The Secret to the No.1 Massage Chair is 'Expert Doctor-Led R&D'

Bodyfriend Medical R&D Center... Dozens of Specialists in Orthopedics, Neurosurgery, and Korean Medicine Rehabilitation On Site
Developing New Healthcare Technologies... 17,457 Massage Chairs Installed in May Alone

Massage chair test products are installed at the Bodyfriend Medical R&D Center.

'Bodyfriend Dogok Tower' in Dogok-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The 'Medical R&D Center' located on the 5th floor of this building serves both as a clinic providing medical care to employees and as a research lab developing massage chair technology. It houses examination rooms, physical therapy rooms, X-ray rooms, skin care rooms, and is staffed by dozens of medical professionals including eight specialists in orthopedics, neurosurgery, internal medicine, otolaryngology, psychiatry, dentistry, and Korean rehabilitation medicine, as well as brain engineers, physical therapists, and music therapists. While it resembles a typical clinic, the presence of dozens of massage chairs installed in one corner is distinctive. Serving as a clinic while proving the correlation between massage chairs and health and developing new healthcare technologies, this busy place is also where the competitiveness of Bodyfriend, the number one company in the massage chair field, is created. During a recent visit to the Medical R&D Center, efforts were underway to achieve Bodyfriend's declared goal of 'extending healthy lifespan by 10 years.'

Jeon Cheol-jin, head of Bodyfriend Medical R&D Center, explained, "The specialists at the Medical R&D Center not only provide medical advice but also take the lead in product development." Dr. Jeon, a neurosurgery specialist, has been an initial member of Bodyfriend Medical R&D since its establishment in 2016, working alongside orthopedic specialist Dr. Jo Soo-hyun, the center director, and has integrated medical R&D into massage chair products for over four years. The first domestic medical massage chair, scheduled for release this month, was led by Dr. Jeon from product planning through mass production. Additionally, Dr. Gong Deok-hyun, a Korean rehabilitation medicine specialist, served as the product manager for Bodyfriend massage chair products, and Dr. Min A-ran, a psychiatry specialist, is responsible for developing programs related to 'mental massage.' The specialists at the Medical R&D Center stand at the core of massage chair development according to their roles. To support this, the Medical R&D Center is equipped with zero-gravity decompression devices, brainwave equipment, cerebral blood flow measurement devices, and conducts clinical trials on medical effects independently when necessary.

Bodyfriend Medical R&D Center Consultation Room

◆Proving the Medical Effects of Massage = At Bodyfriend Medical R&D Center, not only is the massage chair directly researched and developed, but the medical effects and efficacy of massage are also being proven through various clinical trials. Dr. Jeon stated, "Initially, we started with research on the medical effects of massage," adding, "Subsequently, we have been conducting clinical trials on the effects of machine-based massage and integrating medical benefits into the products."

In fact, the Medical R&D Center has validated the effects of Bodyfriend's unique 'sleep massage program' and 'brain massage' through joint clinical trials with university hospitals. Clinical results showing faster and deeper sleep and improved sleep quality when using the massage chair were published in the Journal of the Korean Sleep Research Society. The massage chair offering the brain massage function has been patented, and related papers were published in international SCI-level medical journals. Clinical trials have also verified that consistent use of Bodyfriend massage chairs reduces lower back discomfort. The effects of 'mental massage' were presented at the Korean Neuropsychiatric Association. These research and development outcomes are also reflected in intellectual property rights. Currently, Bodyfriend has filed a total of 2,413 patents, trademarks, and designs, of which 1,354 have been registered.

◆Transforming Massage Chairs into a Remote Medical Platform = The company views the Medical R&D Center, staffed with medical professionals including specialists in both Western and Korean medicine, who directly research and develop massage chairs and clinically prove the health benefits of using Bodyfriend products, as the main reason consumers choose Bodyfriend products. This is also reflected in performance. Last month, Bodyfriend recorded sales of 57.6 billion KRW from massage chairs alone, a 20% increase compared to the previous year. Sales volume reached 17,547 units installed, easily surpassing the previous record of 15,209 units set in May last year.

Jeon Cheol-jin, Head of Medical R&D Center at Bodyfriend (Neurosurgery Specialist)

Based on this, Bodyfriend plans to continuously innovate as a healthcare robot company that allows customers to easily monitor their health daily through massage chairs, accumulating customer indicators as big data via sensors and the Internet of Things (IoT), and managing health with artificial intelligence (AI) disease prediction algorithms. While receiving a massage, various biometric information such as pulse, blood pressure, and electrocardiogram are monitored and analyzed by AI to detect minor illnesses or notify customers of precautions. If further analysis is needed or the illness is serious, remote medical consultations with doctors can be conducted through IoT-connected massage chairs. Dr. Jeon emphasized, "Medical trends are moving toward integrative treatment methods, and non-surgical approaches are focusing on massage," adding, "Through massage chairs, data can be naturally measured without restraint or awareness, accumulated, and feedback can be provided."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.