Stepping off the sticky sidewalk at 16th and Mission Streets and into a dark room with lilac walls and matching shaggy carpeting, you might think you’ve walked into the wrong massage parlor. But make no mistake: Ekaterina Pushkarnaya, owner and sole proprietor of Pain Relief Massage, is an expert at loosening up stiff muscles and stiff joints.
These days, roughly half of her clients are tech workers, but she’s not alone. The tech industry’s turmoil has been well documented with a string of layoffs over the past two years. The intense interest, investment and drama surrounding artificial intelligence only seems to be adding to the stress for San Francisco’s tech workers in 2024. Even as the local workforce shrinks, health spa employees say they’re seeing more customers than they did before the pandemic.
The Standard spoke to five Mission District practitioners, and nearly all said that at least half of their clients work in the technology industry. The tech worker clients all complain of the same set of ailments: back pain, stiff shoulders and neck, and pain in the wrists, hands and forearms. The physical nature of their work and shared stress are likely to be the cause of their issues. The Mission District is home to many tech companies and staff working from home or hybrid shifts, so they don’t have to travel far to find relief for their sore muscles.
Businessman told the Standard that he often finds out the occupations of his clients through reception forms as many of them are tight-lipped about their personal and professional lives.
