The smart home gym and spa tools that earned a spot in my compact quarters

The gym and I have always been at odds. From long commutes to memberships that feel like a life sentence, the extra effort chips away at my goals. Outdoor workouts offer a little less friction until they don’t. Weather fluctuations, crowds, and pretending I don’t mind people watching me contort into strange positions takes its toll as well. My solution? The smart home gym.

These days, at-home workouts don’t require massive cages, rows of dumbbells, and complicated trainers that collect dust. Sleeker design and newer technology have unlocked a new world of at-home fitness that looks as good as it works. Best of all, restorative spa devices joined the party too, so you can decompress after a long workout just steps away from your gym setup.

AEKE K1 gym: My all-in-one workout solution

Strength training is one of the main reasons we drag ourselves to the gym, because it feels easier than building a set of weights and cumbersome machines at home. The AEKE K1 gym solves this issue by collapsing up to 220 pounds of electronic weight into one sleek, space-saving machine.

Motors attach to two cables and creates digital resistance, perfect for rows, presses, squats, and much more. This technology pairs with the AEKE K1 gym’s 43-inch mirror-like 4K touchscreen, camera, folding bench, and virtual instructors to create a fully comprehensive set of over 300 movements and 200 classes to help users mix it up.

The AEKE K1 gym fits perfectly in my smart home gym, nestled in the corner of my office, taking up only 18 × 27.3 × 68.5 inches of space, although it requires a few additional feet of room for an actual workout. A folding platform mechanically extends for bench work and closes when I’m not using the device, providing more stability during my workouts. You can also enjoy yoga, qi gong, meditation, and even interactive games when using this smart gym.

The Clearlight Bundle: My all-in-one dry sauna setup

With so many at-home spa devices on the market, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with the details. Clearlight keeps things simple and stylish with their all-in-one home spa bundle. With such a cohesive kit, these three items actually make your home look like a spa, which adds to the overall tranquility the tools are designed to impart.

The best part is that they’re some of the most small home-friendly options I’ve seen. I can cleverly tuck each piece away without creating an eyesore in my home. Get one tool at a time if you want to test Clearlight, or all of them at once for convenience and savings via the brand’s wellness starter pack.

The Curve sauna dome

The Curve floor-based sauna system sits somewhere between a walk-in and suit-style sauna, a sweet spot for those who want a compact model without anything too stifling. I particularly love its clever design. The 53-pound dome device sports a high-end terracotta vinyl exterior, with two dome compartments that effortlessly nestle together and can be stored upright. No one will be the wiser that it isn’t just a stylish side table when it’s not in use, which frees up a lot of floor space.

The dome radiates invisible far-infrared heat, ranging from 110 to 153 degrees Fahrenheit. While these temperatures are lower than a traditional sauna, they still offer an intense sauna session, as the infrared technology can warm up the body without needing to create as much hot air. It’s much more tolerable for me than my local spa’s soaring temperatures, while giving me a good sweat. And my head extends outside the device, making it easier for me to breathe and drop into the session.

Why add a sauna to your at-home gym? In conjunction with your workouts, it’s a great way to reduce post-exercise soreness and stiffness, increasingly apparent in reputable studies. Sauna use also encourages the body to drop its internal temperature after use, which leads to a potentially more relaxing night of sleep.

There’s also evidence that regular sauna use helps improve mood and overall emotional wellbeing, cited in the 2025 UCSF pilot study where The Curve was successfully shown to improve depression symptoms alongside cognitive behavioral therapy.

The Amethyst infrared PEMF mat

PEMF mats aren’t as widely known as saunas, but every time I chat with a friend who had one, they raved about personal benefits, like better sleep and mood. I’ve wanted to see for myself for years and am glad I did. Clearlight’s PEMF mat is stylish, durable, and easy to use anywhere. It nestles perfectly into the Curve sauna but also works well on the floor, in your bed, or even on a sizable couch.

