Las Vegas’ bonkers wellness scene, with robot massages and towel dancing

Caesars Palace in Las Vegas has introduced the Strip's first AI-powered robotic massage at its Qua Baths and Spa, using Aescape's technology to offer personalized treatments at lower costs. The service, which uses body-scanning and robotic arms, caters to time-poor travelers and those uncomfortable directing human therapists. Meanwhile, the Fontainebleau Las Vegas spa offers towel dancing, a German sauna ritual called Aufguss, as part of the city's evolving wellness scene.

Las Vegas’ bonkers wellness scene, with robot massages and towel dancing At Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, the Qua Baths and Spa offers the Strip’s first AI-powered robotic massage. Wearing a skin-tight bodysuit, which prevents the robot’s hands getting caught on clothing, I enter a room dominated by two imposing robot arms. It’s not the C3PO robot of Star Wars fame that I was anticipating, more like the kind of robotic arms you see in an industrial car manufacturer, making the headless, bodyless contraption all the more disconcerting. I lie face down while the Aerview console – an interactive touchscreen interface built into the massage bed – allows me to set the pressure and target areas. After demonstrating how to use the console, my therapist leaves, and I’m alone with the robot. Lying face down on the massage bed, as the treatment begins I hear the robot arms whirring as they move above me. I’m able to watch a graphic on the console that shows the machine’s position as it moves along my body. The first touch is jarring because it feels surprisingly like human hands, and yet it’s too precise and rhythmic to be human. Initially the pressure is firmer than I would like and as I scramble to adjust it, there’s a sudden looming fear that the robot might go rogue and strangle me, but it quickly adjusts to a more manageable pressure. It gets to work, moving along my back with surprising precision, my fears allayed. Las Vegas’ wellness: my nerves over robot masseuse There are options to adjust lighting and play music to set the mood, but I am too focused on the robot to think about a playlist and instead lie in silence and nervous anticipation as the rounded, fingerless mechanical “hands” knead my muscles with symmetrical accuracy. While the mechanics of it feel disconcerting, the massage feels effective, the kneading motion accurately replicating the movement of human hands. My back and legs feel like they’ve had a workout, having been pummelled perhaps a little too hard. But it isn’t relaxing; while it may be doing me some good, without a human touch, it feels clinical and impersonal. I struggle to see it replacing a human therapist. While other types of robotic massages have been developed, such as AiTreat’s EMMA in Singapore in 2015 or Capsix in France in 2019, in 2024 the US was the first country to launch the Aescape AI-powered robot massage tables seen in Las Vegas, developed by US wellness-tech company Aescape and debuted earlier this year. The robotic massage uses body-scanning technology to create personalised treatments tailored to each guest. Caesars says the AI-powered massages help meet demand for flexible, customisable wellness experiences. The service has proved popular with time-poor travellers, fitness enthusiasts and guests who prefer not to direct a therapist during treatment. At £32.90 for 15 minutes or £65.90 for 30 minutes, it is also considerably cheaper than a traditional massage, so the appeal extends beyond novelty alone. This changing demand has triggered what some insiders describe as a wellness arms race Read more: Elvis’ brother still lives in The King’s Las Vegas hotel. We met him. At the 55,000 square foot Fontainebleau Las Vegas spa and wellness centre, named World’s Best Casino Hotel Spa in 2024 https://worldspaawards.com/award/world-best-casino-hotel-spa/2024 , there’s another eccentric draw: towel dancing. The ritual, which began in Germany nearly a century ago, has been available at Fontainebleau since 2023. The ceremonial event is called Aufguss in German, which means infusion, and describes a sauna experience combining heat, water, oil, sound, lights and visuals. It’s theatre within a spa setting and if it sounds gimmicky and slightly bonkers, that’s what makes it appealing. While Aufguss may feel perfectly suited to Las Vegas, its origins are surprisingly practical. The ritual emerged when sauna attendants would throw water onto hot stones and wave towels to circulate heat and humidity. Over time, the practice evolved into a choreographed, multi-sensory experience combining aromatherapy, music and theatrical towel movements. The ritual was introduced to Fontainebleau’s Lapis Spa by director Jennifer Lynn, who recognised that its blend of wellness and performance would resonate in a city built on entertainment. Today, trained ‘sauna-meisters’, many with backgrounds in dance and performance, lead the