The founders of hair-care juggernaut Drybar have launched a concept called Squeeze, a massage parlor that allows for the scheduling and prepaying of appointments online.
Closely modeled on Drybar, the new concept is to open its first facility early this coming year in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Massages will cost between $39 and $129 — a middle range when compared with such upscale spa competitors as Massage Envy and some mom-and-pop operations.
All the logistics will be managed from a smartphone app. “For the past year, we’ve been building technology that allows you to do everything on your app, the way you would with Postmates or Uber,” said Drybar co-founder Michael Landau, as reported in Fast Company. “The best part is, you walk out, then pay and tip at your convenience.”
A rendering of the Studio City location
Squeeze will be a separate company from Drybar, which was established in 2010 and which generated about $100 million last year.
The Squeeze interiors will be designed by the same architect firm that designed the Drybar salons. “Our parents literally almost fainted when we told them how much it was costing to build the first Drybar,” said Landau. “But what [we] knew was that you had to create an atmosphere that people would love to be in.”
The first Squeeze spa is currently under construction, but if the concept does well, it could grow nationwide, as Drybar has. “One of the things we learned from Drybar is that, while we like to own salons ourselves because they make a lot of money, when we have a franchise operator that has sunk their own blood, sweat and tears into the store, and they know the local market, it runs better and more efficiently," said Landau. "And you can grow faster. We do plan to scale pretty rapidly.”
By Brannon Boswell
Executive Editor, Commerce + Communities Today
