Robot
Robot the atmosphere of Aescape’s massage rooms is pretty recognizable by all of us: soft light, shades of quiet earth tones, fresh, expensive smell, elegant chairs with soft fluffy pillows, which we, of course, put our clothes on. Yes, it looks like a regular spa place, but instead of a massage table, which is usually one flat surface covered with a white sheet – there is a big pill-shaped device. And a pair of pretty big robotic arms.
Aescape is a New York City-based company with an AI-enhanced massage table to their name. I am a person who is extremely skeptical about robots but I adore massage more than anything, so when the company put out a call for volunteers, I stood up to give an answer. Will a robot massage be as good as an outrageously delightful human-winged one? The company’s tagline is “ The World’s Most Advanced Massage”, but would it manage to melt away the stress-induced and tension-driven back knots of a middle-aged mom who walks everywhere yet refuses to stretch or drink enough water and literally spends the whole day bent over her laptop? My aches and I decided to find out on a Monday afternoon in February as we visited the Aescape’ offices and test labs for our appointment.
Now you’re probably wondering, but afraid to ask: Do you have to be totally naked for the massage? No, but you will be given “Aerwear apparel” to wear, which is available for both rent or purchase . The long-sleeve shirt and pants are tight-fitting and made in dark grey to black shade. It feels a little like wearing a yoga outfit and a wetsuit at the same time. After pulling it on and yanking my hair back, I gaze in the mirror: a humanoid sea lion in the requisite stretchy attire.
After my shower, it was time for the massage. First, Aescape CEO Eric Litman generously takes the time to walk me through setup, though the machines are pretty much self-service. He explains that the project took seven years of development and had $80 million invested. “The idea was born out of a personal pain point” of being unable to get focused, regular treatment for a chronic pain, he said.
The major downside to the Aescape massage is that it all happens while you are face down. Your face is positioned in a hole big enough to comfortably wear glasses. While I would normally take mine off, because the table with iPad-sized screen is under your face, you need the glasses to see it. As I observed previously, picking a wimpy calf massage and terrible nature sounds music can ruin your day. I would have solid reason to worry that my face will be squished or that I would get a bagel-shaped dent across my forehead, my cheeks and my chin. The wide space for my head made me forget all about the glasses.
Before the robot hands touch my shoulders and start to work the stress and kinks out of my mess of muscles, I use the touchscreen to select a massage type . Knowing that this is already getting intense, I go for a 30-minute “Total Back & Glutes Relief.” I also have to pick my musical poison ; naturally, I go with chill surf music and ask for pressure “humanly possible,” which a PR rep tells me is probably known as “robot level” by the robots. The table’s nine 3D cameras scan my body in 1.1 million data points to map out my treatment. It also goes on to say that every time your body gets on the table, the table learns more about your body and its needs. Litman also adds, “We use AI to personalize your massage-going experience. Our data, trained by therapists, learns from your feedback over time, adjusting treatments to your preferences.”
While I was trying any sort of robotic back massagers or massage chairs, one of the issues was the one-size-fits-all approach. I would end up having rotating massage balls bruising my spine instead of tension relieve. At Aescape, this issue should be solved. It scans each body because bodies come in all different shapes and sizes. Scanning takes less than a minute, and the robot arms are off digging in.
It began with a 5-minute full-body acclimation, sort of like letting myself adjust to the feeling of warm robot nubs – and they’re quite heated – pushing against the muscles of my back. I thought the “hands” of the robot would feel more like an overeager WALL-E, but they felt more like my metaphorical big, firm human palm in size. The nubs were warm, as well – like the bottom of a laptop that’s been overexerted. The touch-screen showed what was going to happen next and how much I had of the 30-minute massage experience.
This was very exciting for me since I spend half of my massages trying to figure out if I know what the time is and I am not relaxed enough. The screen also allows you to look at what exact muscle the device is working on, so they will not surprise you with “oh so, it looks like we are taking care of our legs now?”
During the 30-minute massage, I also changed pressure settings for different parts of the body: I set softer pressure for legs and strengthened for back, and the minute-by-minute customization seemed useful to get exactly what you want. In the meantime, you might adjust it from “move on” to “focus” on a specific body part at any time. This is brilliant for people like me who would never dare ask a live masseuse to do something differently.
I was worried that the screen in my face would detract from some of the relaxation I would usually get out of a massage, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it’s easy to close your eyes and let the robot do all the work. OK, but how did I feel? Honestly, pretty good. I was optimistic from the beginning that I wasn’t going to have a limb accidentally torn off or get crushed to a pulp and forgotten in the factory fed to dull the dark bits. But once the robot rolled on the foam pad and through the chest-sized trapezius-shaped lump of meat I carry between my neck and shoulders, I was more pleased,. On the way home and later while chasing and typing on the computer, for a few days I felt my body was more fluid.
I would not call the Aescape massage table a one-to-one replacement for a regular massage: it is currently limited to a face-down position and does not get all the tiny muscles. However, it is a solid supplement to usual body care . The massage tables can be booked via an app, and they plan to be integrated into hotels, spas, corporate offices, and fitness centers across the country by 2024 . The major benefits of the table are the convenience and customization, as it is perfect for anyone who seeks rapid relief. The Aescape massage table will be launched in New York City at 10 Equinox locations in the spring, and a 30-minute massage is available starting at $60 .