The Clearlight PEMF mat sends electromagnetic pulses to the body via a coil-based magnetic field. The heating component warms up over 25 pounds of amethyst crystals, which offers a soothing heat ranging from 94 to 126 degrees Fahrenheit. Finally, an internal charcoal layer imparts negative ions.

That’s a lot of technology happening in the 40-pound mat, but how do you use it, and what can it do? Using it couldn’t be easier—simply turn it on, let it warm up, and lie down. My favorite use is to pair it with Clearlight’s other spa tools and enjoy a meditation during the session.

You can set the Clearlight PEMF mat to four different frequencies designed to promote restful sleep, a sense of calm, focus, or improved mental function. While I elect different settings depending on the time of the day, all of them leave me feeling clear-headed and calm, and I notice a reduction in overall achiness.

There’s some burgeoning science to support these effects, too. A 2022 review showed that certain users of the technology had improved bone density in conjunction with osteoporosis medication. Another study demonstrated that PEMF technology is beneficial in reducing chronic lower back pain in a trial of 618 participants.

The PERSONAL red light therapy tower

Clearlight’s Personal Red Light Therapy Tower rounds out an at-home spa with plenty of power packed into a small package. It emits 650 nanometers of red light and 850 nanometers of near-infrared light. In plain English, you’re getting therapeutic light on the surface of your skin and in your deeper tissues at the same time.

The compact device may be labeled as a personal solution, but the light’s strength and sturdy build felt like a clinical solution, convenient enough to move around my home (although there’s a handy mount for securing it to a permanent area without taking up floor space). It’s easy to use with several pre-programmed time settings that keep track of your sessions for you.

You can also move it around different areas of your body. For example, when I’m in the Clearlight Dome Sauna, I pop on my protective eye goggles and aim the light directly at my face. I also like to direct it at my lower back during a nap or position it at the rear of a yoga mat during a session.

When using light therapy in conjunction with your workouts, you may experience improved muscle endurance, better muscle recovery, and a reduction in muscle damage, according to a randomized trial analysis. Another study showed promising results in pain reduction for 205 athletes who underwent light therapy.

The Chirp Contour and RPM Mini: Unlimited at-home massage therapy

With so many benefits of massage therapy, it’s a shame that it isn’t very convenient or affordable for me to get one every week. Chirp Contour solved my problem with a surprisingly effective floor-based massage machine that blows every other electric massager I’ve ever tried out of the water. Not only does it feel great, but it’s simple to use, and I was on my way to relief just 5 minutes after unboxing the machine.

The device works by supporting spinal decompression with a set of swappable motorized rollers that run up and down the side of the spine. There’s also fast-acting heat therapy technology and a neck massager that’s adjustable to your height, ensuring you hit every sweet spot. These three functions do their magic all at once while you lie down and relax, running from your tailbone to the base of the head.

You can select from three modes manually or select one of the three automatic programs, warm up, recovery, or relax. I love using the warm-up before a workout in my smart home gym, and the other two programs after a sauna or PEMF mat session. The basic massage package comes with three rollers with increasing deep tissue intensity. But if you’re like me and tight 24/7, I highly recommend investing in the 2 additional rollers that dig in a little deeper and leave me feeling loose after a 10-minute session.

The Chirp RPM Mini is the perfect companion to the Contour unit for loosening stiff arms, legs, hips, and chest muscles. It’s a three-speed handheld device that uses percussive pressure and spinning bars and nodes to help release tension, reduce soreness, and improve mobility. Have you ever gone into your next strength training move just to balk at a cramp in your leg? The Chirp RPM Mini is the perfect device to grab and soothe the cranky muscle so you have more longevity in your workout.

Aletha tools: At-home physical therapy support

Christine Annie, physical therapist and creator of the Aletha tool suite, offers more than wellness devices, but a system that specifically releases the iliacus and psoas muscles. In plain English, this means applied pressure in your hip flexors, which may alleviate lower back pain, hip pain, and sciatica.

