Buyer's Guide Top 10 Essential Points

The foundation of any smart, detox program is the ionic footbath detox unit. It makes sense then that this should be the most researched investment the savvy person makes. The 10 critical points to consider are these:

1. Who is making and distributing the unit? Your detox foot spa should be made and distributed by a company in the US . We want to have someone in the US to work with and handle warranty issues.

2. Does the the manufacturer have a phone? If they do not, how will you get service when you need it? Make sure that you can find the manufacturer, not just a distributor who has limited capability to help after the sale.

3. Does the manufacturer answer the phone? If they do not, they probably will not answer their phone when you have a warranty issue or just have an important question? Avoid the companies that have phone menus and multiple telephone numbers.

4. Does the detox foot spa unit have a warranty? We recommend at least a 1 year warranty. Most good units that are of value carry 5 year warranties. Avoid units that request additional money to reach 3+ years. This just makes you pay for their possible costs during the extension period. You pay for longer warranties and often times unnecessarily. If the warranty is long enough to recoup your value that should be sufficient.

5. Is there a return policy available? This is where the “great” buys on eBay and the guy working out of his garage with a truck load of overseas units come into play. The auction resellers often force you to return to the overseas manufacturer, or call them “final sale”.

6. How long does the detox foot spa array/water module last? It should last at least a minimum of 40+ sessions. This is a real cost of ownership issue. If the array wears out after 10 sessions, you could be going through a bunch of them. Watch out for arrays made of coiled wire. The wire arrays wear out FAST. Where does one buy the replacement arrays/water modules/plates? Check the seller's website under the products page. Find out how much they cost and how to get them.

7. Are the detox foot spa array designs really different for detox? This is a big marketing spin machine at its best. “More energy. Faster ionization. Makes more negative, positive ions.” These are all marketing. The process in the bath is called electrolysis. This is a defined electro-chemical process. All the units we have ever seen produce the exact same ionization result. Ignore this “hype”, even the ones with “patented” array claims.

8. How is the detox foot spa array cleaned between uses? If it is hidden in a plastic enclosure, it cannot be cleaned much at all. If you cannot clean the array easily between uses you risk transmitting biological material from one person to another. This must be avoided at all costs. Complicated plate designs and the “block” and “ball” enclosures are to be avoided as much as possible.

9. Is safety a major concern in purchasing? Yes and no. Let's look at this. Basic needed components and certifications should be demanded. A UL listed power supply and CE approval are mandatory. All the other stuff on websites is bunk advertising attempting to pull you towards their product. There have been no reported injuries from any detox footbath since they came to market in the 1990's!

10. What's with the color in water? This is truly a case of misunderstanding of early manufacturers and operators. When these first were built many practitioners began to see the color and materials in the water, and it was different with each person! They also saw some of the same types of debris over and over in different colors, etc. The assumptions made are understandable, and this seems to have stayed the industry standard explanation for quite some time. The facts are that you do not detox solely thru your feet as claimed. Feet are used because of a good pore count on the skin, and it is much more comfortable than putting your face or hands in the water for and extended time. The uptake of negative (alkaline) ions allows the body's natural detox pathways to begin to activate. “Scam” websites have been proving this non-fact for a while, move away from companies that hold on to this old way of thinking. Most of what comes out of you will come out of your main waste pathways.

Keep your 10 critical points handy for your detox footbath purchase. There are few good machines out there that do a great job and are reasonably priced.

Differences Between Detox Footbath Designs

There are many different detox footbath makes and models. They all are trying to show why their particular model is better or why it is worth the extra money over a competitor. We will break them down into three groups:

1. Simple Machines/Units
2. Controlled Interface
3. Full Power Solid State Units

Simple Machines/Units

These are the lower end machines although their price may not be low end. Some units have no session intensity measuring/reporting device such as a needle meter or LED intensity display. These units should be avoided, as you have no way to know how strong your session is and thus no way to adjust your sessions. Some systems are no more than electrical bench power supplies ($49.00 at Radio Shack) with simple arrays. These workbench power supplies vary greatly in quality. The most common sold are bench power supplies from overseas. It is recommended you work with an established company, not someone matching bench power supplies to handmade arrays in their garage. Some also mask this setup with pretty cases, be wary.

Controlled Interface

These are mostly the overseas units with basic controls. Some these may even have two stations built in with an MP3 player! But unfortunately they are less than desirable. They often do not output enough power to ionize the water itself. Some have displays, some have meters. They do allow you to see the power going out but often do not address both sides of the equation (voltage and current). Most of the units in this category cannot maintain the proper voltage and current to the bath during the entire session.

Full Power Solid State Units

You get your best investment for the money here. The computerized interface makes life easier with detox sessions as these units prompt you for how much salt to add, and give error codes. Some of them can perform an automatic detox session- very desirable! A complicated system with a lot of extra dials, buttons, bells and whistles can frustrate you easily if you are not electronically inclined, but most are well made with major companies behind them. Footbaths in this category are made solid state; this means they use no moving parts (keypads, and on/off switches aside). They employ anywhere from 15 -24 volt capability out to the array, and can maintain ionization throughout the session (most of them). The amazing thing is the price point on this category is wide, from about $1295 up to over $3000! The higher priced units seem to be full of hype in many forms to justify the price. We recommend staying with the feature packed lower price pieces in this category.

The IonChi™ Detox Foot Spa fits in this last category and satisfies all 10 of the essential points above!

By entering this website you are stating that you have read, understand and agree with all information stated and or written on this site.