Robotic Massager Aescape Enters the Golf and Country Club Market

Invited, formerly known as ClubCorp, is the largest owner and operator of private membership golf clubs. Members who always want to improve their member experience may have found their newest feature: Artificial intelligence powered escape robot massages.

Could these body-scanning and muscle-kneading masseuse machines, called Aertables, become the most popular autonomous golf club attraction ever since? self driving rangefinders?

Here’s how Michele Meleski, Invited’s SVP of fitness programming, first heard about New York-based autonomous massage disruptor Aescape’s tables, which are now in use at a growing number of Equinox gyms and select luxury hotels: Teknosportheir exclusive gym equipment supplier. The technology immediately sparked interest.

“Since there is no therapist, you take off the communication piece and stay dressed, and it saves a lot of time. You don’t go to a facility, you don’t undress, you don’t lie down on the table and chat, it’s not the right pressure and sharing feedback is uncomfortable. This tool eliminates many of these barriers, and our goal is to attract more people to our fitness and wellness spaces,” Meleski explained.

While members were intrigued by the concept for its potential to improve their health, it was necessary to try it firsthand before greenlighting a partnership with Aescape, which will bring touch-mimicking robotic massage machines to a pair of Invited clubs for pilot testing. Jupiter Country Club and hills outside of Austin, Texas,

“This is a very unique experience; It feels like two people are massaging you. I did a 30 minute demo and almost fell asleep at the table. “I am very impressed by this and the areas it targets,” he said, adding that future developments will be game-changing. Currently, treatment capabilities are all for the lower back, from the upper back to the glutes and hamstrings, with calves and neck and trapezius functionality coming soon.

Serial entrepreneur Eric Litman, CEO and founder of Aescape, turned a personal struggle into a business opportunity. Litman’s previous ventures include Medialets, a mobile ad serving platform acquired by the ad giant RES and online local professional services agency Proxicom, which went public and was later sold to global consultancy Dimension Data.

Although his career brought significant success, decades of hunching over a computer screen also took its toll. Poor posture and repetitive strain caused the disc to bulge, requiring daily treatment for relief.

“For eight months of my life, my only solution to some symptoms was to have a massage therapist press her elbow on a specific spot on my back for an hour,” Litman explained. His grueling travel schedule often left him scrambling to find quality therapists in various cities, leading to frustratingly inconsistent results—but it also inspired him to break into the $20 billion-a-year service industry.

His company’s robotic massage system offers precision and consistency that human therapists cannot replicate. “Our system does not tire; it can put equal pressure in both directions,” he said. “We can engage both sides of the body at the same time, which means we get more done in less time,” he explained.

Beyond driving efficiency, Aescape aims to make high-quality massage therapy accessible to more people. “We’re taking great control over the experience, making it convenient, accessible and affordable; democratizing massage therapy for more and more people,” Litman said.

Aescape’s consumer insight research suggests its system could double its current market of people getting massages among the fringe group who are currently reluctant to see a therapist because of body image issues or discomfort with being naked in front of someone their same age. or the opposite sex, or a bad past experience. The system eliminates these obstacles with a massage experience that is a first in the market.

Seven years in the making, Litman’s system has raised $100 million to date, with backing from firms like AlleyCorp, Fifth Wall and Valor Equity Partners, as well as high-profile investors like NBA star Kevin Love and Peloton co-founder Yony Feng.

If the pilot test is successful, Invited plans to roll out Aescape’s robotic massage tables to more clubs in its network. Self-service tables complement the growing investment in lounge areas, which feature pre- and post-game assisted stretching as well as amenities such as cold plunges, pneumatic boats and zero-gravity chairs.

“At the end of the day, many people spend their lives sitting around and then go out to do something explosive like hit a golf ball. “The body is not ready for this,” Meleski said. He emphasized that tools that increase mobility, strength and joint fluidity help players perform better, play longer and enjoy their activities more.

Whenever the topic of autonomous robots (from burger-flipping robots to driverless taxis) comes up, concerns about layoffs inevitably arise. But Litman positions Aescape’s robot masseuses as tools that expand the market rather than replacing human therapists.

“We didn’t set out to replace massage therapists. “It’s a different product and experience,” he said. “There are things that only a human connection can provide, and we’re never going to try to start, but we want to move into things that technology can do,” he explained.

Aertables can also help close the workforce gap. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics employment of massage therapists It is expected to increase significantly over the next decade, with 22,800 new openings annually. A new International Spa Association report It shows that spas alone are facing a shortage of 21,000 therapists and underlines the growing need for innovative solutions like Aescape.