Customer Reviews Birkenstock Arizona Soft Footbed - Oiled Leather (Unisex)

Comments on the first pair of these sandals I ordered led me to believe the narrow width would be appropriate for me. It proved not to be so. The narrow width sandals actually bruised my arch. I returned the narrow width for a regular width, and the regular width fits perfectly. Unless you actually have a narrow foot, I would stick with a regular width.

These birks are so comfortable and have great arch support. They seem to alleviate my knee pain when wearing. Love the stylish distressed tobacco color too. After reading reviews, I took advantage of Zappos free returns and ordered both the regular and narrow fit. As I have regular width feet, I was surprised at how well the narrow width fit and offered more support. The regular width birk seemed huge!! Thank you Zappos for having amazing customer service!

Love!!!! I purchased the tobacco color in a women's regular 39( I'm a true size 8). I own 3 pairs of Birkenstocks that I started purchasing since mid February of this year(2016).This is my third pair of Birks, my first pair were the soft leather Gizehs (original footbed)and now this second pair of Arizonas in soft footbed. I've only started to wear Birkenstocks this year for the first time ever after doing much research for over a year and reading tons and tons of reviews along with utube videos. Many people commented that the original footbed was more comfortable than the soft which is why my first pair was the OF, but the reason I chose the soft footbed as my second pair was because the extra padding just gave my foot a lift and just looked nicer overall in the Arizona style. The OF took weeks to break in and finally are very comfortable. The SF took no breaking in time and the extra padding in my opinion feels heavenly. I knew immediately after my first SF, that I would want more pairs. I own the iron color as well and love that these are both neutrals. I purchased the tobacco color to wear as a nude shoe which I love. For reference I am 41 years old weight 125lbs, trendy chic style, hope this helps:))

I am a woman who always wears a size 8 shoe. I ordered the size 39 because that was expected to fit 8-8 1/2. I wasn't sure exactly what the fit was supposed to be but the size 39's hurt my feet and my foot slid back and forward when I walked. There was quite a bit of room in front of my toes. The arch support did not feel like it was in the correct place. I was feeling very disappointed in the lack of comfort so I then ordered the size 38 and what a huge difference! Your heel should fit right into the heel depression. Your toes should just about fill the front part of the shoe. If you have extra shoe in front of your toes, try the next size down. The regular width seemed perfect. Getting the correct size is really important with this sandal because of the support that is built into the foot bed of the shoe. I love the 38's and the perfect comfort I now have.

These are great shoes. It is hard to get the sizing right by purchasing online. I have narrow feet, I usually wear between an 8½-9 shoe. I bought the standard Birkenstock Arizona not knowing that they offered narrow. It was quite a wide footbed, and the size 40 (women 9) was much larger than a typical 9 in length. I sent back and purchased a narrow 40 (women 9) - as I thought, it was too long in the footbed, though the actual width fit great. I read reviews that said you want these shoes on the larger side for maximum comfort, but they just felt too clunky. Sadly, they do not offer half sizes, so I ordered a narrow 39 (women 8-8½). The fit was a good as they could get. My heel goes right to the edge of shoe, but my toes do not go over the tip, so I consider them a good fit. They do stretch out over time. Had them a month and they are breaking in nicely. I highly recommend them. The suede version is so soft, like a slipper. The leather version is also nice but much stiffer and needs a lot more time to break in - but will probably last longer.

I'm an avid follower of Pinterest and fashion blogs and couldn't help but notice the major resurgence in Birkenstock popularity. At first I resisted because I'm from hippie New England and I couldn't help but recall the '90s when my mom and all the moms I knew wore them, every day, and I hated how they looked. However, I have very flat feet and a standing desk, at work. Because of this, I was constantly have heel, leg, hip pain and needed something comfy. These fit the bill! I actually went to a local store, first, but they didn't have the color or width I wanted. I was able to determine my size though (39, I'm an 8-8.5 typically) and that I wanted a soft footbed. I then went on Zappos and found exactly what I was looking for! The Arizona Soft Footbed in Amalfi black leather size 39N. A couple comments: The guy at the store had told me NOT to dive right in wearing Birks for like 8 hours a day, the first time. He said to wear them a couple hours here and there to get used to them: this was the best advice ever. I started by wearing them around the house, then out to run errands and soon I was able to wear them for several hours/on long walks with my dog. I have to say I absolutely love them, they're the first shoes I've ever worn that don't give me heel pain. Additionally, I've grown to love the way they look. I will say, however (and this is the reason I gave them a 4 for comfort) after a long time they do start to give me a slight blister on my arch (again, flat feet) but I do think that will continue to get better over time. My only other comment is I've read several other reviews that have said to order the Narrow width even if you have normal-wide feet and I definitely don't agree with this. I have true narrow feet (shoe fitters are always commenting on it and I order narrow shoes when available) and the narrow Birks just barely fit me perfectly: if my feet were any wider, they would not. I say unless you've been told you have narrow feet or have worn narrow shoes, in the past, you'd be better off getting the regular width. Hope this review helps!

