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Ritz-Carlton and Equinox are already offering AI massages at their properties / Aescape
Spa Business first predicted the arrival of robot therapists in its annual Spa Foresight in 2014 (see www.spabusiness.com/foresight2014). Back then, the idea of a machine delivering a massage seemed like something you’d find in a sci-fi movie. Fast forward a decade and a number of companies around the world are engaged in bringing such products to market, with high-end spas being some of the first customers.
It’s unlikely these devices will ever be a match for skilled therapists and they should be deployed with care as there’s a risk of negatively altering consumers’ views of the services spas offer. However, they do offer a myriad of advantages.
They can ease the workload of therapists, help spas navigate recruitment shortages and potentially work 24/7 to increase operating hours and maximise revenue. Non-spa-goers hesitant about traditional massages may be tempted by these services where clothes can be kept on, privacy is guaranteed and personal and religious preferences are respected.
But how much do these machines cost, what technology do they use and what types of treatments can they deliver? We find out more…
Aescape
Founded in New York, USA, in 2017, Aescape has been developed in collaboration with licensed therapists and industry leaders. It launched in US cities last year and has secured US$128 million (€117.4 million, £98.6 million) in funding so far. Clients include Utah’s Velære wellness community, 60 Equinox fitness clubs, Ritz-Carlton Bacara in California and Four Seasons in Orlando and Baltimore. It’s also aiming to operate internationally by the end of 2025.
Dan Burns, VP
of partnerships / Aescape
Target market
We’re looking to partner with global leaders in hospitality, sports, corporate offices and luxury real estate.
How it works
Using our booking app, you can browse locations and check availability. After booking, members receive session details via text and email.
Treatments begin with customers putting on a size-inclusive bodysuit with nothing underneath for optimal friction. They then lie on the table and are scanned by four overhead sensors. These sensors generate 1.2 million 3D data points about the body to help with precision, ensuring optimised pressure, technique, flow and customisation. Two robotic arms are topped with Aerpoint ‘hands’, each featuring seven surfaces that can be adjusted for pressure and heated for added comfort as they move over the body.
How do you control and customise treatments?
Users control the entire experience via an interactive touchscreen, situated below the face cradle, where they can select targeted areas, pressure levels and music preferences. The system remembers personal settings, so guests can continue their routines in different locations.
Is a member of staff required?
Aescape is an entirely autonomous system but users can alert staff with a call button if necessary at all of our partner locations.
What treatments does it offer?
Our massage library is constantly expanding. Treatments range from 15 minutes (for those with hectic schedules) to longer, 60-minute recovery sessions. Each massage also focuses on a different part of the body – from upper, middle and lower back to glutes and hamstrings, with pressure points and target areas completely in the user’s control. Options might include Upper and Mid Back Focus (30 minutes), for example, or Total Back and Glutes (60 minutes).
How is aescape unique?
Aescape is the first commercially available, fully automated AI massage experience on the market. Unlike other percussive instruments which are self-administered, its two robotic arms have been designed to deliver double the bodywork in half the time.
Aescape has been created to provide an incomparable level of precision and customisation, complete with a comprehensive library of varying massages that can fit the needs of virtually anyone – from high-level athletes to first-time massage-goers.
What’s the cost and ROI?
Our license model, which qualifies as an operating expenditure item for the majority of our partners, is US$5,500 (€4,722, £4,092) a month plus a monthly per massage fee. There’s a minimum lease of three years and implementation, including installation and training, is US$10,000 (€9,565, £7,925). We do not sell the equipment outright at this time.
Aescape’s booking app enables on-demand massage bookings, driving revenue for partners. To generate a positive ROI, a partner needs to make US$245 a day, which equates to 2 hours of Aescape utilisation.
Aescape’s two robotic arms have
been designed to deliver double
the bodywork in half the time
A user control screen sits under the face cradle / Aescape
Treatments focus on the back, glutes and legs / Aescape
Capsix
Capsix’s iYU has been in development for nine years and we installed our prototypes between 2019 and 2021 in large workplaces, allowing us to learn from different body types and create the most intuitive user experience. In 2023, we partnered with our first three spas to finalise the development of additional services and officially launched in commercial settings early last year. Our head office and workshop is in Lyon, France and we also have a showroom in Paris. Europe and North America are our primary markets.
