On-demand massage app in China attracts $5M series A funding

If you’re feeling, like, ohmygod totally stressed after getting an Uber home from work and then receiving your home-delivered laundry and dinner, you might like to fire up an app and order a massage therapist. That’s pretty much the idea behind China’s Diandao, an on-demand service that brings qualified professionals to your doorstep.

Chinese tech blog 36Kr reports today that Diandao has just secured US$5 million in series A funding to assist with its growth. The investment was led by Banyan Capital along with 58Daojia, a local web startup that specializes in other on-demand services for things like housekeeping and beauty treatment.

Diandao only has massage therapists available in Beijing and Shanghai at the moment, which highlights how tough it is to expand these kinds of services across a nation. The price of an expert massage starts at about RMB 128 (US$20), putting it on a par with the professional (and legit) massage parlors that can be found in (the non-dodgy parts of) every Chinese city.

This series A for Diandao is a drop in the ocean of VC interest in a wave of on-demand startups in China – whether it’s for home-delivered salads, home-administered nail art, or a chef who comes to your kitchen.

The lazy economy has truly landed in China.

See: China will become the world’s top market for mobile games by 2016

(Source: 36Kr)