Today we’d like to introduce you to Micah Jackson.
Micah, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’m a native Angeleno and have always been fascinated with computers and design. I graduated from UCLA with a degree in Design+New Media and ultimately wanted to work for Pixar, Disney or ILM. However, my career path meandered through the dot-com boom, which included stints at AOL and Yahoo! I eventually transitioned to working in the video games industry for many years and worked for Disney, where I made games for feature films. After getting laid-off at Disney, I formed my own studio to explore my own projects. I learned how to develop and code my own games and released a mobile game called ‘Bugchinko’ for iOS. In 2017, I left my job at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to pursue my interest in VR. I was really fascinated with the technology and its potential.
Soon after leaving JPL, I was fortunate to be chosen as a participant in the Oculus Launchpad program. (Oculus is the maker of the popular Rift and Quest VR headsets.) While working on a VR project for Oculus entitled ‘Where Angels Meet’ I began to create various settings and environments for the project. One of the settings I created was a “Heavenly Garden” environment. I enjoyed this virtual garden so much that I would just sit in the headset and zone out for 10-20 minutes. I wondered if other people would like to do this as well! Ultimately, this was the seed of the idea for Esqapes. I was also personally dealing with a lot of stress and anxiety at the time and sitting in the virtual world actually helped.
The idea of mating the virtual world with a massage chair came a few months later, as I was out walking and thinking about how I would get someone to simply sit in a virtual world. I convinced my wife to buy a massage chair and she allowed me to do so! From that point, I began to prototype what is now Esqapes Immersive Relaxation.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has definitely been a rough one. I never knew it would be so hard to be an innovator. The biggest challenge has been financial. I had to use my 401k savings to start the business as no bank would loan me start-up capital at any reasonable rate. I also explored (and am still exploring) venture capital investment, but this has also been an uphill battle.
Because Esqapes is a first-of-its-kind business and concept, there is no reference point for how successful it can or should be. This means that people who lend money aren’t willing to take the risk. This is compounded even more for African-American founders like me. When I explained what Esqapes was and what I was trying to accomplish, I either got a blank stare or headscratching.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Esqapes Immersive Relaxation – what should we know?
Esqapes is a first-of-its-kind, VR augmented massage center. We combine traditional wellness practices with automation and technology to create an immersive experience that re-imagines how people relax.
We utilize premium massage chairs, VR headsets, wind, heat therapy and aromatherapy to transport our guests to a relaxing, exotic, virtual environment such as a tropical beach resort or a cozy sauna in the middle of a thunderstorm. We achieve this sense of immersion by tapping into four of your five basic senses. For example, if you choose our ‘Moroccan Twilight’ environment, you will look around and see the trappings of a Moroccan resort poolside complete with swaying Palm Trees. You’ll hear the wind flow around you and the sound of the Mediterranean in the distance. As your eyes and ears experience this, your body will feel the breeze being generated by the fans, you’ll smell Jasmine and Coriander in the air and you’ll feel a slight warmth from the setting sun. As all of this happens, you’ll be receiving a wonderful, full-body massage in one of our premium chairs. Nothing like this has ever existed before.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Pleasing our customers is our main goal and it remains the most important key to our success. I started Esqapes to help people shed stress and mentally escape from their worries, at least for a short time. Being able to positively affect a person’s mood and mental health is such a wonderful thing. We are probably the first VR-based business to use VR specifically for this purpose.
We hope people will come and experience Esqapes for themselves as it’s something that is very hard to convey through ads or descriptions. Most people are blown away after their experience.
Pricing:
- Each Esqapes session is $35
- We offer two membership levels at $55 and $85 per month
Contact Info:
- Address: 5757 Wilshire Blvd (SAG-AFTRA plaza)
suite M111
Los Angeles, CA 90036 - Website: www.myesqape.com
- Phone: 323-917-5115
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myesqape/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/myesqape
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/myesqape
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/esqapes-immersive-relaxation-los-angeles
Image Credit:
Esqapes Immersive Relaxation
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