The Rub Down

Merlin Kauffman, a 29-year old who resides in the Hollywood Hills, has created Soothe, a massage on-demand service that allows locals to wind down in the comfort of their homes. Touted as the Uber for massages, Soothe can honor a same day at home or at office massage with as little as 60 minutes advance notice- they’re even open until midnight, everyday. Soothe actually takes the stress out of booking a massage, which we all know can be quite daunting- especially when your neck and shoulders are screaming for help and need relief now…LA traffic anyone? Launched in LA a few months ago, Soothe is available in Orange Country, San Francisco, Miami, and Phoenix and the service currently has more than 10,000 users. Over the next year, Soothe anticipates to be in a total of 10 major cities.

Services start at $99 and include Swedish, Deep Tissue, Sports, and Couples massages for 60, 90, or 120 minutes. And just like Uber, the price already includes gratuity and taxes. Unlike Uber, you can select your therapist’s gender. There are more than 300 therapist’s available, and all of them are fully licensed, insured and able to travel anywhere in LA County. Kauffman founded the company in 2012, while he was enrolled in Harvard Business School’s Owner/President program but couldn’t find a brick and mortar for it. So voila…an app was born. Soothe’s uniqueness lies in its ability to connect the client to an available therapist who can quickly come to the client’s location and deliver a 5-star service at an affordable price. Even guests at hotels can use this service…and bypass a very expensive rub down at the spa. Maybe Soothe can start in-traffic service? www.soothe.com