I purchased 2 beige color anti- fatigue matts from kohl's half off a few years ago. I think on sale $20- 25 ea. They are warmer than standing on the floor, and softer, but they are not attractive and after a while show some wear and one even has a small cut. Neither rug seems to stay where I put it and always seem to be crooked, maybe the family kind of kicks them around as they are rather high. I moved one to the bathroom for standing in front of that sink and due to the height of the matt and the inswing of the door- it has to be off center. It has stood up to wet feet for a family of 5 for a while, and is warmer and softer than the vinyl floor. I really only use them in the wet spots by the sinks. The kitchen rug my family prefers now is a gray indoor/ outdoor carpet for $10. I replace them after a year or two and it is much warmer to the feet than just the small matt by the sink.

downsouth, Amidst all the foot recommendations, the gelmat recommendation got lost. A LOT of people have found that very useful in their kitchens for where they tend to stand and walk a lot, so go for it. I have contemporary spaces so have a cushioned chilewich mat instead which I also like both visually as well as for the warmth and comfort they provide. But I think the gelmat may be what your feet would best appreciate. On other piece of advice - even if it appears a non-sequiter. I had had just the same experience you had after our remodel although we didn't add tile floors in the kitchen or bath, just replaced the previous ones. Pain in the feet, difficulty standing, couldn't relive it. This is what I found - in my case, the problem was actually a behavioural one. I used to religious run and go for yoga classes twice a week. The remodeling phase was disruptive and I couldn't maintain my routine to the point that exercise had become quite sporadic and random - I ran when I could. After the remodel many months later, I ran but still tried to give the feet a break so not as much as before and tried to wait for the feet to improve before going for yoga (my doc ruled out Plantar fascitis and didn't find anything amiss). Well, eventually, a year and a half later, I decided that pride be damned, I was just going back to yoga and if I could only do 1/4 of the class, so be it. Guess what, we got into a particular sequence of poses and I knew immediately that I'd found the problem and literally I was 1000% better by the end of the class and after two of these classes had COMPLETELY resolved the foot-pain problem. Basically, my body needed the complete stretch it was so used to and giving my calves and hamstrings a thorough stretching was all hte relief my feet needed. Oftentimes problems manifest themselves at the end of a certain kinematic chain when the root problem is someplace else entirely. In general, I think wearing shoes around is a good thing - personally I'm not convinced that tile is harmful for its hardness - I have hardwood or tile ONLY in the house and I can assure you that my hardwood floors are no more compliant than are the tile (the bigger drawback to tile is the coldness and underfloor heating there makes the warm tile floors far more comfortable than the hardwood). The gelmats or cushioned mats are nice - period. Separately, getting an all-over exercise plan is critical (I keep telling myself this same thing but I'm a running junky and truthfully that is all I ever really want to do - no matter my resolutions to go to the gym to lift weights etc. but I need to start that up, too).

Pfmastin...did they order you a different pattern as well as different color? I just ordered the Rattlesnake in Macadamia. None of the BB&B stores or online show that particular pattern. Rattlesnake is also quite a bit more expensive than the patterns carried by BB&B. Sabjimata...I haven't used one yet. I just know that in the last year or so our tile floors have started to bother me while cooking & baking for an extended period of time...more than an hour or two. Many here have really liked theirs, so I decided to get one...I've been waiting for a decent sale and now that there is one, I told me DH this would be my Christmas gift! I'll let you know how it works when I get it! (I don't know if it will add height...but you don't want something that will be tripped on or that someone standing on will "fall off" of.)

I have commercial/industrial fatigue mats - not the gel ones specifically. I've noticed that when I'm wearing shoes, the difference from standing on the bare floor is less night-and-day than when I'm barefoot, but the mat still improves my posture markedly and it's still noticably softer than the bare floor. (Interestingly, an overly soft mat will tire you out FASTER than a properly firm one..) They're the ones with lots of little rubber domes; it has a bit of a 'foot massage' feel to stand on and discourages me from standing on the sides of my feet, which I tend to do when on a hard surface. I would guess that the gel mats would have a similar effect.