The Massage Innovator Behind the Feel-Good Movement

A New Kind of Massage Experience

On a warm Los Angeles afternoon in 2019, people walking along Ventura Boulevard noticed a new kind of massage studio. It looked cheerful instead of clinical, modern instead of stuffy. Most intriguing of all, customers walked out smiling as if they had discovered something they did not know they needed. At the center of the buzz was Brittany Driscoll, a former marketing executive who had decided to take a massive leap into a completely different world.

Her journey to that sunny storefront stretched across childhood missions in Mexico, global marketing campaigns, a devastating melanoma diagnosis, and a determination to build a place where people could feel cared for in ways they had forgotten were possible.

Seeing Gaps in the Market by Paying Attention to Your Own Life

Before Brittany became the co-founder and CEO behind Squeeze Massage, she was a Southern California kid who learned early that experiences shape people. Her family traveled often for mission work, building homes and volunteering in communities across Mexico. Those trips created her understanding of service, connection, and the simple act of treating people with dignity.

Years later, while leading marketing campaigns for Disney, Coca-Cola, Barbie, Mattel, Toyota, and Hilton Worldwide, she discovered that the core ideas were the same. Everything came down to making people feel something. Her skill for spotting patterns sharpened during those agency years. She watched how customer problems were solved or ignored, and she absorbed the power of thoughtful choices.

That habit stayed with her when she moved to Drybar as head of marketing in 2015. While helping the company grow from about $30M to more than $100M in revenue and opening more than 50 locations nationwide, she noticed a strange gap in her own routine. She relied on blowouts at Drybar for a pick-me-up, but when she needed a massage, the options felt stuck. They were either low-cost chains with inconsistent quality or luxury hotel spas with price tags over $250. This gap became the seed that would eventually grow into Squeeze.

Lesson: When something frustrates you, pay attention. It might be the business idea waiting for you to claim it.

Building a Business That Feels Different by Design

When Brittany told Drybar founders Alli Webb and Michael Landau that she was ready for a new challenge, they were ready with an idea. They had been thinking about a modern massage concept, and they wanted her to lead it. She became co-founder and CEO, working alongside Cameron Webb, Josh Heitler, and Sarah Landau to turn the vision into a full brand.

From the start, Brittany insisted the experience had to feel effortless. Squeeze launched in Studio City in March 2019 with app-based booking, in-room controls for music and lighting, and preferences saved for future appointments. Guests could pay and tip in the app, so they walked out feeling calm instead of rushed. Aromatherapy, deep tissue work, percussion therapy, and heat were included at no additional cost.

The app captured the practical details, while the space itself offered warmth and hospitality. Every choice reflected Brittany’s belief that the massage industry could be redesigned around kindness. She created Squeeze’s core values, called The Feels. They came from her love for Maya Angelou’s quote about how people will never forget how you made them feel. She wanted that message in every step of the experience.

Lesson: Design your business around how you want people to feel, not only what you want them to buy.

Keeping Going When Your Business Collides with a Crisis

Squeeze opened less than a year before the world shut down. In March 2020, Brittany made the decision to close the doors to protect her community. She had to furlough her founding team, navigate confusing PPP challenges, and face the heartbreak of wondering whether her new company would survive. The Studio City shop would remain closed for nearly two years.

That long pause could have broken the momentum completely, but it changed something instead. The period created grit, empathy, and a new level of clarity for Brittany and her team. When Squeeze reopened, members came back, therapists returned, and the brand picked up its growth plans with fresh intensity.

Lesson: When disruption hits, the experience you gain while recovering can become one of your strongest advantages.

Turning Pain into Purpose and Using Challenges to Prioritize Wellbeing

Years before Squeeze existed, Brittany received a stage 2 melanoma diagnosis at age 25. The seriousness became clearer in 2021 when a new mole on her leg required additional surgery with skin grafting and reconstruction. A sentinel lymph node tested positive, and after switching oncologists, she learned her real diagnosis was stage 3A.

She describes the twist in her stomach every time she goes in for scans and skin checks, and she remains diligent with appointments every few months. Her husband is also a cancer survivor, which means the idea of wellness is not abstract in their home. It is a daily practice. This experience shaped her leadership. Brittany does not talk about wellness as an industry trend. She talks about it as a necessity.

It influenced the way she built Squeeze, the way she supports her franchise partners, and the way she leads The Feel-Good Company, the shared-services agency she founded in 2021 with Alli Webb and Michael Landau to support female-led wellness brands. It also inspired her work with Okay Humans, a modern therapy concept, where she serves as Executive Chair.

Lesson: Painful chapters can become the most powerful motivation for creating solutions that help others feel supported.

Scaling Without Losing Heart

Before long, Squeeze reached nearly 1,000 members in its first year and generated about $1.6M in revenue. As interest grew, the franchise model was introduced in 2021. By 2024, Squeeze had 10 open locations and close to 90 in development. By late 2024, it reached 14 open locations with 35 more sold. Growth accelerated again in November 2025 when GoSaga, Inc., the parent company of Heyday Skincare, acquired Squeeze.

The deal included the corporate Studio City location, 13 franchise locations, and 35 additional franchise stores in progress. Franchise veteran Jessica Yarmey became President, bringing decades of experience from Gold’s Gym, Club Pilates, Burger King, and KickHouse. Brittany continues to guide the mission while leading The Feel-Good Company and supporting other wellness ventures.

Through all of it, she emphasizes that Squeeze exists to serve three groups: guests, therapists, and franchise partners. She believes people do their best work when they can be their whole selves and that emotional wellness is just as important as operational excellence.

Lesson: Scaling works best when the heart of the business grows along with its footprint.

Continuing the Journey

Today, Squeeze continues to expand across the United States with a focus on simple pricing, thoughtful design, and app-driven convenience. Brittany’s story proves that a service brand can feel warm and personal even as it grows. She brought together her childhood lessons, her global marketing career, her fight with melanoma, and her belief in the transformative power of small acts of care.

She built a company designed to make people feel good again. What if your next move followed the same instinct? What if you built something that helped your community the way Squeeze helps its guests? Explore new ideas, tools, and resources that can help you start your own journey.