This is a very solid sandal with very good arch support. It is a bit hard when compare to similar SAS sandal, but I think this will last longer. A very good buy.

Ordered Tobacco based on Zappos pictures. What arrived is a pale taupe (and not brown) color, which isn't at all as pictured. (The true color is more accurately depicted on other Birkenstock styles in the tobacco color, but unfortunately I was only browsing Arizona soft footbed when purchased.)

My foot doctor recommended Birkenstocks for plantar fasciitis. Because my third toe is as long as my big toe and second toe, these didn't work for me. That third toe didn't have enough room at the top and kept rubbing on the edge. Also, the width was too big. I have to order man's size because the woman's doesn't go high enough, which I think makes it wider. The straps kept collapsing making it hard to slip it on.

Soft footbed is best for seniors. As you age your fat pad & skin thins. The regular footbed is too hard & your feet will react & not in a good way. The Soft footbed has a thin layer of latex that rebounds, thus making it softer for the bones in your feet. Other shoes that have memory foam compresses after a while & thus you loose that Soft feeling after time. The latex foam in these don't compress, thus the actual break in time is longer for the Soft footbed. But that said, if you transition back in forth between these & a cushioned running shoe it is much better for your feet. There is not a huge difference for the feeling in your feet, as compared to Soft cushion in other shoes & a hard footbed from the original birks. Your bones In Your feet adapt better from a soft footbed Birk, & a cushioned running shoe. So even if you used birks when you were young & broke them in, eventually, doing so with aging feet is a whole new ball game & you will wonder why this time your feet don't feel as good as you remember. So, senior's heads up. If you decide to go back to this brand go with the Soft footbed , do your feet, knees, hips, & back a favor. After all we already have a lot of aches & pains--why make it worse!! Just my observation & ideas on these. Hope it helps explain things you may not have thought about.

I love Birkenstock’s. This is my third pair in a different style. I did exchange the color tobacco for habana - I thought tobacco was too light brown for my liking. Sizing is true to size- I wear an 8 in running shoes and 7.5 in most other shoes. I buy Birkenstock’s in (38) which runs a 7/7.5

I measure a 9.5 medium, but with bunions and bunionettes, I need shoes that don’t run narrow. I’m a size 40 in Birkenstock and with the advent of Narrow and Regular sizing, I was at a loss. I’ve been buying Birkenstock since the 90s when they only had one width. Over the fall/winter I bought three pairs of Boston Clogs, all size Regular...and I was swimming in the last pair, and so I rarely wear them even with thick socks. Because of that I choose the Narrow to try for these Arizona. The Narrow fit my feet perfectly for both length and fit. With the clogs being Regular, I wear those with socks. I couldn’t wear these Narrow with socks. I’m very happy with this purchase.

So I went back and forth with widths and sizes trying to get a good pair of my first Birks. I finally did. I’m a pretty consistent 9 and tried the narrow, tried a 39, tried different styles, but ended up with a regular size 40 in this tobacco brown regular footbed. I have the straps to the smallest hole, but I fell like my feet aren’t so squished. Seems like a bit of breaking in period, but nothing I can’t handle. The excellent customer service is no joke. They are amazing.

I bought these so I wouldn't ruin my feet by going barefoot constantly during the pandemic quarantine. They are just as comfy as I remember my old ones from 25 years ago being. I like the oiled leather a lot.

I’ll get right to the point: These shoes are awesome but the sizing is way off. I wear a men’s 9 in almost every shoe excepts ASICS running shoes, 9 1/2. According to the fit guide I should wear a size 42. They were Huge! So I tried a 41 and thought it was good but my foot still didn’t seem to fit in the foot bed like it should. Needless to say I tried a 40 and it’s perfect. Your foot needs to sit in the heel cup and be against the back of the sandal. When your heel is back your toes should be near but not over the front. My best advice is that when you think it feels just okay, try a different size. When your foot sits properly in the foot bed and the sandal doesn’t shift or slide when you walk, that’s how they should fit! Once I found my size, I absolutely love these shoes and I would highly recommend the soft foot bed.

