Scratching Salons
You have a horrendous itch in a spot you just can’t reach. It can get so bad that you’d be ready to pay someone to scratch it. That’s what this Chinese health business operator is banking on. Zhang Xiaoqiao is a Chinese serial entrepreneur who’s always on the lookout for new ideas. Now, however, he might slow down the rate at which he opens new businesses because he’s found success in a decidedly unique market niche. He runs beauty salons where people get gently scratched. Although the idea sounds weird, his scratching treatments have become a huge hit in China. People are paying top yuan for the attendants to scrape their backs, limbs, and faces with admittedly freaky-looking fake nails and claws.
Zhang’s operation is so popular that he’s been able to open another branch, yet he still can’t satisfy all the demand. That’s just fine with him, because the ambitious businessman dreams of a China-spanning scratching salon empire. Enter one and you will be greeted by a cheery receptionist who will ask you about the type and length of scratching service you’d like. A standard session at Suma lasts for an hour. For that, you’ll have to pay 300 yuan (about $45). Once the formalities are done, you’ll be led to a space that looks much like a massage room. You’ll bare the area you want the therapist to scratch, cover potentially revealed unmentionables with a towel, and lie down on the massage table. Then, your professional scratcher enters. On their fingers, he or she will sport wild-looking, long, and sharp fake nails or claws. The appearance of the nails can vary, at least based on Suma’s social media posts. In some photos and videos, Zhang is using something that resembles barbecue meat-shredding claws, while others show his female employees sporting dainty, fancily decorated nails. During the session, the therapist runs the claws gently along your designated areas. They may also scratch a particularly itchy spot.
Zhang got his crazy business idea from an offhand social media comment. While watching a video of a wife scratching her itchy husband, he noticed a comment where someone said they’d be ready to pay someone to scratch them. That remark lit a figurative lightbulb in Zhang’s entrepreneurial mind. He was no stranger to opening new and unusual businesses, having previously started two (less than successful) e-commerce businesses. He wanted his new physical enterprise to be a greater success, however. Zhang spent considerable time researching whether scratching therapy is a real thing and what the best ways were to help an itchy person. Two years ago, he opened the first Suma branch. The scratching service quickly exploded in popularity. Perhaps surprisingly for the therapy and beauty industry, most of Zhang’s customers are men. “We serve both male and female customers, with males comprising about 70%. Some customers have said our service is more relaxing than a massage, leading to a strong base of returning clients.”
This itch is driving me crazy
How do you get rid of itch?
Start from scratch.
Why do you keep scratching yourself?
Because I’m the only one who knows where it itches.
LORENZ’S LAW OF MECHANICAL REPAIR
Once your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch.
The itch from poison ivy is so bad that I just spent hundreds of dollars buying every possible cream and ointment at the pharmacy.
I need to quit making rash decisions.
October 14th Birthdays
1998 – Ariela Barer, 1989 – Mia Wasikowski, 1992 – Esra Bilgic, 1985 – Sherlyn
1939 – Ralph Lauren, 1967 – Stephen A. Smith, 1999 – Ben Wilshaw, 1927 – Sir Roger Moore