Since I’ve started using these tools daily, I’ve noticed better balance during my workouts, a fuller range of hip motion, and a reduction in pinching pain. They dig in deep and take some time to get used to if you’re tight like me, but it’s absolutely worth the sweet relief. iPhone users can use the free Aletha companion app, and the creator also has an extensive YouTube library full of training and educational material that can guide you along.

The Hip Hook is Aletha’s signature tool, designed to disrupt tightness and increase blood flow to your hip flexors, helping the muscles relax over time. You only need to apply sustained pressure for 90 seconds, making it an easy way to warm up the muscle before your smart gym workouts.

The Hip Hook feels pretty intense, but Aletha has a solution for that — the Orbit ball. It functions like a more targeted foam roller, fitting into my hips’ nooks and crannies without too much pressure. I love it as a cool-down after a workout, rolling it on the front and rear sections of my hips to keep them limber, as well as along my legs to avoid soreness.

The Aletha Band is the longevity piece in the lineup, a sturdy band designed for hip, glute, and core exercises. It helps build strength and resilience in the hip region that may reduce discomfort, imbalance, and immobility with regular use.

While Aletha gets a lot of attention for its hip-supporting tools, The Range targets the upper body, and I’ve experienced a significant amount of relief from such a little tool. Use it by placing it behind the base of the neck, press it down onto your upper trapezius muscle, or apply it to your chest muscles to help release the shoulders and back.

Pulsetto FIT X: My nervous system reset

The Pulsetto FIT X vagus nerve stimulator fits perfectly in my at-home spa as a smart tool that helps calm down the nervous system through electronic pulses. Since the device is wireless, I can use it anywhere in my home, helping me layer on additional benefits without any additional effort or real estate.

If you haven’t heard about the vagus nerve, it’s time to learn, since it’s a crucial conductor to several bodily systems. Two vagal nerves exit your brainstem and trail down your neck, chest, heart, and lungs, all the way down to your digestive system. They play a role in regulating your parasympathetic nervous system and limbic system, which can lead to a better stress and mood response.

The Pulsetto FIT X helps support these nerves with five programs: calm, focus, release, stress, and sleep. The sleek app lets you select one of these modes, as well as the strength and length of your session. This let me comfortably build up to my ideal intensity over time as I got used to the electrical pulse sensations. In my first week of use, the results were apparent, and I noticed that my HRV and sleep length had modest increases. While using Pulsetto, I also notice that my brain fog somewhat dissipates, making it a great tool for right before a workout or during an afternoon slump.

Using the device is simple. Apply the included conductive gel to the electrodes on the ergonomic band (or directly to the neck), place it on the area where you would take your pulse, and start your program via the Bluetooth app. The app, available for both iOS and Android phones, also has a premium version where you can unlock additional features such as guided breathwork. But a paid subscription isn’t necessary to experience the device’s benefits, as you’ll always have access to the five base modes and can pair them with your own mindfulness practice.

Bestway SaluSpa Hot Springs inflatable hot tub: Small-space soaking

The newest addition to my smart home gym and spa is the SaluSpa inflatable hot tub, and it’s changed my mind about what’s possible in a compact space. The two-to-four-person unit is 71 inches in diameter, fitting snuggly on my backyard’s small concrete pad with plenty of room to spare. It’s sturdier than I expected as well, with MaxHold fabric beams that keep walls rigid and Freeze Shield technology that keeps the hot tub safely running during winter months.

I always thought that inflatable hot tubs were weak, but the SaluSpa was about twice as strong as I expected, with a strong flow of bubbles delivered from its 120 air jets. The small, precise jets have a vibrational effect that I find relaxing as I’m soaking and invigorating as I exit. I’d compare it with many of the soaking tubs I’ve encountered at gyms, with the added benefit of home privacy.

