These Wellness Tech & Recovery Products Are Driving the Market
From hair masks to red light hats to salt mists, new products and franchises are hitting the market every day answering to and capitalizing on consumers’ seemingly insatiable appetite for wellness, longevity, and recovery.
The masses are eating it up, leading to an explosion of venture capitalists infusing money into opportunities, gyms scurrying to build out or adopt wellness spaces and everyone looking to benefit by increasing lifespan and healthspan.
This $5.6 million global wellness market continues to swell.
According to a McKinsey report, more than 60 percent of consumers surveyed considered it “very” or “extremely” important to purchase products or services that help with healthy aging and longevity. Roughly 70 percent of consumers in the United Kingdom and the United States and 85 percent in China indicated that they have purchased more in this category in the past year than in prior years.
Here, Athletech News takes a look at the products and services that key brands in the space are offering, and how they’re shaping the market.
Wellness Tech Makes Its Way to the Masses
At the end of last year, Therabody, the wellness tech company behind the Theragun, launched an innovative LED face mask that fights aging along with a new business branch, Therabody Beauty.
The TheraFace Mask, a $599 FDA-cleared LED light therapy mask that employs 648 medical-grade infrared LED lights to minimize the symptoms of aging while firming skin and promoting a healthy glow, includes Therabody’s signature vibration therapy for added relaxation.
Therabody also partnered with United Airlines to promote wellness travel. United customers flying via United Polaris international business class are provided a Therabody amenity kit with TheraFace eye serum, face spray, hand cream, and cleansing towlette. In the United Polaris lounges, travelers will have access to Therabody products like the Lounger, Theragun, and RecoveryAir JetBoots.
Meanwhile, HigherDose, an at-home wellness tech brand, released a new Red Light Hat for hair growth.
The hat has 120 medical-grade LED bulbs emitting light at a wavelength of 650 nm, specifically selected to promote hair growth. Each session with the hat is designed to last ten minutes, with the brand recommending a daily treatment for optimal results.
While there are several red light helmets on the market, HigherDose’s hat stands out due to its discreet design, resembling a baseball cap. The choice allows users to incorporate hair treatments into their daily routines without drawing attention.
“The opportunity is bringing wellness technology to the masses,” HigherDose co-founder Lauren Berlingeri told Athletech News about her and fellow co-founder Katie Kaps’s inspiration for creating the brand. “HigherDose’s mission is inspired by the fact that there are more saunas than people in Finland because that country’s residents are educated about well-being. The opportunity here is expanding upon that notion, making empowered self-healing and longevity accessible to the masses with efficacious products.”
Global high-performance wellness brand Hyperice has been busy this year bringing new innovations and products to market.
Weighing in at just two pounds, the Hyperice X Shoulder offers on-demand hot and cold contrast therapy ranging from 35°F to 115°F, customizable temperature control, and the adaptability to target either shoulder. The product also allows users to control the device and adjust settings from their smartphone.
Next came their Normatec Elite boots, a wireless version of the brand’s famous recovery boots that are portable enough to be carried in a tote bag but expand to the size of standard compression boots.
Hyperice also teamed with activewear giant Nike to introduce compression massage sneakers and a temperature-changing vest that will be available to athletes at this summer’s Olympics in Paris and potentially to consumers after that.
Designed for warmups and cooldowns, the Nike x Hyperice boot is a high-top shoe that combines heat and dynamic air compression massage for athletes’ feet and ankles.
The Nike x Hyperice vest offers athletes a way to precisely control their body temperature during warmups and cooldowns using thermoelectric coolers, delivering instant heating and cooling without ice or liquids.
Mixing & Matching Modalities
Merging wellness modalities has become a popular way to distinguish and launch new products to market in different ways, and Halotherapy is doing just that.
Looking to give operators the chance to offer a more holistic approach to therapy and recovery, the company recently launched its HaloRestore & Recovery solution. It’s the first and only series of programs merging salt therapy with the company’s complete portfolio of Restore and Recovery equipment, including red light, cryotherapy, and cold plunge
“The industry has moved into ‘next generation’ salt therapy, stacking or layering multiple modalities together in one unit to customize the guest’s experience while at the same time maximizing the return on investment per square foot for the facility owner,” says Lisa Semerly, chief revenue officer at Halotherapy.
Another combination of modalities, Red Light Method, recently announced a franchise model with immediate success, signing 6 territories with 18 more on the way.
To create Red Light Method, Allison Beardsley, who also founded Club Pilates, paired FDA-cleared red light therapy body contouring treatments with group Power Plate and Pilates reformers.
The Red Light Method is the first in the world to combine the benefits of medical-grade red light therapy treatments with guided Power Plate and Pilates sessions, which Beardsley calls the trifecta of recovery and longevity.
Redefining Classic Wellness for the Modern Age
With all of the new brands and products flooding the market in this space, one stands alone in terms of the company’s longevity. Founded in 1927, JK Products & Services has steadily expanded its influence, emerging as a national and global market leader in lifestyle, wellness, and tanning.
With a “recovery is the new retention” mentality, the company has been able to help facilities drive ROI with their smart and low-overhead equipment that delivers immersive experiences consumers can’t replicate at home.
Through its Wellness JK arm, JK Products & Services offers products like full-body red light beds and booths, and next-gen, ultra-quiet automated massage beds that feature airless water technology.
“We take great experiences and heighten them,”’ says Brynn Scarborough, President and CEO. “If you think about a standard automated massage and then heighten it to a full sensory immersion with aromatherapy, sound, and the benefits of water it becomes something members crave. They will get in their car and come to your location even if they don’t want to work out.”
This article originally ran in the The Business of Prevention, Recovery & Longevity Report 2024. Download the report now to read more insights into how fitness and wellness brands are making strides in key markets.