DTC Wellness Brands Land in Airports
Brands like Therabody and AG1 are taking full advantage of the wellness travel boom, launching airport vending machines
Flight delays and extensive layovers have never been healthier. Those bothersome hours you once spent waiting for time to tick away can now be used to improve your wellness, thanks to a pair of brands.
Therabody, a leading wellness tech company, announced the installation of its first vending machine at the San Francisco International Airport. The machines carry several recovery devices, including the brand’s signature massage guns, for travelers to pick up and use easily in transit.
While this innovation is indeed a first for Therabody, it’s not for the industry at large. Supplement brand AG1 recently released its own vending machines, also at the San Francisco Airport. AG1 powders include vitamins, minerals, probiotics and whole-food-sourced nutrients to enhance energy levels, cognitive function and gut health. AG1 machine rollouts in additional airports including Houston, Chicago O’Hare and Oakland are expected in the future.
But even outside of these initiatives, wellness and wings have been a popular duo of late. Earlier this year, the Melbourne Airport launched its first-ever health club and wellness center, referred to as Higher State, while Roam Fitness opened a gym in the Philadelphia International Airport last year.
Therabody itself has partnered with United Airlines to offer international business class travelers amenity kits featuring eye serum, face spray, hand cream and a cleansing towelette.
These all represent worthwhile investments, as data reflects that health and wellness are often top-of-mind for today’s passengers, sometimes even as the driving force behind their traveling tendencies. The Global Wellness Institute projects wellness tourism, defined as travel associated with the pursuit of maintaining or enhancing one’s personal well-being, to grow by 10.2% annually from 2023 to 2028, exceeding global GDP growth.