Massage Therapy Journal Winter 2025

28 • Massage Therapy Journal

A s the idea of AI and robots making their way into the massage therapy space becomes more of a reality, massage therapists are beginning to question the value these advancements may bring to both the profession and their own practices. Or, if they are advancements at all.

Massage Therapy Journal took some of the concerns we were hearing from massage therapists to company leaders. Here’s what they had to say. Eric Stephenson, LMBT, President at imassage Inc. , began to hear rumblings in 2020 from several colleagues about robotic massage. “It went in one ear and out the other until what can only be described as synchronicity happened in the Spring of 2022,” he says. “I met the Aescape team and learned about their mission and higher purpose in the world and realized it aligned with my own.” Candidly, Stephenson notes, he was a skeptic up until the day he received his first Aescape experience. “Not only was I pleasantly surprised, but it far exceeded the expectations I had,” he describes. “I have received many of the evolving massage protocols since then. My most recent 30-minute Aescape session was fantastic— relaxing me to the point of falling asleep twice. At one point after coming back awake, it felt as though human hands were touching me.” Paul Nunez, Director of Partnerships for Aescape , former massage therapist, has a career in the massage and spa space that spans 30 years. He was introduced to Eric Litman, founder and CEO of Aescape, in 2020 via a mutual friend who said: “You should talk to my buddy who is doing something with massage and robots.” Nunez was intrigued by Litman’s vision around how many opportunities in the spa industry could be supplemented by technology. “Before joining

Currently, the overarching feelings massage therapists seem to have around AI/robotic massage is a mixture of trepidation, distrust and apprehension. For example, we asked massage therapists about their thoughts on the oncoming wave of AI/ robotics in the massage profession and found nine of the 12 respondents had largely negative feelings about the potential of automated massage therapy. Admittedly, the sample size is small. But, the time is ripe to have meaningful conversations around how advancements in technology currently—and in the future—affect the profession. Aescape, a robotics company focused on the wellness space, is looking to change the narrative about robotics within the massage community.

Photos courtesy of Aescape

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