MassHere needed more than a directory. The founder was building a premium alternative to platforms like MassageFinder and Thervo — one where therapists own their presence and pay a flat subscription fee instead of per-booking commissions.
The platform had to work for three distinct users simultaneously: guests browsing the catalog, therapists managing their profiles, and an admin moderating content and overseeing subscriptions. Each required a completely different interface and set of permissions.
The business model depended entirely on reliable subscription billing. If Stripe webhooks failed, therapists would lose access incorrectly — or keep it when they shouldn’t. Getting this right wasn’t optional.
The architecture is built on October CMS v4 with Laravel v12 and PHP 8.2 — a stack that gives full control over custom logic without fighting a rigid framework. Four plugins were developed from scratch by Uwindi:
Users — extends RainLab.Users with a full custom workflow: moderation states, profile editing, catalog search with filters, and the algorithm that separates premium and standard listings in search results.
Stripe — handles the full subscription lifecycle: checkout, webhook processing for payment confirmation and expiration events, automatic renewal, and access blocking when subscriptions lapse. Tested end-to-end in Stripe’s test mode before going live.
Google Map — stores geo-coordinates at profile creation and renders the therapist’s location on a map card without repeated external API calls. Clean, fast, and cost-efficient.
The catalog logic distinguishes between two account types: premium profiles appear in randomized order at the top of results, while standard profiles are ordered by registration date. This gives the subscription model real value — premium placement is genuinely visible.
The admin panel gives the operator full control: user management with quick search, profile moderation (approve or reject), content editing via the CMS editor, and the ability to log in as any user to inspect or fix their profile directly.
The platform is hosted on Uwindi-managed infrastructure with a server in the Dallas, TX data center — chosen specifically for its proximity to the Los Angeles target market. The setup includes SSL, DNS configuration, MySQL, and all environment variables managed securely in .env outside the repository.
Stripe webhook endpoints are protected with signature verification. Passwords are stored using Laravel’s bcrypt implementation. Admin access is locked to a separate URL.
MassHere launched as a fully operational marketplace — ready for therapists to register, build profiles, and accept subscribers on day one. The platform is built to scale: new cities, additional subscription tiers, or a messaging system can be added without touching the core architecture.
The client received complete technical documentation covering the full system — architecture, admin workflows, business logic, server environment, and environment variable reference — along with a 1-year technical warranty and ongoing support.
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