Carole Eyssautier, general manager / Capsix
Target market
Clients include high-end resorts and spas, longevity centres and premium gyms.
How does it work?
iYU performs AI-driven massage directly on bare skin. After selecting their protocol, sound immersion and table temperature, users lie on an extra-wide comfy table – just like the start of a normal treatment.
AI is at the heart of the iYU experience, intervening at three key points. Our programmes have been designed and tested by massage professionals and physiotherapists in advance based on a generic human body model or ‘digital twin’. AI algorithms automatically adapt these programmes based on the user’s morphological structure from a 3D scan, which provides a detailed map of muscles and tension points in just a few seconds.
Thirdly, iYU uses AI for real-time adaption according to the 3D scan.
The treatment is administered by Kuku’s LBR Med, a collaborative robot arm with 28 sensors that’s used in medical procedures.
Capsix has developed and patented an articulated hand that attaches to the arm and adapts to the bumps and hollows of the human body to enable precise gestures. We’ve also created a contact membrane (iYU skin) which has a skin-like feel that softly glides over the body and can be used with or without oil.
How do you controL treatments?
The treatment can be customised by the user, adjusting the pressure in real-time or starting or stopping the session via a remote control which is designed to be simple and intuitive. Alternatively, the operator can also personalise the treatment by choosing iYU protocols that align with its target clientele, or even by developing its own signature programmes.
Is a member of staff required?
iYU offers two operating modes. The first one is fully autonomous, enabling the user to completely manage their own session. This is favoured by gyms that want to offer free access to the service or hotels that want to offer iYU anytime of the day.
The second mode, preferred by spas and wellness centres, offers a setup where the user is assisted by a member of staff. The interaction screen is different; it provides access to more protocols, including those with oil.
What services does it offer?
There are three treatment ‘families’ – body (muscular manipulation), mind (for relaxation) and soul (for emotional release). Each family includes several protocols which are either 20, 35 or 45 minutes long.
how is iyu unique?
iYU performs massages directly on the skin to better work the muscle. Combined with its skin-like membrane, it provides a fluidity of movement that’s very close to the sensation of human touch.
Seven internationally published articles and two studies currently being under review demonstrate the effectiveness of iYU. They show an average 58 per cent reduction in cortisol levels from one session, as well as a 28 per cent drop in insomnia issues and a 48 per cent decrease in pain reduction when used twice a week over five weeks.
What’s the cost and ROI?
We sell iYU for €120,000 in Europe and $149,000 in the US. In addition, an annual maintenance contract is €3,300 and $3,950 respectively. We offer a five-year minimum lease for €2,700 (US$2,824, £2,238) a month in France, but costs vary in other countries.
ROI depends on the business model. For instance, spas that offer iYU treatments a la carte can break even by selling two 35-minute sessions a day if they charge €40 (US$42, £33). Or gyms that integrate iYU into their membership models with a price increase of €10 (US$10, £8) a month can potentially generate margins of up to 70 per cent if they have 1,000 members or more.
Our patented contact
membrane, iYU skin,
has a skin-like feel that
softly glides over the
body and can be used
with or without oil
Capsix offers a five-year minimum lease for €2,700 a month / Capsix
Kuku supplies the robotic arm. It has 28 sensors and is also used in medical procedures / Capsix
RoboSculptor
In development since 2019, today’s roboSculptor is the third-generation model and we launched it commercially this January. We’re based in Hoexter, central Germany and sell directly to Germany, Switzerland and Austria and we’re building a distributor network globally.
Jens Schramm, CEO / Robotic Therapeutics
Target market
Sectors suitable for roboSculptor include luxury wellness hotels and spas, health and fitness clubs, physiotherapy centres, plastic surgery clinics, medical institutions and the home-use device market.
How does it work?
