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I don’t think anyone has ever called me an old soul, but I’m fairly certain I entered this earth with an old body. Looking at the laundry list of my physical ailments, you might even mistake me for a septuagenarian. My bad knees? I discovered those when I tried to play Little League softball. That was after I’d broken the same wrist twice (I eventually broke the other one too). And my back went out for the first time at the ripe old age of 19. All I did was step out of a car the wrong way, but until I was able to visit a chiropractor, I couldn’t stand up straight; it was as if someone had picked up my torso, moved it over a few inches, and put it back down. I’ve also had a single, but completely debilitating, gout flare-up as well as two surgeries for a gastrointestinal issue most often associated with grumpy old men. I’m not even 40.
All of this is to say that when I happened upon a GelPro booth at a food blogger conference a decade ago, I couldn’t put in my order quickly enough. It was my first introduction to anti-fatigue kitchen mats, but I spent a lot of time in the kitchen and welcomed anything that promised relief for my creaky knees and spastic lower back (well, anything other than hideous supportive footwear, that is). My elder millennial joints felt instant relief when I set foot onto the little slice of soft, supportive heaven. Could I get my whole kitchen floor covered in this stuff?, I wondered. Since the price was around $100 for something the size of a bathmat, the answer was definitely no. Also, it was about as stylish as a pair of orthopedic shoes.
It’s hard to say if the brown woven texture looked worse than the cracked, tan builder-grade tiles and blackened grout in my kitchen or if the floor just made the mat look bad, but the combination was not pretty. Still, my big, burly husband and I stood on that mat every time we washed the dishes. For years. Our dog loved it too; it was his favorite place to sit and beg for people food.
I finally got rid of my GelPro when I replaced the hideous kitchen flooring, and by that time the mat had flattened some in the middle, the corners were dog-eared, and the layers were separating around the edges. I briefly considered ordering another one but couldn’t quite bring myself to spend $100 on something that didn’t look good on my new floor, so I got a thin kilim rug instead. My knees weren’t happy and my back screamed at me every time I hand-washed more than a few dishes, but hey, at least my kitchen was cute, right?
The good news is we no longer have to choose between style and comfort. I’m pleased to report that, unlike my joints, anti-fatigue kitchen mats have gotten better over the years. I now have three beautiful anti-fatigue mats at home (two for the kitchen and one for the bathroom) and my knees have never been happier. Here are a few of my favorites.
GelPro upgraded its classic mat with a more supportive foam base, a reengineered edge to prevent lifting, and a bevy of new designs. The GelPro Elite anti-fatigue kitchen mat is currently available in 68 styles and multiple sizes, so there’s a mat for nearly every decor style. You can even get that old-school brown woven pattern I had, but I recommend checking out one of these more aesthetically pleasing options.
20x36-inch Elite Mabel Mat in Ruby Red
20x36-inch Elite Palermo Mat in Mink
20x36-inch Elite Solterra Mat in Grey Crystal
In 2018, GelPro released the Designer Comfort line: supportive plant-based foam mats with a lower price point. Though these mats lack the brand’s proprietary gel core, they still make kitchen chores infinitely more comfortable.
20x32-inch Designer Comfort Mabel Mat in Sandalwood
20x32-inch Designer Comfort Farmhouse Check Mat in Saltwood
20x32-inch Designer Comfort Sunflowers Mat in Golden
For an even more modern or minimalist look, The House of Noa’s Standing Mats offer at least the same level of support as GelPro’s Designer Comfort line (if not a little more). Like GelPro, The House of Noa’s anti-fatigue mats are made in the United States and come in a variety of sizes and Instagram-worthy designs.
20x32-inch Nama Standing Mat in Windowpane
20x32-inch Nama Windowpane Mat in Blush
20x32-inch Nama Ula Mat in Oat
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