Pampr Looks to Change Way People Book Massages

Pampr is looking to change the way people book massages.

The Vancouver-based startup out of Stanley Park Ventures is akin to an Uber for massages, allowing a masseuse to be ordered from an app, and delivered to your door for a massage of your choice.

“I’ve spent my entire life hunched over a computer, so muscle tension has become a fact of life. Massage therapy has been a huge help, but I found scheduling appointments and finding time to get to a spa or clinic hugely challenging,” explains CEO Charlie Ritchie. “With massage therapy a $12 billion market in the United States alone, I knew I probably wasn’t the only one who found it challenging to book an appointment on short notice.”

According to Ritchie, the model makes sense because, “when you need a massage, you need it right now, not tomorrow at 4:15pm, halfway across town.”

“The way the industry is currently set up, you’re expected to work around a clinic’s schedule and you have to go to them,” he notes.

All of Pampr’s therapists are licensed, insured, experienced professionals who have been vetted, Ritchie says, and the company uses a crowd­sourced rating system as well. Early customers have typically been business travellers, busy professionals, gift givers, and parents who struggle to find time for themselves, according to Ritchie.

There are almost 300,000 licensed massage therapists in the US, Ritchie says, and roughly 73% of these are solo practitioners “who must spend considerable time and energy promoting their service to keep their appointment books full.” Pampr makes their lives easier by allowing them to book more appointments with far less effort, he notes, and they benefit from a support structure similar to that of a clinic environment, “but they make nearly twice as much as a typical spa therapist.”

With more than 100 therapists, Pampr is currently operating in Vancouver, Seattle, Toronto, and Los Angeles. The startup is looking to reach more cities soon.

Get $20 off your first massage by entering “Techvibes” in the coupon section when paying.