Bahé Grounding Shoes: Minimalist Running Shoes with a Wide Toe Box

The Bahé Revive is an athletic minimalist grounding shoe that features a wide toe box, zero-drop sole and moderate cushion.  

It can be hard to find the sweet spot for barefoot shoes, especially running shoes. Most running shoes seem to fall at the ends of the cushion spectrum, with either a lot of cushion, or very little cushion. But the Bahé Revive barefoot shoes hit that sweet spot for those that want something in the middle of the range for cushion, whether that is for running, exercising, or simply everyday life.

This article covers everything you need to know about the Bahé grounding shoes, including what grounding is and how grounding shoes work, the barefoot features of this shoe, and my experience wearing the Bahé Revive shoes over the last year. Since getting them near the end of last summer, I’ve taken them on hiking and camping trips, traveling, to the gym, and everywhere in between. They’re one of the shoes I reach for most often when I know I’ll be clocking in a lot of miles.

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About the Brand

Bahé was started by Kishan, a running enthusiast, and Alex, a footwear designer with a focus on sustainability. Putting their passions and expertise into practice, they set to work to design running shoes that would help people reconnect with nature. This meant that sustainability and grounding technology were both central to the design of the shoes. 

The brand initially launched with a conventional runner (lots of cushion, heel drop, etc). But after the founders learned more about barefoot shoes, they made a barefoot-inspired version called the Revive with no heel drop, much less cushion, and a foot-shaped toe box.  

And if you’re wondering how to pronounce it, it’s ba-HEY (with the emphasis on the second syllable). It is a Hindi word that means ‘flow.’ 

How barefoot are the Bahé Revive running shoes? 

The Bahé barefoot shoes have a generous and wide toe box that is foot-shaped. In fact, they have one of the wider toe boxes of shoes I’ve tried, but they’re well-designed and don’t appear especially wide.

The sole is flat and flexible. These have a moderate amount of cushion. This includes a 10mm stack height, plus a 3mm removable insole. Some might call these minimalist running shoes instead of true barefoot shoes as this stack height fits right in the middle of the range. Most barefoot shoes include about 5mm or less of cushion. On the other hand, wide toe box shoes with cushion (like Altras) feature upwards of 20mm. This moderate amount makes them a comfortable transition if you’re new to barefoot shoes, starting to run in barefoot shoes, or simply prefer more cushion when you’re walking long distances or on your feet all day. 

See how these Bahé minimalist running shoes stack up to other minimalist styles in this TikTok video.

Note that they do have a traditional-style runner called the Recharge that features a tapered toe box and a heel-to-toe drop. The Recharge shoes are not covered in this review.

Bahé Revive: Minimalist Grounding Running Shoes Review 

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What is grounding?  

Bahe shoes are unique even among barefoot running shoes in that they include grounding technology. I’ll preface this section by saying that the main goal of this article is to review these first as barefoot shoes. But, if you’re interested in grounding, then here’s more information.  

Grounding, also known as earthing, is a term that means we are in contact with the electrical forces of the Earth. The Earth carries a negative charge, and when our skin makes direct contact with its natural surfaces, like grass, dirt, sand, or water, we equalize or resolve the electrical charge. Typically, if you’re wearing shoes, that barrier between your feet and the earth means you’re no longer connected, or grounded, to the earth. 

I personally love spending time barefoot outdoors just for the joy that is feeling soft grass, cool stone, or soft dirt under my feet. When I’m barefoot, I’m more immersed in my surroundings as I can literally feel it. Plus, it allows the muscles in my feet to move in so many more ways, even than when they’re in barefoot shoes. But, proponents of grounding argue that it goes beyond just what you feel in that present moment; studies explore benefits including better sleep and reduced inflammation in the body. 

The goal of adding grounding technology to shoes is that you can continue to see some of these benefits, even when you wear shoes. 

For shoes to allow you to continue to be grounded, they include materials that allow that electrical connection to pass through from the earth to the bottom of your foot. In most barefoot grounding shoes, you’ll see a copper plug in the sole of sandals or leather loafers. To create the Bahé grounding shoes, Alex and Kishan designed their own ground flow system as a copper plug doesn’t work well in the sole of tennis shoes. You can read more about it on the Bahé website. 

There are still relatively few studies on grounding, so critics often argue that there is not enough evidence to confirm the claims. Either way, there’s no harm in adding a little tech to your barefoot shoes, especially if the upside is better sleep! 

Construction and Materials 

The Bahé Revive barefoot grounding shoes have the look and feel of a classic running shoes, but with barefoot features of course! Since the company is focused on sustainability, eco-friendly or recycled materials are used when possible.

The rubber outsole is abrasion resistant and long-lasting, which is important for a durable running shoe.

The uppers are 30% recycled polyster mesh, which are lightweight and breathable. It also has some water-resistance, which will help your feet stay dry in lighter rain. The mesh is reinforced with TP at the heel and toe for better durability. 

The Revive currently comes in four colors: white, black, green, and sandstone. I’ve been wearing white, and as with any white mesh shoe, they do get dirty easily if I’m hiking and walking through dust and dirt. I’ve hand washed them out a few times with a shoe cleaner and brush (I like this cleaning kit) and while they don’t sparkly like they’re brand new, they still look pretty good.

Performance and Durability   

Since these shoes are so comfortable and versatile, I’ve found myself reaching for them often. I’ve been able to test them in a lot of different scenarios, like a hiking trip in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, long walks on my local greenway, at the gym, and just a day running errands. I did find them slippery on the basketball court, but I’d recommend them for pretty much everything else. 

As they’ve become one of my most-worn shoes for outdoor adventures, I included on them on this round-up of the best hiking shoes and trail runners.

Fit and Sizing 

Bahé shoes are unisex. They’re available in sizes EU36 – EU48. This is US men’s 4/women’s 5 – men’s 13/women’s 14.

These fit medium to wide width feet and medium to high volume feet best. The Revive shoes have one of the wider toe boxes currently available in the barefoot shoe market. I compared them to the Altra Lone Peak trail runners and the Lems Primal Zen, and you can see in this video that the Bahé Revive runners are wider in the toe box.  

I’ve found quite a few of the other barefoot runners to be too tight around the top of my foot due to my higher instep. I was really happy when the Bahe Revive shoes not only had enough room overall, but even with the removable insole included. This means that they can accommodated those with pretty high volume feet if you do remove the insole. And if you have low volume feet, you may have to swap out for a thicker insole.  

They currently come in whole sizes. I comfortable wear a US7/EU38. EU38 is my usually size, so I’d say these fit true to size. 

Pricing 

Ordering, Shipping and Returns 

Bahé is based in the UK. Their shoes are currently only available on their website, Bahe.co. They offer international shipping. Shipping to the US and EU is £15.

Who would like the Bahé grounding shoes

• New to barefoot shoes
• Want a little more cushion
• New to running in barefoot shoes or those that want more cushion for running
• Interested in grounding
• Have wider feet or higher volume feet
• Like classic sneaker styling

Conclusion 

It’s exciting to see more companies enter the barefoot shoe space as they incorporate their interests and passions into the features of barefoot shoes. The Bahé Revive is the first barefoot running shoe that features grounding technology, while also including more sustainable materials and a mainstream design aesthetic.