From the sounds of it, Sierra Holleman seems to be good at massaging herself.
“I’ve been running around town promoting this like crazy,” she said by phone. “No one has heard of it because it’s such a new brand.”
She said she made as many new friends and built relationships as possible, running from place to place and event to event, shaking hands.
“I’m really out on the town,” Holman says.
“This” is Squeeze Massage, a franchise massage concept based in Los Angeles.
The Holleman franchise is the company’s 11th franchise.th Nationwide, and first in Fort Worth and Dallas. Her goal is to purchase the entire Fort Worth territory and open another store at some point in the future.
The first, or her “third child,” is at 2621 Whitmore St. in the Foundry District. Opening hours are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. Ferran Campbell, a certified massage therapist, will serve as general manager.
Holleman, 34, of Fort Worth, who lives here with her husband Jake and two young children, opened the practice with 12 massage therapists and seven front-of-house hosts. Her shop consists of her 8 rooms for massages. She says she plans to hire six more therapists.
Squeeze Massage is an app-based massage concept created by Alli Webb and Michael Landau, founders of hair salon Drybar. The CEO is Brittany Driscoll, former VP of Marketing at Drybar. Squeeze is transforming the industry through customer experience.
“We are excited about building Drybar, creating a sophisticated and luxurious retail experience that incorporates moments of surprise and delight, a brand that is both sophisticated and whimsical, all at an affordable price point. That’s the point,” Driscoll said. forbes.
A large part of the customer experience revolves around the app. Through the app, customers can book and pay for massages, set personal preferences, tip, rate, and review their experiences. There is no clipboard with pages to fill out. No need to wait for payment later. No need to call ahead or wait for someone to answer and then be put on hold.
Don’t be fooled by the fact that the paperwork can be very tedious. However, losing and wasting time will cause you to suffer. With the app, customers have complete control.
Massages are available for $129 for 50 minutes or $159 for 80 minutes, and memberships are available for $95 or $125 per month. To coincide with its debut in Fort Worth, he is offering $15 off the regular monthly membership rate to anyone who signs up for a monthly membership within 60 days of the grand opening.
Holleman discovered Squishy by chance after receiving a massage. She said she was stressed out about something at her previous company and needed a massage from her husband. Please, he replied.
Her experience, she says, was quite typical.
“I don’t like coming into work and being handed a clipboard,” she says. “I don’t like filling everything out on the spot. I don’t really like the experience itself. Massages are usually OK, but I was standing in line on the way out and four girls were staring at me. I really don’t like being there. One person is on the phone with an angry customer, one person is trying to sell me skin care, and I’m just trying to get out of there.”
That same night, Squeeze Massage appeared on Facebook or Instagram, no doubt because an algorithm picked up what she was looking up on her phone or tablet, but she can’t remember.
“It was branding,” she says of what intrigued her. “And I went to the website, and it said about the app, the process and all the things that were deleted. And I saw Jake [her husband] And I thought, “This place, this is exactly where I want to be right now.” ”
Holleman’s professional background is in marketing, so it’s no surprise that it caught her eye. Some of the brands she has worked with include Dickies and her Simpli.fi. Holman grew up in Mansfield and is a graduate of Baylor University.
“I have about 10 years of experience in marketing and three years in operations,” Holman says. “Then I decided I was ready to do something of my own. Going into franchising was something I had thought about for a long time. When I was in college, I was a multi-location owner of Sport Clips. I interned with him, and the seed of franchising was kind of planted there. My husband and I talked about it a lot and we kept saying, “What are our options?” I really want to make it my own and I want it to be something I’m passionate about.”
Her not-so-great massage experience and chance discovery of Squeeze was something of an epiphany.
Family and friends told the couple it was “crazy” to take the plunge, but Holleman added: “I think I’ve always been a bit of a risk taker. I’d close my eyes and jump.” Ta. .
It took about two years to get it up and running, she says. Location and real estate were top priorities. “I had an unwavering vision for the space, and I knew right away that it was the space for us,” she says of the Foundry District location.
One day, Driscoll came to town and said, “They really held our hand. They were great.”
“There are so many positive elements coming into the ground floor that we have no intention of changing it,” she says. “Of course, there were difficulties. [she and her husband] We looked at each other last week and thought, “Oh my god, I can’t imagine doing this again.” But we will, and the second time will be much easier because we know what will happen. ”
Meanwhile, she knows the best places for massage.
