VR massages: Like ‘Black Mirror,’ but actually enjoyable
Despite being called a "VR massage," there is nothing virtual about the massage itself. A session gets you 30 minutes in a cushy massage chair that works on your back, bottom, and legs, yes, but also calves, feet, neck, arms, and hands. There's no human masseur involved, but, as an Esqapes employee put it, the two chair models they use are more luxe than "what you find at the mall."
However, to my surprise, the draw of the VR massage is more about the VR than the massage. Jackson designed 10 different "environments," that range from the "tropical retreat" I experienced, to secluded glens, luxurious cabins, and exotic temples. Nothing happens, per se, in the VR worlds, except the passage of time as you would experience it in the real world: the sun moves across the sky, waves ripple, birds fly. The fact that you are earthbound in a massage chair forces you to simply look around and be. And that is what turns Esqapes from something that sounds like a silly, vaguely dystopian-sounding gimmick, to a novel and effective way to induce calm.
"The massage chair I was like, is perfect," Jackson said. "It gives you a reason why you're just in this world and just looking around, there's no expectation to do anything, you know? That was kind of the twist."
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