Our procedures can be performed on bare skin; special clothing is not needed. The roboSculptor model uses a collaborative robot arm and a complex pneumatic and electronic system to apply pressure with a special vibrocompression massage tool.
The tool is the same one used by Beautylizer, which has the same owner as us – Robotic Therapeutics. Beautylizer, a leader in the field of non-invasive cosmetology and body sculpting, has been around for 20 years and supplies more than 700 devices worldwide.
The tool has 72 independently rotating silicone spheres generating sequences of short-term compression and lifting. This constant oscillation also generates vibration that targets all layers of the skin and tissue, helping to improve blood flow and increase oxygen in the blood.
For extra comfort and enjoyment, there’s a music audio system with light screens that users can customise.
One of the most unique features, however, is our RoboGlide system, which is based on real-time body detection in a 3D virtual environment. This is used to control the position of the robotic arm – during a session users inevitably move, which is why our system continuously monitors and adjusts accordingly.
It works by first entering dimensions of the body, such as weight and height. Then, up to four high-speed 3D cameras scan the body in just 10 seconds, creating a unique 3D model. When the patient moves, the system reacts in 0.1-0.2 seconds and builds a new trajectory and map of the tool’s movement.
What types of treatments does it offer?
The speed, pressure and real-time position of the vibrocompression spheres can be adjusted for a wide range of treatments lasting between 30-75 minutes. These can include, for example, lymphatic drainage, ‘healthy back’, full body relaxation or a wellness/toning or medical massage.
How do you control and customise treatments?
RoboSculptor offers pre-set treatments and a user-friendly interface and dashboards. Customers are guided through experiences by a voice recording. They’re also provided with a remote control to change the pressure of the applicator themselves. Each user is provided with a number that they can input before their next appointment for a more personalised or consistent experience.
Visual interfaces for operators are also available if necessary and these can be used to plan treatments, monitor progress and make real-time adjustments. In addition, roboSculptor has a white-label client app with CRM integration and a scheduling system.
Is a member of staff required?
No.
HOW is robosculptor unique?
The fact that our dynamic robot technology adjusts to the movement of the user in real-time – combined with robotic precision, machine learning and AI – is revolutionary.
Our vibrocompression spheres feature FDA-approved medical-grade silicon which can be sterilised for each treatment. They’re designed to increase fluid filtration, flush out toxins and smooth the appearance of skin. The skin’s many receptors respond to touch, pressure and vibration, triggering signals that enhance blood circulation and lymphatic flow. New applicators, such as those which offer microneedling, are also under development.
What’s the cost and ROI?
We offer a five-year finance solution which costs €4,200 a month excluding VAT. Shorter or longer agreements are also possible. It costs €236,345 to buy roboSculptor directly. RoboSculptor can be used 24/7. If you sell two 60-minute massages a day at €150, the monthly income is €9,000.
Our RoboGlide system, based on real-time body detection in a 3D virtual environment, is a unique feature
New applicators for different treatments are in development / Robotic Therapeutics
Fees are €4,200 a month and the minimum finance solution is two years / Robotic Therapeutics
Le Atelier by C.O.D.E. doesn't offer a standard bespoke service, it provides a highly
customised approach to designing massage beds and loungers in high-end wellness
environments. [more...]
Ritz-Carlton and Equinox are already offering AI massages at their properties / Aescape
Spa Business first predicted the arrival of robot therapists in its annual Spa Foresight in 2014 (see www.spabusiness.com/foresight2014). Back then, the idea of a machine delivering a massage seemed like something you’d find in a sci-fi movie. Fast forward a decade and a number of companies around the world are engaged in bringing such products to market, with high-end spas being some of the first customers.
It’s unlikely these devices will ever be a match for skilled therapists and they should be deployed with care as there’s a risk of negatively altering consumers’ views of the services spas offer. However, they do offer a myriad of advantages.
They can ease the workload of therapists, help spas navigate recruitment shortages and potentially work 24/7 to increase operating hours and maximise revenue. Non-spa-goers hesitant about traditional massages may be tempted by these services where clothes can be kept on, privacy is guaranteed and personal and religious preferences are respected.
