The problem with Uber for massages (and other Uber for _) is that the people that are searching for a new service provider aren't going to (possibly ever) go find a new provider for some services, on a regular basis. They find one they like and they stick with it. This is distinctly different than Uber's model because there's not really driver loyalty like there is with a massage or maid service. This means the contractors can just cut out Soothe after develop a reputation with clients.
There's an inherit assumption that people would rather build loyalty to people over companies for specific services and its unclear if that's true. A perfect counter example to your cleaning example is Homejoy.
Homejoy asks if you like your cleaner after they're done, and if so, you are given the option to pick your cleaning based on that cleaner's availability. I often just straight up don't schedule cleanings - and I dislike Handybook for lacking this feature - when I can't get someone I know I trust to do a good job. This is important, because despite there being a "middleman" in this situation, I am not really happy with the vast majority of cleaners.
You can still build loyalty to both the middleman and the service provider at the same time this way for many services - I will stick with Homejoy because I like the ease of not dealing with cash/checks and phone scheduling.
The situation for Uber is that Uber's business model has nothing to offer to people that want to schedule a specific driver, rather than a convenient pickup at a good price.
It isn't just about loyalty, though, it is about building a relationship with a single provider who can learn your preferences and provide a consistent service in the future.
I get my haircut by the same person every single time not because I think they are the best hair-cutter in the world but because I don't have to explain to them how I like it, they already know and I know they can do it that way, so going to them eliminates 5-10 minutes of explanation and a lot of uncertainty as to what the end result will look like.
For the same reasons I agree with crazypyro that "Uber for Massages" (local massages being something people tend to find one provider and stick with them for consistency) is not nearly as compelling as Uber for transportation where all I care is that the driver gets me to where I'm going in a relatively short timeframe and relatively safely.
This was the exact sentiment in the HN thread a few weeks ago about Homejoy, and to those who put up with Homejoy for the price but unsatisfied with the quality, those in the thread recommended finding a professional cleaner to contract directly with.
Is it? Corporate cleaning services are hardly new, but corporate massage services are. So HomeJoy isn't trying to change the purchasing paradigm of the industry in this way at all.
Will the Uber model work for a good or service that isn't commoditized? All we ask of a transportation service like Uber is to get us from point A to point B cheaply and safely. A massage is more complex and doesn't have a two item to do list that can simply be checked off and labeled "a good massage". This means the standard deviation of quality is a lot larger. There is also a benefit of loyalty. Massages are a more personal and customized experience than transportation and there would be a greater benefit to having your masseuse know your preferences.
While I agree completely with you on some of the differences, one of the best things about Uber (in my opinions) is that the transaction is cashless and centralized. I don't have to know or find the number for a cab, I use the app. Even if the driver is a good one, I may not use him next time because I don't want to pay him a new way. Massages are more personal and I'm still skeptical of the service, but I think the model has more benefits for other services than some people are implying.
Seeing a lot of massage startups lately. We're at a coworking space where people book conference rooms and get massages done in them. If you use this service, please don't do this. (If you do, please pick a scented oil that doesn't smell like bacteria and pine trees.)
I think it's a nice concept and don't have any problems with it (in fact, it looks quite nice), but I do wonder what distinguishes these various services.
Here in NYC, there are several "Uber for" maid/massage/anything else you can think of services, and apart from the design of their sites and sometimes the pricing scheme, it's hard to tell what's actually different.
Maybe the same thing could be said about Lyft, Uber, etc., but I do wonder what kind of competitive advantage these services are going for.
I agree. The big idea behind Uber is to optimize capacity utilization. That's also the reason why it's a race between those taxi apps to get global scale first.
Unlike cars, maids and masseuses don't waste 90% of their time doing nothing and there's also not going to be a population reduction by matching supply and demand for these verticals a little bit better for iphone users.
I think "AAA for X" makes more sense than "Uber for X"
"AAA for Massage" is very meaningful - I just book "a massage", I don't care from whom as long as they are qualified, and this company makes sure someone good shows up.
Its a new idea because these services are not usually commoditized, in the way a tow-truck or an oil change is. This company is betting that for enough buyers, massages are actually a commodity service versus a personal service requiring a lot of trust.
Services with existing brands will not like it, but new businesses without a customer base will probably love it. I think it has legs.
Interesting quirk on the website, when you click the location dropdown at the top of the page and it stays open, scrolling to the bottom of the page reveals the same open dropdown.
