The Founders of Drybar Are Creating the Uber of Massage Spas
In today’s day and age of conscientious self-care, wouldn’t it be nice if you could get a mid-day massage as easily as opening an app to hitch a ride? Well, thanks to the founders of Drybar, soon you’ll be able to.
Drybar founder Alli Webb and co-founder Michael Laudau, in partnership with Drybar’s former VP of marketing Brittany Driscoll, are upending the seemingly-dated massage industry with Squeeze, an app-driven spa concept that will get you in and out the door with only your phone in hand. Everything from booking to paying and tipping is done through the app (there will be zero cash or credit transactions in the shops), but you still get to go to a physical brick and mortar shop for the experience.
Squeeze will be capitalizing on calmness. The teal green logo features a broad smile — the very reaction they hope you’ll leave the massage shop with — and the walls will be paneled in birch with gray tones and teal accents throughout the space. Each massage room will be designed to look like a little cabin with sliding doors to offer the feeling of escaping from the hustle and bustle of reality for a moment of relaxation that can be customized with the tap of a finger.
Clients book appointments, choose therapists, pinpoint pressure points, and select oil or cream for the treatment all via the app. Oh, but the technology doesn’t stop there. Once you’re off the app and in the room, an iPad lets you customize lighting, heat, music, and volume. After the appointment, you can hop back in the app to review the experience/therapist and tip at your leisure.
While this new Drybar-backed concept is a completely separate entity from the blowout bar — Landau and Webb are providing an undisclosed amount of seed funding along with other investors — you can expect the same playful spirit to remain throughout the brand. Answering “Whatcha Need?” will determine the duration of your massage, “Who do you knead?” for your massage therapist, “Feeling Tipsy” when it’s time for gratuity, and “Less Fees, More Squeeze” when prompted to consider memberships as opposed to pay-as-you-go rates.
The pay-as-you-go rates will set you back $39 for a 20-minute massage, $109 for 50 minutes, and $129 for 80 minutes. There’s also the option to pay into a monthly membership. For $79 a month you can lock in a 50-minute massage, and $99 for 80 minutes. For every membership that’s sold, Squeeze is partnering with Canine Companions for Independence and donating a day of pup support to people in need.
The first Squeeze location is set to launch in early February 2019 in Studio City, California and, if the concept soars the same way Drybar has over the years, Driscoll plans to expand at a fast rate, launching shops in New York and Dallas to start.
Are you wishing for a Squeeze location near you? Tell us @BritandCo!
