KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Malaysian wellness technology brand GINTELL has been officially recognised by Asia Record as the “Leading Innovator in Smart Massage Chair Technology in 2025,” marking another milestone for a homegrown company that has spent decades bringing increasingly sophisticated massage technology into homes and everyday spaces.

Founded in 1996 by Dato’ Goh Cheh Yak, GINTELL has grown from a Malaysian healthcare products business into a regional retail brand with more than 130 outlets across Southeast Asia.

At the centre of that evolution is a product that has changed considerably over the years: the massage chair.

What was once largely a mechanical relaxation product is increasingly becoming a piece of smart wellness technology, incorporating sensors, artificial intelligence, voice controls, intelligent massage programmes and increasingly sophisticated roller systems.

Consumers can explore the company’s current wellness technology through the official GINTELL website.

Nearly Three Decades of Building GINTELL

GINTELL’s journey began in Malaysia in 1996.

Under the leadership of founder and Group Managing Director Dato’ Goh Cheh Yak, the company developed its business around healthcare and wellness products, particularly products that could bring elements of relaxation and fitness into everyday environments.

Over time, GINTELL became closely associated with massage chairs.

The company subsequently expanded its product portfolio and physical retail network while continuing to develop increasingly sophisticated massage technologies.

Today, GINTELL describes its mission around empowering consumers with products and knowledge related to physical, mental and emotional well-being.

Its brand philosophy remains centred on three words:

Health. Love. Life.

The Massage Chair Has Become a Technology Product

Massage chairs have undergone an interesting transformation.

Earlier generations primarily relied on relatively straightforward mechanical movements.

Modern premium chairs can be significantly more sophisticated.

Sensors can help determine body positioning.

Rollers can move across multiple dimensions.

Programmes can vary according to different preferences.

Voice commands can allow users to control functions without reaching for a remote.

Heating, air compression, stretching and other features can be combined within a single chair.

In other words, the massage chair is increasingly becoming a smart device.

For GINTELL, this transformation has created opportunities to differentiate its products through technology rather than relying purely on furniture design or mechanical massage functions.

GINTELL Recognised by Asia Record

GINTELL’s continued development in this area resulted in the brand being officially recognised by Asia Record as the “Leading Innovator in Smart Massage Chair Technology in 2025.”

The recognition highlights GINTELL’s focus on incorporating new technologies into its massage-chair portfolio while developing products around changing consumer expectations.

It also reflects the contributions of the wider GINTELL organisation — from research and product development to retail, customer service, marketing and operations.

Commenting on the recognition, Dato’ Goh Cheh Yak, Founder of GINTELL, said:

“We are honoured to be recognised by Asia Record as the leading innovator in smart massage chair technology. This achievement reflects our dedication to innovation, quality, and improving the well-being of our customers. We will continue to push the boundaries of technology and wellness.”

From Rollers to Artificial Intelligence

One of the clearest examples of how massage-chair technology is evolving can be seen across GINTELL’s current product portfolio.

The company’s massage chairs now incorporate technologies marketed around AI, intelligent body sensing, multidimensional rollers and automated programmes.

Its S5 Pro, for example, incorporates a body-sensing system with an 8-Hands Massage Technology and 8D twin rollers designed to work across different areas of the body.

The A-Pro 3 incorporates AI-powered massage combinations alongside 3D roller movements and stretching programmes.

Other models offer AI voice controls that allow users to operate functions through spoken commands.

The individual technologies differ between models, but collectively they illustrate a wider shift.

The modern massage chair is no longer designed to perform only one repetitive movement.

It is increasingly expected to respond to the user.

Innovation in 2025

The year of GINTELL’s Asia Record recognition was also an active period for product development.

In June 2025, the company launched the Mickey Fantasia Massage Chair in collaboration with Disney.

The chair incorporated an enhanced 8D-Hands Massage Technology alongside features including thermal knee functions, the GINTELL Super Apps operating system, Magic Touch Reflex and AI voice controls.

Later that year, GINTELL introduced the S9 MAXX Massage Chair.

Among its highlighted features was AI-ROVO technology, incorporating eight AI-Yoga stretching programmes, together with 4D roller technology.

These launches demonstrate how GINTELL has approached innovation from multiple directions.

Technology is one component.

Design is another.

User experience is another.

And increasingly, entertainment and lifestyle branding are entering the equation as well.

When Wellness Technology Meets Lifestyle

This is one of the more interesting changes taking place within the category.

A massage chair is a relatively large object.

It sits inside someone’s home.

That means appearance matters almost as much as functionality.

Consumers may want sophisticated massage technology, but they may also consider whether the chair complements their living space and lifestyle.

GINTELL has increasingly experimented with this intersection.

Its collaboration with Disney has produced products inspired by characters and franchises including Mickey Mouse, Spider-Man, Iron Man and Black Panther.

This changes how a massage chair can be perceived.

Instead of being viewed purely as wellness equipment, it can also become a lifestyle product.

The Rise of Personalised Wellness

Personalisation is becoming increasingly important across consumer technology.

People expect smartphones to learn their preferences.

Streaming platforms recommend content.

Smart homes respond to routines.

Wearable devices collect individual activity data.

Wellness technology is moving in a similar direction.

Consumers increasingly expect products to adapt to them rather than requiring everyone to use exactly the same settings.

For massage chairs, this can involve body sensing, adjustable intensity, different roller movements and multiple programmes designed around different preferences.

GINTELL identifies personalisation as one of the principles behind its product development, stating that it continuously seeks solutions that respond to individual consumer needs.

