When’s the last time someone scratched your back? If you’re in Miami, you could pay a visit to The Scratcher Girls, where a woman with manicured nails will gently scratch your body, like this.
Toni George, who used to pay her daughters to scratch her back, founded the biz in 2010. Now, her daughters co-own the studio with her, per Axios.
- Sessions cost $75 for 30 minutes or $129 for 60 at Scratcher Girls’ studio.
- Or $15 for a 15-minute sesh at a local farmers’ market.
- You can also purchase a $27 starter kit to begin your own scratching career, or attend a future course for $2.5k.
What’s the appeal?
It obviously feels nice, but there’s more to it. The Scratchers say people are “touch-deprived” — something that people certainly experienced during the pandemic — and videos of their work have taken off within the ASMR community.
ASMR stands for autonomous sensory meridian response, described as a pleasant tingling sensation that some people experience in response to stimuli including whispering, gentle touch, tapping, and other soothing sounds. It’s huge on YouTube and TikTok, racking up hundreds of billions of views.
Some soft-spoken “ASMRtists” perform ASMR triggers directed at the viewer, often role-playing as everything from makeup artists and reiki healers, to vampires and robots.
Some ASMR channels perform services on other people, such as massages or beauty treatments.
Videos can be lucrative
In 2023, a top ASMR YouTuber was making $130k a year off her videos.
The Scratcher Girls are unique in that their viral content is anchored to an IRL experience — but they’re not the only ones.
There are popular YouTube channels featuring limpias, a spiritual cleansing ritual performed in Latin American countries, and head massages by Indian barbers. There are also experiences to intentionally trigger tingles, like Wisconsin’s ASMR Hair Spa.
BTW: Did you want to watch someone perform ASMR on a cat or dog? You’re in luck, friend.
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