Seattle Singles Show Rising Demand For In-Person Dates
Dating app fatigue is prompting more singles in Seattle to explore in-person events, matchmakers, dating apps that allow for physical in-person dates, and other alternatives to swipe-based platforms.
Matchmaker Monique Le reported that her client volume roughly doubled during the COVID-19 period and that demand has continued to rise. She works with professionals including doctors, lawyers and technology workers from companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook and Boeing. Le said she assesses clients’ preferences and dealbreakers before drawing from her database of potential matches.
National matchmaking service Three Day Rule, which operates remotely with about 90 matchmakers, more than tripled its Seattle client base last year. Lacy Boney, a VIP matchmaker covering the Pacific Northwest, linked the growth to burnout with swipe culture among younger users. “We are definitely seeing a younger generation moving away from dating apps,” she said.
Three Day Rule CEO Adam Cohen-Aslatei said the broader matchmaking industry is expanding at roughly 14 to 20 percent annually while the U.S. dating-app sector is currently contracting. The company is also seeing more clients in their 30s and 20s, a shift from its earlier middle-aged demographic focus. Cohen-Aslatei argued that human matchmakers gather post-date feedback that apps lack, and he cited a 70 to 80 percent relationship success rate for the service.
Costs remain a barrier for many. Three Day Rule’s three-month premium package starts at $6,300. Le said her fees range from $7,500 to as high as $50,000 depending on case complexity and market conditions. Some matchmakers allow people to join their databases for free or a low fee, creating a pool of potential matches for paying clients.
Seattle’s demographics may support the trend. More than a quarter of the city’s adults live alone, the fifth-highest rate among U.S. cities, and about half of men living in Seattle have never been married. Observers have described these patterns as part of a broader “relationship recession.”
Cheaper options are also drawing crowds. Bars host singles nights and speed-dating events. Pitch-A-Friend, a Philadelphia-based format that opened a Seattle chapter last November, features friends delivering short PowerPoint presentations promoting single acquaintances. Host Sara Rosenblad said events regularly fill and attract waitlists.
Naturally, more and more dating apps are cropping up that facilitate these kinds of in-person dates, and they’re likely to see increasing success in locations like Seattle.