But how much do these machines cost, what technology do they use and what types of treatments can they deliver? We find out more…
Aescape
Founded in New York, USA, in 2017, Aescape has been developed in collaboration with licensed therapists and industry leaders. It launched in US cities last year and has secured US$128 million (€117.4 million, £98.6 million) in funding so far. Clients include Utah’s Velære wellness community, 60 Equinox fitness clubs, Ritz-Carlton Bacara in California and Four Seasons in Orlando and Baltimore. It’s also aiming to operate internationally by the end of 2025.
Dan Burns, VP
of partnerships / Aescape
Target market
We’re looking to partner with global leaders in hospitality, sports, corporate offices and luxury real estate.
How it works
Using our booking app, you can browse locations and check availability. After booking, members receive session details via text and email.
Treatments begin with customers putting on a size-inclusive bodysuit with nothing underneath for optimal friction. They then lie on the table and are scanned by four overhead sensors. These sensors generate 1.2 million 3D data points about the body to help with precision, ensuring optimised pressure, technique, flow and customisation. Two robotic arms are topped with Aerpoint ‘hands’, each featuring seven surfaces that can be adjusted for pressure and heated for added comfort as they move over the body.
How do you control and customise treatments?
Users control the entire experience via an interactive touchscreen, situated below the face cradle, where they can select targeted areas, pressure levels and music preferences. The system remembers personal settings, so guests can continue their routines in different locations.
Is a member of staff required?
Aescape is an entirely autonomous system but users can alert staff with a call button if necessary at all of our partner locations.
What treatments does it offer?
Our massage library is constantly expanding. Treatments range from 15 minutes (for those with hectic schedules) to longer, 60-minute recovery sessions. Each massage also focuses on a different part of the body – from upper, middle and lower back to glutes and hamstrings, with pressure points and target areas completely in the user’s control. Options might include Upper and Mid Back Focus (30 minutes), for example, or Total Back and Glutes (60 minutes).
How is aescape unique?
Aescape is the first commercially available, fully automated AI massage experience on the market. Unlike other percussive instruments which are self-administered, its two robotic arms have been designed to deliver double the bodywork in half the time.
Aescape has been created to provide an incomparable level of precision and customisation, complete with a comprehensive library of varying massages that can fit the needs of virtually anyone – from high-level athletes to first-time massage-goers.
What’s the cost and ROI?
Our license model, which qualifies as an operating expenditure item for the majority of our partners, is US$5,500 (€4,722, £4,092) a month plus a monthly per massage fee. There’s a minimum lease of three years and implementation, including installation and training, is US$10,000 (€9,565, £7,925). We do not sell the equipment outright at this time.
Aescape’s booking app enables on-demand massage bookings, driving revenue for partners. To generate a positive ROI, a partner needs to make US$245 a day, which equates to 2 hours of Aescape utilisation.
Aescape’s two robotic arms have
been designed to deliver double
the bodywork in half the time
A user control screen sits under the face cradle / Aescape
Treatments focus on the back, glutes and legs / Aescape
Capsix
Capsix’s iYU has been in development for nine years and we installed our prototypes between 2019 and 2021 in large workplaces, allowing us to learn from different body types and create the most intuitive user experience. In 2023, we partnered with our first three spas to finalise the development of additional services and officially launched in commercial settings early last year. Our head office and workshop is in Lyon, France and we also have a showroom in Paris. Europe and North America are our primary markets.
Carole Eyssautier, general manager / Capsix
Target market
Clients include high-end resorts and spas, longevity centres and premium gyms.
How does it work?
iYU performs AI-driven massage directly on bare skin. After selecting their protocol, sound immersion and table temperature, users lie on an extra-wide comfy table – just like the start of a normal treatment.
AI is at the heart of the iYU experience, intervening at three key points. Our programmes have been designed and tested by massage professionals and physiotherapists in advance based on a generic human body model or ‘digital twin’. AI algorithms automatically adapt these programmes based on the user’s morphological structure from a 3D scan, which provides a detailed map of muscles and tension points in just a few seconds.