That philosophy fits naturally with the direction of smart wellness technology.

AI Is Entering the Home Wellness Market

Artificial intelligence is now appearing across almost every consumer technology category.

Massage chairs are no exception.

However, the term “AI” needs to be understood carefully.

In this context, it does not necessarily mean a massage chair thinks like a person.

Rather, smart systems can use programmed logic, sensors, user controls and automated adjustments to provide more responsive experiences.

The important question for consumers is therefore not simply whether a product carries an AI label.

It is whether the technology makes the product more useful, intuitive or personalised.

That will become increasingly important as smart wellness products become more sophisticated.

Innovation Has to Solve a Real Problem

Technology alone does not necessarily create a better product.

A massage chair could contain dozens of features, but if they are difficult to use, the technology adds complexity rather than value.

The strongest consumer innovations usually make something easier.

Voice control is useful when someone does not want to reach for a controller.

Body sensing can help adapt a massage programme to different users.

Automated programmes can simplify choices for someone who does not want to manually configure every function.

This is where product innovation becomes meaningful.

The objective is not to add technology for the sake of technology.

It is to improve the experience.

More Than 130 Retail Outlets Across Southeast Asia

Technology may drive product development, but accessibility determines how many consumers can experience it.

GINTELL currently says it operates more than 130 retail outlets across Southeast Asia.

That physical network remains important for a product such as a massage chair.

Unlike smaller electronics, massage chairs are highly experiential.

Consumers often want to sit in one.

They want to feel how the rollers move.

They want to compare programmes.

They want to understand the dimensions of the chair and determine whether it will fit into their home.

Physical retail therefore continues to play an important role even as online shopping expands.

For GINTELL, the combination of product innovation and retail accessibility has helped build the brand across the region.

Experience Matters in Wellness Retail

Selling a massage chair is different from selling many other consumer products.

Specifications matter, but experience can be more persuasive.

A customer may read about roller dimensions, stretching programmes or intelligent controls, but sitting in the chair creates an immediate understanding of what those features actually mean.

This makes retail experience particularly important.

Staff need to understand the technology.

Showrooms need to allow consumers to test products.

And brands need to explain complicated features in ways that ordinary customers can understand.

As massage chairs become more technologically advanced, this educational role becomes increasingly important.

Innovation and Affordability Have to Coexist

Another challenge facing wellness technology companies is accessibility.

Advanced technology usually increases cost.

But if smart wellness products become too expensive, they remain limited to a small consumer segment.

GINTELL states that one of its priorities is delivering value while making its healthcare products more accessible to consumers.

This creates an important innovation challenge.

Companies need to determine which technologies genuinely improve the experience and how those features can eventually reach products across different price points.

The long-term impact of innovation is often greatest when something that begins as a premium feature eventually becomes widely available.

The Home Is Becoming a Wellness Space

Consumer behaviour around wellness is also changing.

People increasingly bring activities into their homes that once required visiting specialised locations.

Fitness equipment allows people to exercise at home.

Smartwatches track activity throughout the day.

Sleep technology enters the bedroom.

Meditation applications bring guided relaxation to smartphones.

Massage chairs fit within this broader shift toward at-home wellness and relaxation.

Convenience is a major reason.

A product already inside the home can be used without travelling or making an appointment.

That does not make a massage chair a substitute for professional medical care or treatment, but it does help explain why the category appeals to consumers looking for convenient relaxation experiences.

Malaysian Brands Can Build Technology Too

GINTELL’s journey also represents a wider story about Malaysian consumer brands.

Technology branding in Asia is often associated with enormous companies from Japan, South Korea or China.

But Malaysian businesses can also compete by combining product development, branding, retail and consumer understanding.

GINTELL has spent decades building recognition within its category.

Its challenge now is to continue strengthening the technology associated with that brand.

As consumers become more knowledgeable and international competition intensifies, Malaysian companies cannot rely solely on familiarity.

They need products capable of competing on features, design, experience and value.

The Next Generation of Massage Chairs

What might the massage chair of the future look like?

It may become even more personalised.

Sensors could become more sophisticated.

Software could improve how programmes adapt to individual preferences.

Voice interfaces may become more conversational.

Apps could allow users to control and personalise more aspects of the experience.

Smart-home integration may allow wellness products to interact with other devices.

The chair itself may also become more visually adaptable to modern interiors.

Not every possibility will become mainstream.

But the direction is clear.

Massage chairs are increasingly moving from mechanical products toward connected wellness technology.

Continuing the GINTELL Journey

Being recognised by Asia Record as the “Leading Innovator in Smart Massage Chair Technology in 2025” represents another milestone for a Malaysian company approaching three decades in business.

But innovation is never a finished achievement.

A technology that feels advanced today eventually becomes expected.

Competitors improve.

Consumers become more demanding.

And entirely new technologies emerge.

For GINTELL, the opportunity is to continue translating those technologies into products that remain practical and understandable for everyday consumers.

The company’s journey from a Malaysian healthcare products business founded in 1996 to a regional brand with more than 130 retail outlets demonstrates how much the category has already changed.

The next chapter will be shaped by how intelligently technology can be integrated into the wellness experience.

Because the future of a smart massage chair is not simply about adding more features.

It is about making technology work better for the person sitting in it.

Consumers can explore GINTELL’s current massage-chair range and wellness products through the official GINTELL website.

For more information about this recognition and other remarkable achievements across Asia, visit AsiaRecord.com.

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