Why Nike & Hyperice Are Going All-in On High-tech Recovery Footwear

Hyperice CEO Jim Huether said first-year sales numbers for the Nike x Hyperice Hyperboot suggest there’s a “real appetite for recovery technology built into” footwear

Nike and Hyperice are expanding their wearable recovery partnership with the Nike Air Zoom Hyperslide, betting that recovery tech can become a more regular part of what athletes — and everyday fitness enthusiasts — wear before and after training.

Set to become publicly available on Sept. 29, the Hyperslide is the companies’ second commercial product. The slide combines a low-profile Nike Air Zoom sole with a removable Hyperice pod that delivers heat and vibration across the top of the foot.

For Hyperice CEO Jim Huether, the new release reflects both the commercial performance of the companies’ first combined product — the Hyperboot high-top sneaker — and how consumers used it once it reached the market.

“The Hyperboot proved that athletes will adopt a new warm-up format quickly when the technology accelerates performance while integrating seamlessly into their everyday routine,” Huether told Athletech News.

According to Hyperice, the $799 Hyperboot exceeded its launch-day forecast by 176% and generated more than $10 million in revenue during its first eight months. It also became the first shoe carried by Best Buy.

“We saw athletes and everyday wearers integrate it into their routines, and we believe there is real appetite for recovery technology built into things people already wear,” he said. “The Nike Air Zoom Hyperslide is a fitting next step.”

While the Hyperboot uses Hyperice’s Normatec technology to provide heat and dynamic air compression around the foot and ankle, the new slide draws from the company’s heat- and vibration-focused Venom line.

The product includes a magnetically connected pod with three heat settings ranging from 109 to 117 degrees Fahrenheit and three vibration settings ranging from 50 to 100 hertz. Users can customize the settings through the Hyperice app. The format is designed to fit into routines when athletes may already wear slides, including after training, following competition or during travel.

“It doesn’t demand a dedicated recovery session,” Huether said. “The philosophy is recovery technology that fits into life rather than asking you to carve out time for it.”

Hyperice sees the product serving elite athletes as well as consumers who train recreationally or spend long periods on their feet. Huether identified three primary use cases: post-workout relief, recovery during travel and everyday wear.

Tested With Elite Athletes

The Hyperslide also applies lessons from the Hyperboot’s development and rollout.

“A lot of what we learned from the Hyperboot — how athletes behave pre- and post-workout, what holds up under repeated use — carried directly into this product,” Huether said.

Soccer star Virgil van Dijk and Olympic Gold Medal-winning track and field athlete Tara Davis-Woodhall are part of the Hyperslide campaign. Huether said their training and recovery routines represent the types of use cases around which the product was developed.

“That feedback loop, designing for the demands of elite competition first and then translating it into something accessible, is how nearly every Hyperice product comes to life,” he said.

Nike and Hyperice first unveiled their wearable recovery work ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, where athletes tested a recovery boot and temperature-controlled vest. The Hyperboot later became the collaboration’s first commercial release. The partnership allows Nike to apply its footwear design and athlete insights to Hyperice’s recovery technology.

“Nike brings an unmatched understanding of footwear and how athletes move, and Hyperice brings years of recovery-specific technology and insight into how athletes actually use it,” Huether said. “When two brands share the same mission and each brings genuine expertise, you get something neither could build alone.”

The Hyperslide also marks the next stage of a collaboration that began with athlete testing ahead of the Paris Games.

“We first developed wearable recovery together with the boot and vest ahead of the Paris Games, then brought the Hyperboot to retail, and the Nike Air Zoom Hyperslide continues that work,” Huether said.

Recovery Emerges as a Sportswear Category

The Hyperslide arrives as recovery takes on a larger role across fitness and sportswear. Tools such as compression boots, percussion devices and temperature-based products were once concentrated among professional athletes and training facilities. Brands are increasingly developing more portable products for consumers to incorporate into daily routines.

Nike is also positioning recovery alongside training and performance within the broader Nike Training ecosystem, giving the category a more prominent place in its product strategy.

“For a long time, the focus in sportswear was almost entirely on what helps you perform in the moment,” Huether said. “What we’re seeing now is a recognition that how you prepare and recover shapes how you perform next time. Recovery is becoming a bigger part of the conversation, not just across the performance industry but in wellness more broadly, and it’s no longer an idea reserved for elite athletes.”

The Hyperslide will be offered in Orewood and black, with sizes ranging from a U.S. men’s 4 to 18 and women’s 5 to 19. It provides up to one hour of battery life, depending on the settings, and is TSA-friendly for carry-on travel.

Beginning Sept. 29, it will be sold in select markets through Nike.com, Hyperice.com and select global retailers.

“The Nike x Hyperice partnership is part of a shift, and it reflects where we think this can go,” Huether said. “We’re building toward something bigger in wearable recovery technology, and this is an early chapter in that story.”