Image source: merchant biography on Dianping

Who Really Stands to Profit from AI Hair Washes?

Written by: Li Xuanqi

Edited by: Li Ji

Typeset by: Annalee

Once upon a time, many people dreamed of a fully automatic hair washing machine. Especially for those with long hair, washing it can be a time-consuming and laborious task. And for introverts, stepping into a salon often requires mental preparation to handle lengthy sales pitches. Lying down on that massage bed, one is bound to endure awkward chats or sales pitches from the hair wash attendant.

However, with AI hair wash shops sprouting up all over the country recently, could introverts finally find relief?

As various industries embrace "AI+", it's no surprise that AI hair washing has emerged. Multiple "AI hair wash shops" claim to provide intelligent hair care services through fully automatic equipment. Not only do they appear "high-end and upscale," but they are also very affordable, with most priced at 19 yuan per session, and group purchase prices often as low as 9.9 yuan per session.

As consumers are intrigued and give it a try, many also sense new business opportunities. Numerous AI hair wash machine brands have emerged, launching similar products and franchise programs, focusing on "low cost, high return."

However, judging from social media feedback, the first batch of people to experience AI hair wash machines have "stepped on a landmine": incomplete cleaning, hair pulling, discomfort... So, who has once again profited from the "black technology" gimmick?

Washed Once, Never Again

What is it like to use an AI hair wash machine? We can get a glimpse from Xinya's experience.

Out of pure curiosity, Xinya walked into an AI hair wash bar. A few months ago, the barbershop downstairs from her house closed down, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into an AI Self-Service Hair Wash Bar. The new store opened with an experience price as low as 9.9 yuan, and Xinya noticed that many nearby neighbors had tried it out. So, she also followed the trend on a weekend afternoon.

This barbershop wasn't very large, and Xinya noticed that the store decoration style was indeed different from traditional hair wash shops, appearing more "technological." There were a total of five self-service hair wash machines in the store. The massage chair form was similar to that of ordinary hair wash shops, but the biggest difference lay in the "helmet-like device." Since all five self-service hair wash machines were in use when Xinya arrived, the staff first did a scalp test for her. ZnKedu noticed that since most AI hair wash bars currently use "health hair washing" as a major promotional point, the group purchase items they launch often include scalp tests.

After the test, the staff informed Xinya that they would first disinfect the machine with infrared rays after the previous customer finished using it. According to Xinya's observation, the staff would select the hair wash mode based on the customer's scalp condition. The available modes included quick wash, regular, overtime, rinsing, and nourishing, with intensity levels of low, medium, and high, and options for long or short hair based on hair length.

And when Xinya finally lay down on the massage bed to start washing her hair, her experience was not very comfortable. "The massage bed massages the back, and the AI hair wash machine mainly cleans the hair by spraying water. Although the staff said it would take a total of 10 minutes with 12 processes, and shampoo would be mixed into the sprayed water in the middle, all I could feel was repeated rinsing."

Operating screen of an AI hair wash machine

"It's actually very similar to self-service car washing. The hatch door closes, water spurts out, and the door opens when it's done." What disappointed Xinya even more was that after washing her hair, she needed to blow-dry it herself, "but after drying, I found that my hair was not clean, and it was still a bit greasy."

Although Xinya's first experience with the AI hair wash machine was not satisfactory, AI hair wash machines seem to be creating a trend with their low prices. According to domestic media reports, recently, many "AI hair wash shops" have emerged across the country, especially in Guangzhou. Among them, a staff member of a store introduced that when the store opened in December last year, it received over 100 customers a day at its peak, and currently maintains an average of 30-40 customers per day.

And ZnKedu searched on local life platforms and found that many AI hair wash shops have emerged in Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Shanghai, and other places, and many of them are chain brands, such as "976AI Wash Hair," "Jin Si Hou AI Hair Wash Bar," etc. Many AI hair wash shops have also launched services such as AI facial care.

It is worth mentioning that many AI hair wash shops have high sales volumes for their group purchase packages. Among them, a branch of "976AI Wash Hair" located in Shanghai has sold over 7,000 packages priced at 18.9 yuan annually, and a new store of "Jin Si Hou AI Hair Wash Bar" has also sold over 1,000 AI herbal health wash packages priced at 18.8 yuan...

Feedback from social media platforms and group purchase users

However, there are many negative reviews for these packages. Many consumers, like Xinya, mentioned the problem of "incomplete cleaning," and some consumers pointed out that "it itches after washing," "my scalp is still greasy after washing, I had to wash it again at home," "it's not even as good as me scratching it with my hands for a while." In addition, many consumers mentioned that the AI hair wash mode is useless and the intensity is unreasonable. "AI hair wash completely disregards the customer's feelings, it won't wash your hair very clean, it will just keep rinsing," "Strong water flow rinsed for more than 20 minutes, and the final result was a stinging scalp."

