Soothe Business Expands with New Funding and a New CEO

Soothe is focused on improving people’s lives through the restorative power of massage. Today, we’re excited to announce a number of important updates that have allowed us to expand further and deliver on our mission.

We have a new CEO. Founder & CEO Merlin Kauffman is moving from his role as CEO to continue to support Soothe as Executive Chairman of our board of directors. We are grateful to Merlin for his leadership and are looking forward to his support in this new role.

Simon Heyrick who has served as our CFO since July 2016, will now be taking over as CEO and will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the company. Simon, originally from New Zealand, is a world-class entrepreneur who brings a wealth of experience as a successful executive and operator. Prior to joining Soothe, Simon was the CFO of MarketShare, an advanced marketing analytics company. During Simon’s time as CFO, Soothe saw gross margin increase by 80% in 2017. Simon is a proven leader who will build upon this momentum with his unique background in growing companies and managing at scale.

“As an experienced senior executive, Simon has earned a reputation for developing strategic solutions that have helped businesses grow,” said Kauffman. “Seeing him in action for the past two years, I’m thrilled to welcome Simon as the new CEO of Soothe.”

"As Soothe approaches 11,000 massage therapists, further international expansion, and a newly secured Series C round of financing, I'm confident that this is the moment to appoint a new CEO to lead us into the next stage of growth," Kauffman said. “Since Simon joined us in 2016 he has been an instrumental leader and I couldn’t be happier to see him become our CEO.”

Soothe has raised additional funding. The round was led by the The Riverside Company. The additional $31 million of capital allows the company to continue to pay our massage therapists up to three times more than they make in a traditional spa, while innovating our technology to match more therapists with Soothe clients in their area. The funding will also support efforts to hire more world-class talent.

This round follows another year of high growth for Soothe. Valentine’s Day saw the busiest day ever, with 2017 having an increased net revenue by 80% meaning we are on track to continue that growth trajectory.

Soothe also built out efforts to provide comfort and safety to both our clients and professional massage therapists. At Soothe, the trust, safety, and comfort of our clients and therapists is a top priority. This is why after listening to feedback, we implemented a number of processes to ensure our massage therapists are both safe and rewarded for their efforts.

Soothe also introduced a new way to say thank you; clients using the Soothe app for iPhone and Android can now add a tip for their massage therapist, right within the app.


Soothe has expanded to more locations in the US, the UK, and Australia. You can now book a Soothe massage in:


    *  Manchester, United Kingdom

    *  Gold Coast, Australia

    *  Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    *  Hartford and Coastal Connecticut, USA


Soothe now brings on-demand massage to over 60 cities worldwide.


Soothe has expanded our Trust and Safety Team by building out out client and therapist support centre in Las Vegas. The fully staffed Concierge team is available at that location 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to respond to questions from both our clients and therapists worldwide. Following the success of the Las Vegas office, Soothe has relocated company headquarters from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, for long-term and sustainable growth.

We owe our tremendous growth to all of our clients who see the benefits of regular massage, and to our team of vetted and highly skilled therapists who are dedicated to providing a spa-quality experience.

We look forward in continuing to support therapists with a platform on which they can thrive, and to provide clients with high quality on-demand massage that supports their health and well-being.


The Soothe team


Soothe aims to inspire people to live healthier by making relaxation, recovery and rejuvenation more accessible. The Soothe App helps people schedule a same-day massage in the privacy of their home, office or hotel.  Founded in 2013, Soothe connects you with vetted, certified massage therapists in over 60 cities across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia.

For a full list of locations, visit http://soothe.com/locations/.