This article describes a methodology for providing spa services, e.g., massages and facials, in a virtual world. Such services enable virtual world participants, such as Avatars in Second Life, to get massages, facials, etc. Specific sounds are associated with specific types of massage strokes, massage oils, facial products, etc. In addition, the decor, lighting and music in the spa room are controlled (or the user can choose between several options for music, lighting, etc.). So while the Avatar is getting the massage, the human counterpart would receive some of the sensory benefits of actually having a massage or facial.
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A Methodology for Providing Spa Services in a Virtual World
Spa services such as massages and facials have become extremely popular in recent years. As citizens spend more time and longer hours working, such services have been successful in providing relaxation from the mental, physical and emotional stresses of hectic lives. Futhermore, there are times when many may want to obtain spa services more frequently; however, time, physical, or financial constraints may limit the use of such services. In addition, spa service providers have a need to grow their business and leverage new mediums to market their services.
This article describes a methodology for addressing these issues by providing spa services in a virtual world. It describes a process for enabling a virtual experience that engages participants by leveraging the human's sense of sound and sight to provide realistic virtual massages and facials. Such services may be offered by real-world spas as a means of generating additional income from virtual clients, and to market their real-world services to virtual world customers.
There is some discussion of virtual spa services in the existing literature. One blog [1] mentions a simulated spa where individuals can relax. In addition, links to the associated real-world spa website are included to enable virtual world clients to purchase packages. A discussion how virtual worlds may be used to train massage therapists in various techniques, such as range of motion and posture analysis, is included in [2]. However, these examples do not speak to the specifics of how to make this happen in virtual worlds.
Listed below is an example spa service implementation in a virtual world. Consider an Avatar in Second Life arriving at a spa service provider. The Avatar requests a massage, and will be offered the following alternatives:
massage = {swedish, hot stone} operator = {masseur, masseuse}
Once the massage and operator are chosen, the Avatar is led to the spa room and rests on the massage table. The decor or the room is specified as follows:
ROOM / DECOR / MUSIC
- each spa room has several options
* room_lighting = {low, medium}
* room_sound = {easy_listening, classical, ocean_sounds}
* candles = {yes, no}
- these options are randomly chosen for each service as the Avatar requests the service
- the decor is randomly selected and is provided on or before the Avatar enters the spa room
Assuming the Avatar chooses a swedish massage, the following activities occur:
SWEDISH MASSAGE
- body_component = {left_ankle, right_ankle, left_foot, right_foot, left_sole, right_...