sessions. Gabriel, a 24-year-old former dancer, leads us in the ritual. His US drawl is soft and seductive, as is his well-honed physique. His expertise in wellness aside, it’s obvious why Gabriel was chosen to lead the towel dancing. “I invite people to sweat with me,” he says flirtatiously. A mixed group of eight men and women file into the sauna. Everyone is dressed in swimwear, but in European spas full nudity for an Aufguss experience is de rigueur; it isn’t just the towel that’s flying everywhere. The performance commences as Gabriel throws balls of ice onto glowing coals and music pulses across a video wall depicting tropical scenery. As the heat rises, he begins the choreographed dance, twirling and snapping towels with the flourish of a matador. Each sweep sends waves of heat rolling across the room. The air thickens as the towels slice through the steam. It sounds ridiculous but turns out to be strangely beautiful. We watch on entranced, the combination of heat, scent, movement and music stirring our senses. Whether there are measurable benefits is unclear, but the spectacle alone is invigorating. Read more: The new Elvis film inspired me to go searching for Elvis in Las Vegas According to the Las Vegas Spa Association https://www.lvspas.com/ , the city is home to more than 40 resort spas, with around 1,000 treatment rooms on The Strip, drawing approximately 150,000 annual spa visits and an estimated £113 million in annual revenue. Rather than viewing holidays as an opportunity for unchecked excess, many Las Vegas travellers are clearly seeking a balance between indulgence and self-care. ~ Recovery has become a key part of the visitor experience, whether through sleep programmes, IV therapy, cryotherapy, infrared saunas, cold plunges or longevity-focused treatments. Patrick, a business convention visitor in his mid forties I get speaking to, says an IV drip would be the perfect way to end his trip. “Men carry a lot of stress from work,” he says. “I’d choose a spa and health treatment over the casino any day.” This changing demand has triggered what some insiders describe as a wellness arms race. Fontainebleau’s Lapis Spa focuses on immersive wellness experiences, while Caesars has embraced innovation through robotic massage and technology-led treatments. Awana Spa at the imaginatively-named Resorts World, where I’m told 72 per cent of guests seek out massages, is credited with launching the very first Aufguss experience in North America. It also offers a unique service for expectant mothers, including prenatal massages and a BabyMoon Bliss ritual. At the Cosmopolitan’s Sahra Spa, guests can book the Hawaiian-inspired Mana Lomi massage while relaxing in their own private treatment suite, while the Wynn continues to attract visitors seeking one of the Strip’s most luxurious – and expensive – spa experiences. Wellness in Las Vegas is no longer confined to the spa, either. Half an hour’s drive from the casinos, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area in Nevada offers something entirely different. Rust-coloured sandstone cliffs rise from the Mojave Desert and hiking trails wind through canyons and ancient rock formations. As dawn breaks, visitors swap blackjack tables for trail shoes, heading into the desert for hiking, cycling and rock climbing. The appeal of Las Vegas increasingly lies in this contrast: the ability to combine world-class entertainment and luxury hotels with nature, fitness and outdoor adventure. “The best things about Vegas are outside the Strip,” says Love Hikes guide Grey. “People come for the food, the spas and the mountains. Younger travellers don’t have the same drinking culture. They’d rather do a hike, visit a spa and have a healthy smoothie.” Even the restaurants are catering to guests seeking healthier options. Crossroads in Resorts World is the first fully plant-based fine-dining restaurant on the Strip, serving vegan versions of comfort-food classics alongside Mediterranean-inspired dishes. I enjoy a hearty meal of Moroccan ‘lamb’ cigars and a rich bolognaise. “As Las Vegas continues to evolve, we’ve seen a growing demand for more health-conscious dining options,” says Tal Ronnen, founder and chef of Crossroads and author of the New York Times Bestseller The Conscious Cook. “At Crossroads, we offer elevated, plant-based fine-dining that aligns with guests’ focus on wellness. It reflects a broader trend, and we want to continue shaping the perception of plant-based dining while serving delicious, refined food that appeals to vegans and flexitarians.” Las Vegas has always had a penchant for reinvention. Established as a gangster meeting hub in the desert in the 1940s, the neon light hedonism has dimmed by the 1990s, when the hotels, replete with volcanoes and Eiffel Towers, became more family friendly. Now the city is undergoing another reinvention, as a world-leading health resort. It’s always excelled at selling fantasy, but today, that fantasy looks very different.