Thirdly, iYU uses AI for real-time adaption according to the 3D scan.
The treatment is administered by Kuku’s LBR Med, a collaborative robot arm with 28 sensors that’s used in medical procedures.
Capsix has developed and patented an articulated hand that attaches to the arm and adapts to the bumps and hollows of the human body to enable precise gestures. We’ve also created a contact membrane (iYU skin) which has a skin-like feel that softly glides over the body and can be used with or without oil.
How do you controL treatments?
The treatment can be customised by the user, adjusting the pressure in real-time or starting or stopping the session via a remote control which is designed to be simple and intuitive. Alternatively, the operator can also personalise the treatment by choosing iYU protocols that align with its target clientele, or even by developing its own signature programmes.
Is a member of staff required?
iYU offers two operating modes. The first one is fully autonomous, enabling the user to completely manage their own session. This is favoured by gyms that want to offer free access to the service or hotels that want to offer iYU anytime of the day.
The second mode, preferred by spas and wellness centres, offers a setup where the user is assisted by a member of staff. The interaction screen is different; it provides access to more protocols, including those with oil.
What services does it offer?
There are three treatment ‘families’ – body (muscular manipulation), mind (for relaxation) and soul (for emotional release). Each family includes several protocols which are either 20, 35 or 45 minutes long.
how is iyu unique?
iYU performs massages directly on the skin to better work the muscle. Combined with its skin-like membrane, it provides a fluidity of movement that’s very close to the sensation of human touch.
Seven internationally published articles and two studies currently being under review demonstrate the effectiveness of iYU. They show an average 58 per cent reduction in cortisol levels from one session, as well as a 28 per cent drop in insomnia issues and a 48 per cent decrease in pain reduction when used twice a week over five weeks.
What’s the cost and ROI?
We sell iYU for €120,000 in Europe and $149,000 in the US. In addition, an annual maintenance contract is €3,300 and $3,950 respectively. We offer a five-year minimum lease for €2,700 (US$2,824, £2,238) a month in France, but costs vary in other countries.
ROI depends on the business model. For instance, spas that offer iYU treatments a la carte can break even by selling two 35-minute sessions a day if they charge €40 (US$42, £33). Or gyms that integrate iYU into their membership models with a price increase of €10 (US$10, £8) a month can potentially generate margins of up to 70 per cent if they have 1,000 members or more.
Our patented contact
membrane, iYU skin,
has a skin-like feel that
softly glides over the
body and can be used
with or without oil
Capsix offers a five-year minimum lease for €2,700 a month / Capsix
Kuku supplies the robotic arm. It has 28 sensors and is also used in medical procedures / Capsix
RoboSculptor
In development since 2019, today’s roboSculptor is the third-generation model and we launched it commercially this January. We’re based in Hoexter, central Germany and sell directly to Germany, Switzerland and Austria and we’re building a distributor network globally.
Jens Schramm, CEO / Robotic Therapeutics
Target market
Sectors suitable for roboSculptor include luxury wellness hotels and spas, health and fitness clubs, physiotherapy centres, plastic surgery clinics, medical institutions and the home-use device market.
How does it work?
Our procedures can be performed on bare skin; special clothing is not needed. The roboSculptor model uses a collaborative robot arm and a complex pneumatic and electronic system to apply pressure with a special vibrocompression massage tool.
The tool is the same one used by Beautylizer, which has the same owner as us – Robotic Therapeutics. Beautylizer, a leader in the field of non-invasive cosmetology and body sculpting, has been around for 20 years and supplies more than 700 devices worldwide.
The tool has 72 independently rotating silicone spheres generating sequences of short-term compression and lifting. This constant oscillation also generates vibration that targets all layers of the skin and tissue, helping to improve blood flow and increase oxygen in the blood.
For extra comfort and enjoyment, there’s a music audio system with light screens that users can customise.
One of the most unique features, however, is our RoboGlide system, which is based on real-time body detection in a 3D virtual environment. This is used to control the position of the robotic arm – during a session users inevitably move, which is why our system continuously monitors and adjusts accordingly.
