Victoria Shen is bringing a brand new venture to town in Northbrook and she can’t wait to share it with you all! Squeeze Massage is a fresh concept in massage from the founders of Drybar. Grand opening on January 19, 2024, Squeeze offers a completely customizable massage experience with no extra charges or awkward interactions. At Squeeze you’ll be able to customize your aromatherapy, music selections and lighting all on your phone or the tablet provided by Squeeze. And you can rate and tip this way as well! Victoria tells us more about this super cool new experience as well as package availabilities with NO startup fees and a no use, no lose policy! Sounds good to us! Enjoy this exclusive interview with the Arlington Heights mom of four kids. Welcome, Victoria!
Hi Victoria! Please introduce yourself. Where are you from originally? What city do you live in now? What brought you here?
Hi, I’m Victoria Shen. I grew up in Akron, Ohio until I went away for school. I traveled for a few years on a rotational operations program. I was able to spend some time in the Chicago area and ended up returning to the Chicago area for personal and professional reasons. After a few more years of regional travel, we eventually found our home in Arlington Heights.
And your beautiful family?
We have four children, three boys and a girl. Our oldest is in college, with twin boys and our and daughter in high school. We also have a rescue dog and cat.
Let’s get down to business! I’m super excited about the fresh new concept of Squeeze Message, which you are opening up in Northbrook. Tell us more!
Squeeze Massage is a fresh concept from the founders of Drybar. It focuses on providing not only a way better massage experience for our guests, but also providing a way better working experience for our squad (employees).
Our Grand Opening is scheduled for the weekend of January 19, 2024! My background is in operations and process improvement. So, when I came across Squeeze, and read what they were trying to do with the massage space, I had to find out more. In the last few years, I think we all have learned to appreciate the importance of self-care and really making time for yourself and loved ones. Massage is something everyone can benefit from, but sometimes it can be a bit intimidating or awkward. Squeeze really focused on changing that, making it a great experience at an accessible price point.
Lastly, I love animals and volunteer at a no-kill shelter in the area. When I found out that Squeeze partners with Canine Companions to provide a day of care with every membership, I was sold!
What did you do before Squeeze?
Before Squeeze, I worked full-time in operations and engineering, while raising our family. I really loved my career at the time, but it became more challenging, as our family grew, as well as my responsibilities at work.
What are a few challenges you’ve encountered with starting this business from idea to execution?
Having worked in operations, I understand how businesses run. However, it was only from one perspective. Having to START a business from the ground up is an entirely different story. I am used to knowing the ins and outs of everything in my departments. A big challenge for me was learning to give up some of that and to really rely on others to get the work done for me, without knowing all the details. Another challenge was to accept that things don’t always go the way you want, no matter what you do. We take those as learning moments, and try to keep improving.
Do you have opening day jitters? What are you doing to prepare for this big event?
Definitely! Squeeze Northbrook is the first location in Chicago and Illinois, so we want to make sure we have our best foot forward. We are all about being a way better massage experience, and continuously strive to do so.
It sounds like Squeeze is going to be different from other massage experiences in the area. How so?
Yes! Squeeze offers a completely fresh approach to a way better massage experience, all in a beautifully designed space. Personalized services allow guests to select massage preferences, choose their in-suite lighting and music, and rate, tip, and review all at their fingertips. We offer the customization and higher-end feel of a spa, at an accessible price.
All of the enhanced services, like aromatherapy, heat therapy, or deep tissue, are included in our price. We don’t charge extra for any of the extras. We can also provide therapeutic massage, for sports recovery and other issues as a complement to other recovery programs. Our memberships are also completely flexible, with no added fees for changes.You can rollover, pause, or gift your massages to friends or family. Easy, peasy, Squeezy!
How are your massage therapists at Squeeze vetted?
It is of utmost importance that all our guests and employees feel safe and comfortable in our shop, which is why we take our time and have broken our process into two separate stages. The first one is our culture interview with licensed massage therapists. We check in to find out what they know about Squeeze and get a better understanding of their background and how they might fit with Squeeze. We share information about the company and our vision of transforming the community for good, through our beliefs and actions at Squeeze.
We also have an audition portion, where we test their massage skills and techniques through actual massages. Then we perform a thorough background and reference check prior to extending an offer.
Do you offer packages at Squeeze?
We really try to make our process simple and easy for all, and currently offer two types of memberships: a 50-minute and 80-minute massage, with no membership activation fee. The membership gives the guest (1) massage/month, with the choice of aromatherapy, heat therapy, percussion therapy or deep tissue, at no additional cost. Any unused massages can be rolled over or gifted to a friend or family. Otherwise, we do offer one-time Pay-per-Squeeze options to purchase individual massages at your leisure. We do occasionally offer special promotions throughout the year, but try not to overwhelm our guests with too many emails.
For the Chicago North Shore Moms Network only, Squeeze Northbrook is offering $30 off your first massage! Just use code NSMOMS on your iphone app or on squeezemassage.com.
Is there anything else you’d like us to know about yourself or Squeeze?
I wanted to thank Chicago North Shore Moms for allowing us the opportunity to share our story with your members. We are thrilled to be able to share what Squeeze has to offer, and hope that you will find this as amazing and refreshing as we do. We are glad to be a part of this community and can’t wait to help create a little bit of relaxation and relief in your daily lives.