Soothe
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Wellness services, Mobile application |
| Founded | August 2013 |
| Founder | Merlin Kauffman, Bradley Herman |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles , United States |
Area served | United States, Canada, Europe, Australia |
Key people | John Ellis (CEO) |
| Products | Marketplace for massage therapy, skincare, and beauty services |
Number of employees | 3200+ |
| Website | soothe |
Soothe is a marketplace for wellness services headquartered in Los Angeles, California, allowing customers to schedule appointments with certified massage therapist, cosmetologist, and esthetician professionals primarily through its mobile application. Since its inception in 2014, Soothe has grown to serve multiple U.S. metropolitan areas and garnered extensive media coverage.
History
Soothe was established in August 2013 by Merlin Kauffman (who served as CEO) and Bradley Herman (the initial CTO). The idea originated from Kauffman’s work during his time at Harvard Business School. With a background in domain-name investments, Kauffman contributed $400,000 of his own capital to launch the company, which initially operated in Los Angeles.
By the end of 2014, Soothe had partnered with 300 licensed massage therapists and expanded its services to cities such as Austin, Miami, Orange County, Phoenix, and San Diego. In August 2015, the company raised $10.6 million from The Riverside Company, facilitating growth into 13 cities including Chicago, Seattle, and San Francisco. A Series B financing round completed in March 2016 brought in $35 million, enabling expansion into 22 U.S. markets like Atlanta and Indianapolis. At this stage, Soothe employed over 3,200 massage therapists across the country and generated monthly revenue of $1.2 million despite operating at a loss.
By April 2016, Soothe’s footprint extended to cities such as Houston, Minneapolis, Orlando, and Portland. The company also ventured internationally with launches in Canada (Vancouver) and Europe (London). Starting in July 2016, Soothe began catering to corporate clients including Facebook, Hulu, and Microsoft to ensure steady demand beyond standard business hours.
By February 2017, Soothe was active in 51 U.S. cities as well as Toronto, Canada. During the summer of 2017, it entered the Australian market with openings in Sydney and Melbourne. On May 2, 2018, the company secured $31 million through a Series C funding round led by The Riverside Company.
John Ellis took over as CEO in January 2020, overseeing organizational restructuring while broadening service offerings beyond massage therapy into skincare and beauty sectors amid ongoing global expansion.
In October 2022, Soothe expanded into hospitality staffing by partnering with Woodhouse Spas. This initiative progressed further in 2023 with the introduction of a hospitality wellness staffing platform that connects independent contractors from the Soothe network with shift opportunities at more than 100 properties.