Hotels and resorts can now become wellness certified, thanks to the industry’s first program focusing on ways that accommodations amplify and offer ways for their guests to be well, launched by Wellness in Travel & Tourism (WITT).
08.10.2024 - 06:55 / cntraveler.com
If you’re chronically online or often traveling like me, you may have seen one of the robots that are now staffing airports and restaurants, carrying your suitcases, and delivering your food. With the surge in AI, from Google’s AI overview to Chat GPT, artificial intelligence is the new frontier, and who knows where it might lead to next. For me, it led me to an Aescape AI robot massage at the glam Lotte New York Palace in Midtown East—yes, the very same property that served as a backdrop for some particularly iconic Gossip Girl moments. I’m no stranger to massages, and personally adore the experience of sinking into a calming, almost meditative state while a professional therapist works their magic and turns my body from a human stress ball into a melted pile of putty. So, when I was given the chance to try out a personalized, fully automatic treatment by a massage robot, I had to take it, if only to see if it could live up to the experience of the one-on-one human contact of a professional.
While the brand has been shocked and excited to find that interested massage-goers have flown across the world just to try out the Aescape experience, I only had to head uptown, where I was led through a comfortable lounge and to my individual massage room. At first sight, the machine was daunting, with huge futuristic arms that ended in hoof-like hands. Here, you actually put clothes on rather than take them off, and are provided with a special activewear set that covers you from wrist to ankle, and makes it easier for the robot arms to glide over your body without any oil.
“We really want this to fit into your life in any way that makes sense with you,” says Eric Litman, founder and CEO of Aescape, the brand that created this AI robot massage experience. “With the special clothing, no oil or lubricant is involved so you’re not showering after the treatment or getting oil in your hair.” It’s designed to fit into those “in-between moments in your life,” he says, so you can grab a quick massage before heading back to work, going out with friends, or getting home in time for dinner.
An Aescape AI robot massage experience is meant to fit into those “in-between moments in your life,” so you can get some quick R&R before heading back to work or getting home in time for dinner.
Aside from making it possible for the arms of the massage robot to not pull on your skin, the clothes had another great benefit for those who are particularly reticent on getting massages: There’s no nudity involved. Rather than awkwardly draping your naked body with a sheet, you get to spend your massage completely alone and fully clothed. After the machine was explained to me, I was taught how to properly lay down on the contraption and
Hotels and resorts can now become wellness certified, thanks to the industry’s first program focusing on ways that accommodations amplify and offer ways for their guests to be well, launched by Wellness in Travel & Tourism (WITT).
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Daniela Jacobs, the founder and designer of Arc, a line of minimalist jewelry and home goods, is perhaps best known for her porcelain creations in shades of ecru and eggshell. But in 2018, a translucent organza garment that Jacobs created for a photo shoot led to such an unexpected swell of purchase inquiries that she decided to create a handful of one-of-a-kind garments to sell, titling it her Invisibles collection. Now, after 10 years in business, Jacobs is releasing a new batch of designs that explore the concept of invisibility with Arc Glass, a limited-edition capsule of rings, bangles, candle holders and plates made of borosilicate glass. In addition to pieces that are completely see-through, a handful of the designs are rendered in black, as well as a smoky hue that changes in different lights. “It almost has a turquoise tint to it, which feels right to me because of the Mediterranean vibe,” says Jacobs, who splits her time between New York and Majorca. As with her porcelain pieces, Jacobs’s glass creations require a bit of mindfulness when worn, but she insists that they’re made for everyday use. “I wear them on the subway. I wear them biking. I wear them when I’m in Spain. When I go to the sea, I take them off and put them on a rock; I come back, they’re fine,” she says.
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