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UES Residents Get Massages More Than Anyone Else in Manhattan, Study Shows

By Shaye Weaver | November 6, 2015 11:47am | Updated on November 9, 2015 9:03am
 The Upper East Side ordered the most massages in Manhattan over the last three years, according to Thumbtack.
The Upper East Side ordered the most massages in Manhattan over the last three years, according to Thumbtack.
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Thumbtack

NEW YORK CITY — Upper East Siders like to feel pampered more than anyone else in Manhattan.

Roughly 15 percent of massages requested in the borough came from residents in the neighborhood, according to Thumbtack, a San Francisco-based marketplace website that connects local service providers to clients nationwide.

Thumbtack's "Manhattan Massage Index," which compares the borough's neighborhoods, analyzed massage services requested through the group's system over a period of three years.

Residents in the 10021 zip code in particular, which runs from 69th to 76th streets, were responsible for 42 percent all the Upper East Side's massage requests and nearly 7 percent of all Manhattan requests, according to the group.

"The thing is, people who get massages on the Upper East Side are probably working pretty long hours and high-stress jobs," said Lucas Puente, an economic analyst for Thumbtack.

"Massages are a pretty nice way to relax and having the service come to your house is an added perk."

The majority of massage therapists that Thumbtack has on its roster are self-employed or are small businesses that mostly travel across the city for work, meaning Upper East Siders are getting massages in their homes.

The analysis also included services requested across 43,000 country-wide zip codes.

Those in the 10021 zip code ordered more massages than any of the 10 wealthiest zip codes that Thumbtack looked at, including in Miami Beach, Newport Beach, Calif., and Lower Manhattan. 

The 10021 zip code ranked number 15 in the country overall, the report found.

After the Upper East Side, residents in Chelsea, Clinton and Midtown were responsible for roughly 14 percent of massage requests in Manhattan. The third-ranked neighborhood — Murray Hill, Gramercy and Stuyvesant Town — accounted for 12.4 percent.

The Jersey Shore ranked No. 1 for the most massages in America, largely because it is a seasonal town with tons of visitors, some of whom could be Upper East Siders, Puente said.

"I probably would have guessed what neighborhood in New York requested massages most often because it is the wealthiest one," he said.

"Massages are a luxury item that you consume when you have a high degree of disposable income. In particular, therapists that come to your residence... are more in demand by wealthier individuals. You have to have a certain sort of lifestyle to desire that."

See where your Manhattan neighborhood ranks on the massage index here.