Velvet Lets You Order a Massage via Text

If you’re in the downtown Toronto area, you’re one quick text away from booking a massage.

Launched in January, Velvet, an on-demand massage therapy service, allows customers to book a Registered Massage Therapist by texting 647-360-1949.

“We like to think of ourselves as ‘Uber for Massages,’” says Jeff Tchadjeu, founder of Velvet.

By choosing to book a 60, 90, or 120 minute appointment, customers can bring an RMT on-site as opposed to going to a clinic or spa.

The RMT’s are fully licensed and screened by the Velvet team. Prices range from $99 to $169 with tip included.

“Our biggest challenge is recruiting the very best RMTs. We take the quality of our service seriously and that causes a bottleneck when it comes to getting RMTs on the platform,” says Tchadjeu.

Customers can request a massage from 10 a.m. till 8 p.m. seven days a week. Velvet offers relaxation and deep tissue massages.

Tchadjeu, along with the technical lead Adam DiPardo discovered that out of the 9.3 million Ontario workers that are covered by Supplementary Health Benefits, less than one million sign up for at least one massage per year.

Velvet found for on-site message therapy, many people dislike the process of finding, booking, and paying and RMT.

“These transaction costs are what we’re addressing with Velvet. We make the process quick and easy,” he said.

The efficiency comes from the fact that Velvet is solely an SMS service.

“There’s no sign-in required and it offers you the flexibility and ease of mind communicating with a real live human,” he said.

Once an appointment is confirmed, customers receive a text and email notification.

Velvet has plans to expand this year; they aim to become the largest onsite massage therapy provider in the Greater Toronto Area.