What it's like to get a robot massage in D.C.
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The Aescape massage table at Equinox West End. Photo: Anna Spiegel/Axios
Robots may be coming for your job — but first, they can give you a rubdown.
Why it matters: Robot massages are now available in the DMV, courtesy of lifestyle robotics company, Aescape.
Driving the news: Aescape is rolling out its AI-powered massage bots at more than 60 Equinox gyms — including West End and Tysons, where the robots debuted this fall.
How it works: You book 15–60 minutes, and choose whatever body parts you want kneaded.
- Attire: A neck-to-ankle massage suit designed to help the robot detect your body.
Zoom in: Cameras build a 3-D model of your form while you lie on the table and stare at an LCD screen. You can select music, pressure and get an overview of how the robot will work over your backside (there's no flip).
Between the lines: Once the warmed "aerpoints" (aka robot hands) began kneading my back, I started giggling so hard the bot paused.
- It felt like a talented horse with smooth, warm hooves was getting to work. Dressage!
Pros: User-friendly and affordable. For $39, a 30-minute massage with a day pass to the West End Equinox (and its pool) felt like a steal.
- Fast: You can get a 15-minute tune-up before a workout (and show up sweaty, who cares?).
- 🤨 Impersonal: The robot spent a lot of time massaging my glutes (aka butt). For a human masseuse, super creepy. For a robot, semi-creepy.
Plus, you have control at your fingertips — from the music (ocean sounds or Cardi B?) to pressure and skipping over sections.
- You can also track the robot's movement on the screen (yep, still on the glutes).
Cons: Hard robot hooves.
- In lieu of oil, the slippery spa suit is meant to provide glide — but it's nowhere as smooth, and the clothing bunched.
- The face rest was giving toilet bowl vibes — stiff and covered in a papery white ring.
Anna's thought bubble: It reminded me of getting an over-the-clothes massage from a high-school boyfriend — minus the romance, keep the awkwardness.
- It wasn't bad, but it wasn't relaxing.
Bottom line: If you're worried bots will replace humans, consider becoming a masseuse. Because even warmed to a lifelike 95 degrees, robot hooves have nothing on human hands.