These companies are redefining wellness inside the metaverse.
Everyone wants to be in the metaverse these days. From Gucci to H&M, nearly all big companies are trying to make themselves known in the virtual world. Through the metaverse, brands get an opportunity to give their customers a more immersive shopping experience— shopping from the comfort of their homes but still browsing the aisles and looking at a brand’s latest collection.
Besides the opportunities it provides retailers, the metaverse is also a great place for those in the service industry to expand their offerings and increase their customer base. Here are some interesting services being offered in the metaverse that you might not have known about.
Love Honey’s Sexual Wellness pop up
The metaverse is emerging as a space for sexual exploration without any stigma people might experience in the real world. It also allows people a space to learn more about sexual health and wellness without revealing their identities. Bearing all this in mind, the Hong Kong-based sexual wellness service provider Love Honey Group expanded their services into the metaverse this July with the opening of their pop-up store in the metaverse Decentraland.
This store has four floors, each offering a different service. The first floor is for customers to look at the company’s latest products, the second offers a selection of educational videos, the third is a gallery for erotic art, and the fourth floor was a rooftop club. Understanding the threat of assault and harassment in the metaverse, Love Honey’s pop-up store guides prospective customers on how they can report inappropriate behavior and block anyone making them uncomfortable.
Emotional Intelligence Ventures’ plans for therapy in the metaverse
Similar to sexual wellness, taking care of one’s mental well-being is often stigmatized. We have already seen the launch of digital mental health solutions, owing to many startups. Many mental health experts believe that virtual environments can play a significant role in helping people deal with conditions, such as psychosis, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), by gradually introducing them to triggering stimuli in a safe manner. Knowing the benefits of metaverse-based mental health experiences, the U.S.-based startup Emotional Intelligence Ventures (EI) has decided to provide psychedelic-based therapy in the metaverse.
These therapy sessions will take place inside EI’s metaverse, which people can enter using virtual reality headsets. They will then be taken on unique journeys based on their background and needs—all the while being high on the company’s proprietary blend of psychedelics. So far, the company has bought a plot of land for their metaverse experience on The Sandbox and intends to design it based on films by the Japanese animated film producer Studio Ghibli.
Alo Yoga’s vision for rest and relaxation
Another key service people would be turning towards the metaverse for, in the near future, is relaxation. Naturally, companies are already entering the space to make themselves stand out from competitors. One such company is the U.S.-based activewear brand Alo Yoga. In February this year, the company announced the launch of their wellness island, Alo Sanctuary, inside the Roblox metaverse.
The name “Alo” stands for three elements: air, land and ocean. Alo Sanctuary’s landscape is made up of all three elements and is set to a soothing soundtrack to put the visitors at ease. Users who enter the Alo Sanctuary would be provided with a Warrior Yoga Mat, which they can use for digital guided meditations. The island would also have an Alo Store where users can shop for Alo’s first digital collection.
Olive X is set to help us get fit in the metaverse
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), physically inactive people have a 20-30% higher chance of all-cause mortality. Since the metaverse is a space for brand-new experiences, there is a possibility that people would spend so much time there that they would forget about taking care of their bodies. To ease this concern, the health and fitness company Olive X is working on a fitness metaverse inside The Sandbox.
This fitness metaverse would consist of several different fitness companies, including MyZone, Gym Aesthetics, TRIB3, Salsation and GO24 Fitness, to name a few. Here, users could earn cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) for exercising. The company has previously provided this service with its play-to-earn game Dustland Runner. In the game, players are hired to deliver mysterious objects by running across an apocalyptic desert with their smartphone acting as a tracker to show their success or failure to complete the required running distance in the real world. By collaborating with other brands on the fitness metaverse, Olive X intends to aid companies in the fitness space tap into a new user base.
One thing you might have noticed about all the entries on this list is that they are all wellness experiences, be they sexual, physical, mental or spiritual. Wellness has continued to go up on the list of priorities for the general public, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a survey by the marketing firm McKinsey in 2021, 42% of people worldwide consider wellness a priority. As a result, the industry has grown to a market size of over US$1.5 trillion.
Similarly, there has been a rising interest in the metaverse, with the consulting firm Gartner naming it one of the top five tech trends of 2022. As both the wellness industry and the metaverse space continue to grow, we are likely to see a greater convergence among them, leading to the creation of more innovative wellness services in the years to come.
Also read:
- Gucci Town: What to Expect from the Luxury Brand’s Roblox Metaverse
- Why Is the Metaverse Important for Your Brand?
- Should We Ban Porn In the Metaverse?
- Mental Health Initiatives to Watch in 2022
Header image courtesy of Pixabay
