For such a small area how about something like these?...

Early in our gardening, DH got a pair of those aeration shoes to wear while mowing. I think they only got used twice because they were horribly uncomfortable due to being too rigid for comfortable walking. Perhaps a good idea badly executed.

And they don't really work very well :-) The intent for proper aeration is to open the soil so that air, water and organic matter can penetrate down into the soil profile and reduce compaction. The spikes - or even hand aeration tools or pitchforks - do not open the soil sufficiently to be of much value. A core aerator - a machine that removes actual plugs of soil - is a much more effective method.

Apparently Home Depot does have aerators available for rent in various sizes and one in particular - a Classen TA18 - is supposed to be the most compact aerator available. I can offer no opinion on that model and how widely available it might be, as I've always rented one of the bigger jobbies from an equipment rental facility.

Yes, gardengal nailed what I understand about aeration. When I was a kid growing up, I always wondered what these little plugs that looked like bird poop were. I didn't really believe it until one of my recent jobs, where there was a pathway used by many workers to access the building that took a real pounding. They'd core aerate in the spring and that grass would rebound like nobody's business.

I looked on my Home Depot site and see the Classen T18 which you are referring to. It says specifically designed to go through narrow (30") gates. Might go that route and see if any neighbours would go in with me...

Pay a teenager (or bully able bodies offspring if you have any) to simply poke a border fork, at 6inch intervals, straight downwards into the sward, then top dress with fine sand (brushing into the holes)..This will maintain enough aeration for most purposes and is a standard method for smaller urban lawns. You can also buy a hand scarifier, which will remove thin cores of turf (but harder than using a fork) and has an even worse tendency to compact the soil rather than lifting out neat cores. Mechanical aerators will remove soil and also moss and other surface gak, and are really for heavily trafficked areas and groundskeeping...but personally, I love powerful plant machinery and would hire one if I could defray the costs somewhat.

Unfortunately, my walkway falls into the "heavily trafficked" category, mainly by me running back and forth gardening. Though honestly now I'm thinking I might just see if I can find the same guy I hired a few years ago. Aside from the pain of the gate removal, it is such a small space he only charged $20 :-)

$20?? Whoa.....that's a way better price than renting the thing yourself, even factoring in the gate inconvenience!

$20- good grief, they wanted $300 here to aerate and thatch, that's for 5000 sq ft. No teenagers around here would lower themselves to do that kind of work.

Well. The good news is I reached out to the guy I used a few years ago (one of the times I am glad I am an e-mail hoarder and was able to find correspondence from May of 2015) - and he is actually still around! Off for the season but planning on kicking it back into high gear next spring. Thank you for small mercies.

a tiny walkway of grass

==>>> get rid of the walkway ... and put in a mulch path ...

ken

Good news about finding the same guy to do the work for you!! And hopefully, he is still charging the same rate :-)) Even if he doubled it, it's still a great deal!

I'll add that those spiked shoes....or anything else that pushes spikes into the soil rather than pulls plugs out.....is a soil compactor and not an aerator. Pay that guy twice what he asks for his time and trouble.

Yes. I am very specific in wanting a plug aerator. The kind that leaves what looks like duck and goose droppings on your lawn!