On social media platforms such as Xiaohongshu and Weibo, many people have also posted "lightning rod posts." Among them, some netizens mentioned, "Five minutes after washing, my hair felt very dry, far from the smoothness and freshness after being washed by a human hairdresser in a regular salon," "Lightning rod, I immediately got folliculitis after washing."

In short, the experience of most consumers can be summarized in four words: "not again next time."

Can You Strike Gold with AI Hair Washes?

Hair washing robots are actually nothing new. As early as 2010, Panasonic publicly exhibited a hair washing robot at the 37th Japan International Welfare Machinery Exhibition held in Tokyo.

According to media reports, this hair washing robot has a helmet-like device set up on a washbasin. When the person being cared for lies face up and sticks their head in, the sensors installed in the helmet device will start scanning the shape of the person's head and input the scanned data into the computer built into the robot.

Then the computer will use 16 resin "fingers" with a diameter of about 2 centimeters to repeatedly perform massaging actions such as rubbing, pressing, and pinching on the person's head with moderate force based on the scanned data, from applying shampoo to rinsing the hair with clean water. The entire process takes about 3 to 8 minutes. Additionally, the computer built into the robot will record the head information of each person being cared for to facilitate the use of those who need to wash their hair every day.

However, although Panasonic announced that it would strive to commercialize the "hair washing robot" by 2012, it actually did not create much of a splash for a long time. As for the AI hair wash machines that are now emerging in China, ZnKedu understands that most of them are produced and supplied by domestic small and micro enterprises, and they are very similar in appearance and function.

And the main profit model of these companies is still relying on franchising or selling machines.

Among them, Yizhimei Technology Co., Ltd., founded in 2018, has launched its core product - Cloud Intelligent Hair Care Robot. According to its official website, this is a brand new solution of "intelligent hair washing + ancient Chinese herbal hair care." Its first experience center opened in 2020. In addition, according to Qichacha, the company has a registered capital of 5 million yuan and is classified as a small and micro enterprise.

ZnKedu learned that the self-service hair wash machine of this company is priced at 28,800 yuan per unit.

Another company named Sichuan Weifang Biotechnology, founded in 2023, has also launched its AI hair wash machine named "Jishengyuan" and stated that there is "0 franchise fee." Its franchise promotion poster mentions that franchisees who purchase its AI intelligent hair wash machine can "reduce labor costs: AI hair wash machine replaces manual labor, no salary; reduce water and electricity costs: AI hair wash machine costs 0.5 yuan per wash; membership card triggers cash flow: 888 yuan/year for unlimited washes * 500 = 444,000 yuan (collect money first, then provide services)" and points out that "the headquarters provides full personnel and system support throughout the process."

When ZnKedu consulted a staff member of the project, they said that no franchise fee is required, and the cost of the machine is "21,450 yuan per unit, with 30 bottles of products as a gift," and promised that "installation and maintenance are all handled by us."

And when ZnKedu searched on various social media platforms, it was found that the brand with the most stores opened across the country is "976AI Wash Hair." Currently, there are nearly 20 stores in the brand's mini program, located in Guangdong, Hebei, Hunan, Guizhou, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and other provinces and cities.

Unlike other brands that mainly profit from selling machines, this brand not only opens up franchising but also offers various packages to users, including group purchase items, time card packages, etc. Among them, the mini program shows that the sales volume of the "Annual Worry-Free Card" priced at 9,999 yuan, the "Four Seasons Scalp Renewal Annual Card" priced at 3,999 yuan, and the "Annual Unlimited Wash Card" priced at 999 yuan have all reached 1,000. In addition, there are medicinal bath packages priced at 199 yuan, 399 yuan, and 699 yuan. However, the highest sales volume is actually the new customer package priced at 19.9 yuan, with sales of over 10,000.

"976AI Wash Hair" mini program

But ZnKedu searched on Qichacha and found that the company behind the brand, Shenzhen Jiuqiulu Technology Co., Ltd., was established in 2024 with a registered capital of only 500,000 yuan.

This seems to make it easy to understand why the first batch of consumers who experienced AI hair wash machines either found them "useless" or discovered that their hair was "not washed clean." In fact, in addition to AI hair washing, there are also recently emerging projects that apply robots to serve the human body, such as massage, moxibustion, muscle stretching, meridian dredging, etc.

Among them, according to "Lue Da Can Kao," if you search for "robot massage" on mainstream local life platforms, you will find that from large chain wellness institutions to individually operated massage shops, they have all launched AI-related projects, some of which even apply large reasoning models. The sales volumes of these projects rank very high in the stores.

However, when brands focus on a "gimmick," either harvesting franchisees by franchising and selling machines or harvesting consumers with membership cards, who is really earning from AI?