new and anything they are doing they aren’t doing well. There’s been tons of women’s specific brands and models over the past 40 (?) years. Usually if Lululemon does something, they do it big. They hardly did any marketing (aside from influencers), must have had a really low production as sold out quick (not just because they are special), and there’s not much else they are doing to support the product.

I don’t see why they didn’t just call it a lifestyle shoe and do the hard work to make actual running shoes some time in the future.

To see a video of Richard’s in-depth discussion of the Blissfeel, please click here.