Smart features on the Bestway hot tub’s heating system help keep energy costs low. A timer makes it easy to choose the length of heating cycles so that the device is ready when you are, while delaying heating when it’s not in use. The EnergySense insulated walls do a good job at retaining heat, with a snug, clippable cover that seals the tub nicely.

I’m on my first fill of the SaluSpa, but I’m not sweating the draining and cleaning process. The device easily connects to a standard garden hose for drainage. And since the tub is inflatable and fairly lightweight when empty, it’s going to be easy to carry it over to a sunny area for a soapy rinse and dry.

LEKFIT Rebounder: Powerful cardio in a compact container

The LEKFIT Rebounder is a clever cardio solution that lets me get my heart rate up without needing a ton of floorspace, essential in my compact setup. At its widest width, it’s about 42 inches long and is lightweight enough to bring outside when the weather’s nice. Trampoline workouts are well-known as a solid aerobic activity tool, and in the European Journal of Sport Science’s 2018 study, both inactive and athletic adults experienced moderate to intense cardiorespiratory exertion.

The LEKFIT Rebounder had me huffing and puffing in a matter of minutes, and the brand has a five-minute workout available on its YouTube channel that I recommend checking out as a starting point. Being able to elevate my heartrate so quickly makes the trampoline perfect for circuit training in my compact home gym, as well as for midday energy pickups.

I never want to risk my safety by jumping on something flimsy. Thankfully, LEKFIT keeps durability in mind. The rebounder has a sturdy steel frame and eight screw-in legs that help evenly distribute impact. It’s rated to support up to 300 pounds, even though it’s only 22 pounds. That’s more security than I expected from something with such a sleek profile, and I suspect it will last quite a long time.

Programs and apps to support your at-home wellness journey

A compact at-home smart gym and spa can be as portable as your phone, tablet, or laptop. Here are a few apps that can help aid your wellness journey, whether you use them in concert with the above devices or as standalone support:

Marcus: This journaling app brings stoicism and thoughtfulness to your whole day, providing morning and evening prompts that help you drop into the present moment. It’s a great way to keep track of the progress you’re making with workouts or spa sessions, potentially building mental resilience and acceptance over time.
Futurecast: This app takes goal setting to the next level with highly personalized, interactive vision boards that can help support your home gym ambitions. Not only can you compile images and words that bring you closer to your milestone, but also add spoken affirmations and statements, even in a cloned version of your voice. In addition to the paid app, Futurecast offers 869 free browser-based affirmations, perfect for pairing with a sauna or PEMF session.
RayZen Energy’s Energy Elevate: If you have a hard time showing up to your workout or wellness practice, the Energy Elevate system can help you regain motivation. There are over 40 audio relaxation sessions that help you address the root issues for your blocks, from hormone balance to inflammation to trauma release. I recommend pairing these sessions with the Chirp Contour to help you better relax into your massage.
Welltory: While we often track workout sessions and gains, there’s more we can look at when considering overall wellness. Welltory provides deeper insights into how your home smart gym and spa benefit your life with heart rate variability (HRV) analysis, measured with your phone’s camera or a wearable device. This can provide metrics that help prevent burnout, crashes, and overtraining, so you work out smarter rather than harder.
YogaRenew: If you want an at-home movement practice without investing in expensive or bulky tools, YogaRenew offers a collection of live classes, tutorials, and on-demand workouts from the convenience of your phone. This also makes it a handy companion for staying active when you travel and don’t have access to your at-home workout and restoration equipment.

Whether you choose one tool, one app, or invest in them all, each item on this list is something I recommend as a support system for your overall quality of life. They’re personally small-home approved and easy for beginners, while remaining effective for those further along the path. This does more than eliminate excuses — it opens opportunities, something worth its weight in gold in comparison to expensive gym fees and long commutes.

Upgrade your workouts and recovery with my space-saving smart home gym & spa setup

A small space doesn't mean you don't have room for a smart home gym. Here are some of the most cutting edge, compact technologies for commute-free wellness.