All of our instructors have a preference for the type of stools they use in their own personal practice. Today I’m talking about the one that stays at the head of your table by the headrest. (If you want to learn more about the different step stools we use, you can read about that here.)

You have plenty of options, but I’ll go over some of the stools our instructors have been using in the last 17+ years, what we like and don’t like about them.

There are many choices available. In large, what we get tends to be based on 3 things:

1. what we can afford
2. how it looks
3. its sturdiness

Typically, we prefer to use a standard height 24″ stool for both the standing and seated work. Old school barefoot therapists often needed 2 stools-1 for standing and the other for seated work.

However, it’s ridiculously easy to add a bolster to increase height for seated work if you don’t have an electric table but you want to be higher.

Stability is your #1 priority.

How it looks should be secondary to that. With that being said, you need to get what you can afford.

As with setting up your bars, the use of the stool may be individual to each barefoot therapist and room setting.

Affordability, surface area, tipability factor

Many walls have baseboards at the floor, which affects the stability of stools, the “tipability factor”. Baseboards may be thin rubber, relatively thin wood or custom thicker wood (which is what I have in my office).

You are more likely to have a problem with the stool tipping if you don’t stand in the center of it, and the edge of the stool is not by the wall.

I’ve been on the receiving end of a stool tilt. I don’t recommend it. 😉

You can always add a bumper (pool noodle or pipe foam) for stability.

Classic round bar stool
The least expensive is a classic round stool. I used to get them from Bed Bath and Beyond with a 20% off or $5 off coupon. They are currently retailed at $39.99. Legs that are square are more stable than those that are round.

Pros: price, classic and simple 1990’s look, easily able to find at local stores or thrift shops, a round meditation bolster fits on it well
Cons: easy to tip, tends to get wobbly over time (I’ve seen some wobble within a day)

Saddle stool 
These stools usually start at $69 and go up substantially from there. Less expensive ones are more likely to wobble and fall apart quickly while spendier versions will be around for years.

They can be found at many stores in your area.

Because they are rectangular, you have more stable footing than with the round stool.

Most often found in painted black or natural wood tone, I have seen these in periodically in vibrant colors such as red also.

Jeni’s tip: short therapists can turn the stool perpendicular to the wall and add a bolster behind his/her back to get themselves closer to the client if needed.

Pros: look nice, can be purchased in a variety of colors, easily able to find at local stores, can be used perpendicularly with bolster
Cons:  inexpensive ones are often poorly made and can fall apart quickly, can tip easily if you’re not standing correctly & have a baseboard

Padded saddle stool
For about a week, I used a rectangular stool with built-in padding but didn’t care for it. I found it unwieldy to swing my leg over it when seated. Because the stool wasn’t meant for standing on, my foot quickly imprinted on the foam padding, making it uneven within a week of using it.

Pros: you don’t need an additional bolster
Cons: the seat’s not meant for standing, can wobble if built poorly, probably has buttons on the top of the cushion

Tolix style stool
Why are they called “Tolix”?  They were first designed in 1934 by Xavier Pauchard for the French Company Tolix.

These square stools can be found both in metal and metal with a wooden seat and are often seen at restaurants and bars with outdoor seating.

They are sturdy, can be found in a huge variety of colors ranging from white or aqua to red or black.

If you order online, you may have to put them together, or you can find them at places like Target (which is where this particular one came from).

They’re often $69+, and sometimes you can only find them in sets of 4.

The square seat gives you oodles of room for your feet, and there’s plenty of space for a classic round meditation bolster.

Pros: very sturdy and stable, solidly built, available in a wide variety of colors
Cons: feels cold on your feet (even through a towel) as the stool is made of metal

Tolix style stool with back
I purchased the Tolix style stools with the backs to help students prevent tipping while standing during barefoot massage .

Like the others, these are metal with the seat made from bamboo. These came as a 4 pack from Amazon.

Having the back may be overkill, but they look nice (and they’re my favorite so far.) The round meditation bolster stays on well-it kind of snuggles into the back and doesn’t slip around.

The other Tolix style stools are just as stable if you stand correctly, though.

Pros: very sturdy and stable, solidly built, looks nice
Cons: feels cold on your feet (even through a towel) as the stool is made of metal, pricier than others without back

Custom stools
The beauty of having a custom-made stool is that you can have it designed exactly how you want it. Whether you want at a different height or a broader base, it will be perfect for you and your space.

This welded stool has a slightly padded top and wide platform for both sitting and standing.

A past instructor who owns this stool says:

It is 25”, has a wide sturdy base and a lightly padded cleanable top. It also sits more flush with the wall since there isn’t an angle to the legs. It tips far less than other stools I’ve used.

Pros: it’s perfect for you, should be very stable
Cons: cost can be prohibitive (this particular stool was over $200), won’t have right away, is heavy if made with metal.

At Bull City Soles in NC, our instructor Julie has had 3 stools made in a couple of different styles. They are wooden and super sturdy.

Julie’s stools at Bull City Soles in NC

Pros: they’re built to exactly your specifications, less expensive than welded stools, broad & stable base, can paint/decorate/put your logo on them
Cons: more expensive than many ready-made stools (these were about $120 each)

As you can tell, there are a lot of options for stools. Prices can range from very inexpensive (round stool at thrift store) to very pricey (custom stools) and everything in between.

Remember that stability is your priority and go from there!

What stool do you love in your barefoot massage office?

Mary-Claire Fredette is a co-founder for the Center for Barefoot Massage and doesn’t want you to tip your stool over onto your client’s head or bang it into the wall.

Ain’t nobody got time for dat.

Find out more or take her classes (usually in Cincinnati) ranging from Fijian to Advanced and everything in between.