I think it's time for an Uber for Uber for ______ service. There's so many of them now it's confusing and time-consuming to pick one. So why not add a crowd-sourced middleman to do it for you?
Alarming only if it contributes to therapists making minimum wage which is not a given. Otherwise, I love not having to deal with tips. I wish every service had tips baked in and we could do away with them entirely.
It's also not a given that they actually go through with assigning proper gratuities.
The success model for startups these days is deceit and breaking laws. If a startup is claiming to be the "Uber of <blah>", I interpret that as a company which thinks being disruptive means breaking laws and screwing people over for the sake of growth and attempting to make good on the outrageously high investments they receive.
What I'm looking for is concrete proof that over the long run, not just in a recruitment surge, therapists end up making a living as good as or better than when they're employed by a spa. If that's not the case, then this is simply another widener of the wealth gap in this country.
If tips are baked into everything they cease to be tips. I find tips are a good thing for services where much of the value is subjective. I like the convention that makes it normal for me to pay more money to a server who goes the extra mile (although I dislike the fact that their base pay can be so low if others don't play along). I love the cashless aspect of Uber, but I hate that tips are included when you reserve SuperShuttle ahead of time. The driver can be as rude and unhelpful as he or she wants, and I still give them "additional gratuity"? Doesn't make sense. It's just a disguise for a higher price.
I've never had to work for tips, but I would HATE to have a profit-maximizing corporation be in charge of how much I get paid in entirely optional cash that has 0 impact on them.
My point is that those wages Soothe pays probably won't be as high as a typical tip-based wage one could earn without Soothe, because Soothe will want to minimize its costs as much as possible. Why pay high tips if it doesn't have to? You're not okay with that? Well fine, you can leave, because in this environment, there are plenty of other people who will work for less generous tips.
Not only does it probably degrade the client experience (the provider doesn't need to go above and beyond because it's not his brand being impacted by his service), but it commoditizes an otherwise vibrant and special service into a dull, grey blob of robots all doing the same thing.
That's my expectation for the long term.
In the short-term, I'm sure their rates will be appealing enough to attract good massage therapists, and I'm sure Soothe will do what it can to make sure its clients feel special. That's what venture capital is for.
My point is that those wages Soothe pays probably won't be as high as a typical tip-based wage one could earn without Soothe, because Soothe will want to minimize its costs as much as possible.
But again, isn't that how almost every job works? I mean, the vast majority of us are working for companies which want to minimize their costs as much as possible. Message therapists just happened to join the other 90% of us. Why the special concern?
This may be a cultural issue, since where I come tipping is much less common.
It may be cultural, but I think it boils down to corporatism.
In a traditional job, there's no subjectivity in what you're paid. You have a rate or a salary and are paid according to that. It's pretty straight-forward.
With Soothe or any tip-driven service (in the US, that includes waiting tables, cab driving, barbers, and a host of other service jobs), there's a significant amount of subjectivity that determines your income.
If you do well, you're tipped well. On just a regular $50 dinner here in the States, I can tip anywhere from $5 to $15 depending on how satisfied I am with the waitress' service.
But what if the restaurant took responsibility for the waitress' tips? It wants to maximize its profits. Chances are it's not going to pay $15 or even $10 for each table...it's going to pay a lot less.
How much less? I contend it will pay the least it can before it starts running into talent problems.
That rate, whatever it is, assuming the waitress is good, MUST be less than the average customer would pay in tips. The restaurant sees all its waitresses as good, so it can't pay any one more than the other. That would be unfair and illegal.
Customers can. And they would pay more for good service. That's why, I think, on average, at least here in the States, a tipped employee does worse when working for a company like Soothe.
I'd love to see a study on this topic for Uber et al to see what's really happening.
Well, no. As a consumer, I would assume that a tip is being paid, and that it is indeed an appropriate tip being given completely to the person above and beyond whatever agreement they might have for default service.
If this wasn't the case, Soothe is lying to me, the customer, and not providing what I paid them for. That's deceit.
Before reading the website it seemed like uber for prostitution. After is seeme some what legit. I guess you can't pick your messager, which I think people will want. I may not care who drives me or cleans my house but I do care who is rubbing all over me.
I wonder the legal implications this is going to have regarding prostitution. I don't say this is intentional from the part of soothe's creators, but they will have to deal with (and accepting the legal liabilities of) an issue that is already there (fake massage parlors offering sexual services).
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