The new ‘therapy’ taking over America’s richest cities costs $250 for people to scratch your back in secret locations
There is talk therapy, physical therapy and even massage therapy, but a new type of therapeutic approach is becoming increasingly popular.
Back scratching therapy.
Popping up in major cities across the US, professional back scratching entails 30-minute to hour-long sessions during which someone scratches your back, neck and head.
Some therapists use long acrylic fake nails to treat patients, while others use professional massage tools.
Proponents of the services claim they reduce stress, promote calmness and help with sleep.
Claiming to be ‘the world’s first and only scratch therapy professionals and influencers’, Scratcher Girls offers back scratching services in Florida.
The company charges $75 for a 30-minute session and $130 for an hour-long back scratching session.
Scratcher Girls’ founder, Toni George, told the Daily Mail she used to love getting back scratches from her grandparents as a child and this ‘passion’ led her to start a business around it.
Proponents of back scratching claim it reduces stress, promotes calmness and helps with sleep
Back scratching falls into the Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) category of massage
Scratcher Girls also advertises services in New Jersey and New York for $250 for an hour-long session at a ‘location disclosed 24hr of appointment.’
Other businesses in the US that specialize in back scratching therapies include Lather Head Spa in Tennessee and The Scratch Spa in Arizona.
Today, George said back scratching services are in high demand, and she services more than 20 customers a day.
She explained that back scratching falls into the Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) category of massage.
ASMR refers to the pleasant tingling sensation some people feel in response to certain gentle sounds or touch, often starting on the scalp and moving down the neck or spine.
George said: ‘Scratch therapy is a gentle and relaxing type of therapeutic touch, using light scratching and tracing movements with the tips of the fingers and nails.
‘It helps to relieve stress and anxiety, improves circulation and sleep whilst also boosting your mood as your brain floods your body with endorphins, leaving you with a sense of calm and peace.’
Videos posted to social media show therapists from the family-owned company in action, with them lightly scratching customers with their long acrylic finger nails.
Scratcher Girls’ founder, Toni George (pictured on the right with her employees), told the Daily Mail she used to love getting back scratches from her grandparents as a child and this ‘passion’ led her to start a business around it
George of Scratcher Girls told this website that from providing her services for more than a decade she has seen how it can help ease stress, promote relaxation, improve mood and enhance sleep quality
The masseuses generally keep their acrylic nails on at all times, George revealed, as these are the main tools they use for the job.
Along with the back, George, said other popular areas for scratch therapy include the arms, the thighs and the head.
Dr Raj Dasgupta, an internal medicine specialist, told Daily Mail that while there isn’t much scientific research on back scratching as a formal therapy, he can see ‘how it could help people unwind or prepare for sleep.’
He added: ‘Light, gentle scratching can stimulate the skin’s sensory nerves and trigger the release of feel-good hormones [endorphins] that help the body shift into a calmer state.’
For those wanting to test out the benefits of back scratching but don’t have such services close by, Dr Dasgupta recommended investing in a back scratcher.
He said: ‘I haven’t personally tried a professional back-scratching service, but I’d say using a back scratcher at home is a safe, enjoyable, and affordable way to add a little relaxation to your routine.’
George told this website that from providing her services for more than a decade, she has seen how it can help ease stress, promote relaxation, improve mood and enhance sleep quality.
Along with the back, Scratch Girls founder Toni George said other popular areas for scratch therapy include the arms, the thighs and the head
The entrepreneur revealed: ‘Overall, backscratching is just one of the most powerful effective form of meditation and connection to ever experience. It’s indulging for the mind and body all at the same time!
‘Many of our clients report feeling emotional relief during or after the session.
‘The therapy helps release stored stress, anxiety, or even emotional blockages, leaving them feeling lighter and rebalanced mentally and physically. Each treatment is customized to the individual clients own experience.’
Along with Scratcher Girls, a number of other professional back scratching services have surfaced.
The Art of Scratch, located in Chicago, also offers body scratching services.
Sessions start from $150 for an hour-long session and cost up to $200 for 90 minutes of scratching.
Founder, Mary, writes on the website: ‘The Art of Scratch was born out of something we all miss as adults: the calming, tingling, soul-soothing power of touch, the kind that makes your whole nervous system go “ahhhh.”
‘As a self-trained practitioner, I do this because we’re starved for soft in a world that’s hard.
‘This is my gift, and I share it with those who need it, especially the ones who don’t know they do.’
The entrepreneur revealed: ‘Overall, backscratching is just one of the most powerful effective form of meditation and connection to ever experience. It’s indulging for the mind and body all at the same time!’
Rebecca Benvie, the owner and sole therapist of Whisper Wave Spa in New York, also told the Daily Mail that scratching is something she incorporates into her sensory services as it ‘helps regulate the nervous system, ease stress, and release tension.’
Benvie prides herself on founding one of the first dedicated ASMR spas in Manhattan.
Her services start from $150 for sensory therapies that ‘use soft touch, sound, and different tools to calm the nervous system.’
Some of the benefits from back scratching and ASMR therapies are that ‘many people leave feeling lighter, grounded, and deeply relaxed,’ Benvie said.
She added: ‘In terms of what to expect, my customers will lie comfortably on a massage table while I combine gentle touch with sound in a carefully designed sensory environment.
‘The light, rhythmic touch activates the body’s parasympathetic response, which lowers cortisol and supports rest, connection, and emotional balance.’
