The 8 Best Slippers for Women of 2025, Tested

How We Tested the Slippers for Women

To test the slippers for women, we started with market research, identifying the most popular options on major retail sites and gathering recommendations from our team. This process led us to 47 pairs of top-rated slippers. We also interviewed three podiatrists to learn more about what to look for in a high-quality pair.

From there, our testers put each slipper through its paces, wearing each pair for at least an hour daily for several weeks during the testing period. During this time, we wore them on various surfaces, including hardwood, carpet, grass, concrete, gravel, and more. Testers took detailed notes and photos to capture every aspect of the slippers and rated each contender on the following key categories: design, quality, comfort, durability, warmth, and value.

Within each category, we asked specific questions about the slippers, using expert insight to determine what’s most important when shopping for high-quality slippers and which options would work best for each kind of wearer. Considering all of this, we ended up with eight of the most highly rated slippers, which work for a wide variety of wearers.

What to Know About Slippers for Women

• Material: You’ll frequently find memory foam, cork, shearling, suede, and wool as core materials in women’s slippers and house shoes. Each has its distinct advantages, says podiatrist Justin Singh, DPM. “Memory foam provides good comfort, but it lacks support,” he notes. Instead, he recommends cork, which offers both support and structure. “Cork is unique because it molds over time to a patient’s individual foot structure.”
• Soles: Rubber-coated soles give your slippers and house shoes both versatility and durability. “Rubber soles can provide stability and traction and prevent slippage,” says Singh. They’re also shock-absorbing to minimize impact, and rubber is water-resistant—a crucial element if you ever plan to wear your slippers outside briefly or on slick surfaces.
• Style: From moccasins to clogs to fluffy slides, there’s no shortage of options when you’re shopping for slippers. Most of it comes down to your personal preference and how you plan to wear the slippers, but you should consider the heel. “Closed-back slippers are generally better because they provide better support and are more stable, so they’re less likely to slip off when walking,” says Singh. So if you have an unsteady gait or you’re buying for someone with a history of falls, stick to closed-back slippers. Open-back slippers, meanwhile, are easier to put on and can be more comfortable if you have a bony prominence on the heel bone, but your feet may get fatigued more quickly from your toes gripping the slipper soles.
• Arch Support: Arch support may seem more like a must-have in your running shoes than your slippers, but podiatrists say it’s an essential feature in any shoes you’re wearing for long periods of time. “A simple way to reverse [inflammation or foot pain] is to always wear a slipper or footwear with arch support,” says podiatrist Elizabeth Bonarigo, DPM. “Wearing a supportive house shoe or slipper (and work shoe too) can help aid your tendons and ligaments against the battle of gravity.” If arch support is important to you or you’re already experiencing some foot pain, look for slippers with a small lift in the footbed; they shouldn’t bend or twist easily like a rag. Similarly, stay away from sock-like slippers or house shoes that are totally flat.
• Cushioning: Unlike stability, which refers to the support in your slippers, cushioning refers to how much foam or padding you’ll find underneath the midsole. “Since most of our homes have hard wooden floors or concrete floors, I really recommend having at least one inch of cushioning,” says podiatrist Hannah Park, DPM. “I noticed a lot of pathologies during COVID-19 that were related to patients walking around barefoot in their homes; we were not meant to stand and walk around on hard floors due to the lack of shock absorption.” In short: Your slippers should be comfy and cloud-like. 
• Toe Box: The toe box—aka the part of the slipper that contains your toes—needs to be wide enough for your toes to spread out naturally, without any pinching or squeezing. Shoppers with bunions may need to pay special attention to the toe box, says Singh. “Patients with bunions would benefit from slippers that have a wide toe box without seams in the area of the bunion, as this may cause irritation,” he says. Alternatively, slippers with a knit or wool upper (the fabric on top of the slipper) may also reduce bunion-related symptoms. “I always recommend wool material for the top cover of the shoe for patients with bunions and hammer toes, as it can stretch out and conform to foot deformities,” says Park. 

Why Trust Shape

Kristen Geil, NASM-CPT, is a five-time marathoner and frequent tennis player who averages 14,000 steps a day—so when she’s done moving for the day, her feet need all the recovery they can get. She’s also a former senior fitness editor at Shape who helped create many of the team’s shoe-specific testing methodologies. During her time at Shape, Kristen led the brand’s accolades programs, including the Sneaker Awards and the Fitness Awards—so she’s a pro at Shape’s rigorous testing and review process. Kristen also conducted product research to ensure that the best slippers were tested and considered for this round-up; she personally tested the Bombas Gripper Slippers. For this article, she interviewed:

• Hannah Park, DPM, board-certified podiatrist from Chicago
• Elizabeth Bonarigo, DPM, podiatrist who specializes in biomechanics at Lower Limb Institute in Hackensack, New Jersey
• Justin Singh, DPM, podiatrist with experience in sports medicine