I wear a U.S. size 9 / 9.5 40 in Birks I wear both a 39 and a 40. Based on the reviews on width, I ordered the 39 narrow. They are a bit snug but I know that once I break them in they will stretch a bit. I absolutely love the leather and color.

My wife and I have been wearing this model of Birkenstocks for decades. Use them as slippers in the house and around the yard. Nothing will cure or prevent plantar fascitis better. Wife likes soft bed, I like hard, both work fine.

The sandal is very comfortable and just what I'm looking for. But the Amalfi brown leather is too shiny for me - I want it to be a bit more worn looking or "matte". So I will return these wait for the Habana or brown suede sandals to be back and stock and see how they look.

The Arizona Soft Footbed sandal is super comfortable and looks great on my feet. I ordered the iron color which is grey and I really like it. Color is as it appears online. I ordered the regular width as I find myself buying wide shoes lately and I'm glad I did. I love that the buckles can be adjusted for a custom fit. This is my first Birkenstock purchase after wanting a pair forever but holding back on buying due to price. I first ordered a size too large but was able to exchange for a size smaller due to the efforts of the awesome customer service representatives at Zappos. I had to contact Zappos twice about shipping me the smaller size but the representatives were very helpful and seemed to genuinely want to help me with my sizing problem. I love the sandals, would purchase again and would definitely recommend these sandals to anyone on the fence about purchasing them. Comfort is worth the price. Many thanks to the customer service representatives for making the return process so simple.

I have ten pairs of Birks in various styles and the Arizona softbed sandals in Habana oiled leather might be my favorite. The soft bed is comfortable from Day One. It also provides a snug fit because of an added layer of foam. The oiled leather has a rugged look and the thick straps don't stretch as do the suede and vegan styles. Most women will prefer the narrow width. As a guy with average size guy feet, the regular width works well with the thicker cushion of the soft footbed. I find Birks are most comfortable with the ankle strap almost snug and the toe strap a bit loose to avoid rubbing. As the footbed shapes itself to your foot the Arizona sandals will stay in place without overly tight straps.

While I am not a big fan of the look of these sandals I LOVE how they feel! I am a runner and these alleviate my plantar fasciitis and hip pain. They are easy to put on and off and it provides relief to my high arches. The soft footbed is a must for me. I wish had had these years ago!

The soft footbed is so much better than the regular footbed. My first pair of Arizona’s are taupe suede so this time I got habana brown oiled leather and love it! As expected the leather is thick and slightly stiff when you get them but they get more comfortable each day as the leather softens and you break them in. For size reference I wear a 10 1/2 wide (D) in women’s athletic sneakers. The 41 regular (10-10 1/2 US) fits great. There’s enough room so my toes don’t constantly touch the ridge of the toe box and my heels aren’t on the edge of the sandal.

Wildly comfortable and just the look I wanted! I am a stay at home mother of two under 3, I wanted something comfortable, easy and cute! Although i wear a lot of black & gray, I was very attracted to the brown alamalfi brown, with the rose colored buckles. GORGE! After years of yoga, bar tending, wearing 4 inch heels+, and running (yes I've been very hard on my feet), I now have bunions, these are like HEAVEN! Like walking on clouds and the sides don't put any pressure on my feet. I love them so much, I am buying them for my sister-in-law. She doesn't have the orthopedic issue that I do, but she is a physician and spends a lot of time on her feet too. I did have some trouble with my sizing but Zappos, your customer service is top notch! I ordered the wrong width and I was sent out the correct size immediately, with no charge, and emailed a return label for the first pair. Thank you so much, Zappos and Birkinstock, I am very very happy! :)

Zappos is the best! My husband loves his Birkenstocks...his first pair ever. He compared the regular footbed to the soft footbad and chose the soft. The leather is beautiful, the quality is second to none.

Love these Birkenstocks! If you have any wideness whatsoever to your feet the regular/wide pair is the way to go. If you look at the little drawing of the foot stamped into the foot-bed it is clear inside whereas the narrow one is filed in with gold. I order them in mens/unisex so my foot which actually measures between a C to D width fits entirely in the sandal with no hanging out on the edges or rubbing. Great sandal! Thanks Zappos for carrying them & delivering them so fast. Wish Birkenstock made more styles in the unisex/mens width, whereas the women's narrow width has so many more manufactured styles & choices.