This investigation examines the efficacy and cultural acceptance of digital forest bathing (DFB) as a contemporary adaptation of traditional "Shinrin-yoku," utilizing structural equation modeling (SEM) to elucidate gender-specific response patterns across 347 participants (197 female, 150 male). Our analysis reveals pronounced gender-differentiated reception patterns of virtual nature experiences. Female participants consistently demonstrated a critical disposition toward DFB implementations, maintaining this skepticism regardless of their predisposition toward traditional forest immersion practices. Conversely, male participants exhibited greater receptivity toward digital alternatives, though significantly, those with strong affinities for authentic outdoor experiences demonstrated measurable reluctance to advocate for DFB within their social networks. A compelling finding transcending gender demarcations was that perceived therapeutic efficacy functioned as a powerful determinant of subsequent advocacy behaviors—participants reporting positive experiential outcomes consistently engaged in recommendation activities, irrespective of gender. This correlation yields substantial implications for wellness business strategy development. The research suggests three critical success factors for digital wellness implementations: (1) cultivation of initial experiential receptivity, (2) strategic education regarding empirically validated health benefits to catalyze word-of-mouth promotion, and (3) gender-calibrated marketing approaches. For business development, our findings indicate that while men might progressively transition to DFB through established connections with traditional nature immersion, women may respond more favorably to campaigns emphasizing immediate therapeutic benefits, circumventing traditional forest bathing as an intermediate step. These insights suggest that resource-efficient wellness business strategies should prioritize direct DFB experiential campaigns over investments in traditional forest bathing exposure, particularly when female demographic segments constitute primary target populations. This research advances understanding of digital wellness interventions and offers strategic pathways for developing contemporary stress-reduction modalities in an increasingly digitalized society, highlighting the necessity of gender-informed approaches in virtual nature experience implementation.
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