It works by first entering dimensions of the body, such as weight and height. Then, up to four high-speed 3D cameras scan the body in just 10 seconds, creating a unique 3D model. When the patient moves, the system reacts in 0.1-0.2 seconds and builds a new trajectory and map of the tool’s movement.
What types of treatments does it offer?
The speed, pressure and real-time position of the vibrocompression spheres can be adjusted for a wide range of treatments lasting between 30-75 minutes. These can include, for example, lymphatic drainage, ‘healthy back’, full body relaxation or a wellness/toning or medical massage.
How do you control and customise treatments?
RoboSculptor offers pre-set treatments and a user-friendly interface and dashboards. Customers are guided through experiences by a voice recording. They’re also provided with a remote control to change the pressure of the applicator themselves. Each user is provided with a number that they can input before their next appointment for a more personalised or consistent experience.
Visual interfaces for operators are also available if necessary and these can be used to plan treatments, monitor progress and make real-time adjustments. In addition, roboSculptor has a white-label client app with CRM integration and a scheduling system.
Is a member of staff required?
No.
HOW is robosculptor unique?
The fact that our dynamic robot technology adjusts to the movement of the user in real-time – combined with robotic precision, machine learning and AI – is revolutionary.
Our vibrocompression spheres feature FDA-approved medical-grade silicon which can be sterilised for each treatment. They’re designed to increase fluid filtration, flush out toxins and smooth the appearance of skin. The skin’s many receptors respond to touch, pressure and vibration, triggering signals that enhance blood circulation and lymphatic flow. New applicators, such as those which offer microneedling, are also under development.
What’s the cost and ROI?
We offer a five-year finance solution which costs €4,200 a month excluding VAT. Shorter or longer agreements are also possible. It costs €236,345 to buy roboSculptor directly. RoboSculptor can be used 24/7. If you sell two 60-minute massages a day at €150, the monthly income is €9,000.
Our RoboGlide system, based on real-time body detection in a 3D virtual environment, is a unique feature
New applicators for different treatments are in development / Robotic Therapeutics
Fees are €4,200 a month and the minimum finance solution is two years / Robotic Therapeutics
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Source, which hosts an open-access online Transformation Series programme.
The Standards Authority for Touch in Cancer Care (SATCC) charity has announced its first five-
day Living with Cancer and Beyond retreat, which will be held at Carden Park Hotel and Spa in
Cheshire, UK, between 1 and 5 September.
Patmos Aktis, a Luxury Collection Resort and Spa, has opened in Greece, with a renovated and
rebranded wellness offering called Ansana Wellness and Spa.
The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, an Autograph Collection property in Hawaii, US, has opened its
22,000 sq ft indoor-outdoor Spa at Mauna Kea as the final step in the property’s overall
renovation, which has cost more than US$180 million (€166 million, £140 mill
The UK spa review and discovery platform for consumers, the Good Spa Guide, has announced
it will host the Good Spa Guide Awards 2026 during an event on 16 November at Sopwell House
Hotel in St Albans, UK.
Eighty-four per cent of consumers now say wellness is a top priority in their lives, with this
percentage increasing year on year, according to a preview presentation of McKinsey’s Future of
Wellness 2026 research report.
Mass protests have been taking place since Monday 1 June in Albania over the development of
a luxury resort by Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner.
Global Wellness Day (GWD) marked its 15th anniversary on Saturday 13 June 2026, with the
theme: #JoyMagenta – a celebration of the healing qualities of simple gestures and activities
that spark joy.
Global luxury hospitality brand, Six Senses, has partnered with longevity healthcare provider,
HUM2N, to launch a clinic at Six Senses London, at The Whiteley.
As part of its first hotel partnership, Mayrlife – the medical health resort company known for its
site in Altaussee, Austria – has launched a day clinic at the Rosewood Vienna.
Le Atelier by C.O.D.E. doesn't offer a standard bespoke service, it provides a highly
customised approach to designing massage beds and loungers in high-end wellness
environments. [more...]
