Bed of Nails Acupressure Mat Review: Prodding Your Way to Wellness

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Can this literal bed of nails bring therapeutic relief to your daily schedules? We found out.

While the expression “sitting on pins and needles” might indicate a time of stress or anxiety, in reality, the act can have the opposite effect on the body. Acupressure, a holistic approach to improved circulation and therapeutic relief, involves you lying a bed of pressure points to target key areas across your frame. As you disperse your weight across multiple spikes, or "nail beds," your body sends a call for improved blood flow to these areas. As a result, acupressure can be an excellent tool for relieving stress, alleviating unwanted aches and much more.

But this relieving discipline doesn’t require the attention of a qualified expert or an expensive appointment. Rather, all that’s needed is a quality acupressure mat and, at most, 20 minutes of your time.

One of our favorite silhouettes for this at-home therapy method is the appropriately-named Bed of Nails Acupressure Mat. Boasting a slew of nail beds for approachable treatment, this profile is designed to deliver exceptional benefits for new and experienced athletes alike. But how would this sleek and stylish mat perform once we poked and prodded at its effectiveness for a few weeks? After daily doses of my take on a “nail appointment,” here’s what I found.

Honestly, this simple yet effective acupressure mat has become a daily treat of mine. Despite my preconceived notions, I found getting used to the spiky sensation a breeze, which I attribute to the over 8,800 “nails” across the profile. Additionally, targeting my back and shoulders was never an issue thanks to the longer 29-inch profile.

The one thing I did learn in practice with this acupressure mat, however, is that a hard surface is absolutely necessary to generate enough pressure to your desired areas. You can’t generate the same amount of intensity if you lie atop a couch or soft mattress, which provides too much give to the pressure points at contact.

If you’re looking for a new way to treat your anxiety and post-workout pains (and don’t mind lying on the floor) this is definitely a product worth considering.

The more pressure points your acupressure mat contains, the less intense the treatment will be. Thankfully, this Bed of Nails silhouette boasts 8,820 spikes, which is great for getting used to the discipline without shortchanging your results. I found getting into position an easy, albeit slow, endeavor, and I never experienced too much of a poking irritation as my body grew accustomed to the sensations.

Despite the more approachable layout of this mat’s nail beds, I was still able to target key areas of note as I cleared my mind in each daily session. While circulation and blood flow improved in these areas, I was left with a great meditative environment that allowed me to reap not only the physical but mental perks of the practice as well.

Another perk to this Bed of Nails Acupressure Mat is the longer 29-inch frame. When searching for a mat, you want to have enough coverage to treat your intended areas, and hitting my back and shoulders all at once with this lengthier silhouette was a breeze even despite my longer frame. I also appreciated these dimensions for lower-body treatment on days where post-run calf relief was an absolute necessity.

The lengthier frame is not only great for coverage of target areas, but serves as a wider platform for weight distribution across the nail beds, too. As stated above, having a mat that easily disperses your bodyweight across a wide swath can take away some of the potential irritation and spiky pain some may associate with the practice. Think of it as stepping barefoot through gravel — one or two pebbles underfoot feels uncomfortable, while striding through an even bed of rocks is far more achievable.

As easy as it was to melt away in practice atop this acupressure mat, I admit that finding the ideal surface for optimal pressure took some doing. According to the brand, you can start slowly in your adoption of acupressure by laying the Bed of Nails mat overtop your mattress or couch. While this makes sense, particularly for sensitive individuals, I felt it was too plush to generate that optimal, blood-pumping sensation. As my bodyweight begin to spread out across the mat, I could feel that there wasn’t enough impact as my frame and mat slowly sank into the cushions.

Thankfully, this issue was easily resolved by placing the mat on the floor for treatment, but I can see how this could be an issue for those with mobility problems (or those that don’t want to lie on a potentially dirty floor for extended periods). I also recommend pairing your mat with a well-to-do pillow in these grounded setups, to help create a more comfortable environment overall.

While I’m a big fan of this Bed of Nails Acupressure Mat, I understand the silhouette — or acupressure in general — may not be for everyone. If you’re looking for a more intense sensation and understand how your body reacts to targeted pressure, Shakti’s Premium Acupressure Mat could be up your alley. This profile offers varied intensities of 4,000, 6,000 and 8,000 nail beds for tailored treatment, albeit at a slightly more expensive cost. For full-body sessions, the CXCTCT Extra-Long Yoga Acupressure Mat has a lengthy cut, but almost too many pressure points to experience similar relief.

Of course, you’re also able to try and soothe away your aches and pains with the other assortment of recovery-minded fitness tools like foam rollers and massage guns, but these can require a little more attention for optimal results, rather than simply lying prone for an allotted period of time.