The Itch That Won’t Scratch: China’s Unlikely New Obsession

In recent years, China has seen its fair share of unusual business ventures, but none have captured attention like itch-scratching services. Zhang Xiaoqiao’s Suma chain in southern China offers people someone to scratch their itches for them, a service that’s both therapeutic and bizarre.

At first glance, the company might seem like a quirky entrepreneurial endeavor, but scratch beneath the surface and you’ll find a more complex story unfolding – one that speaks to modern Chinese society’s deeper anxieties and desires. Zhang, a 32-year-old entrepreneur from Shenzhen, has tapped into a lucrative market by offering a service where customers lie face down on a bed while staff with specially designed nails gently scratch their bodies.

For 300 yuan an hour ($40), high-stress city dwellers can experience stress relief and better sleep through this unusual service. Zhang notes that his customers are largely individuals who’ve come to associate his service with relaxation. This raises questions about the commodification of touch in an age where technology enables easy human connection, yet we’re now paying for it in a transactional way.

Zhang’s employees don’t just scratch; they offer a form of intimacy that’s both reassuring and uncomfortable at the same time. This isn’t the first unusual business boom China has seen – remember the canned air fad of 2019 or the proliferation of dog-walking services? Zhang’s itch-scratching empire has more profound significance, speaking to our growing willingness to outsource even basic human experiences.

As Zhang plans to expand his business to 100 outlets nationwide, it’s natural to wonder what other peculiarities will emerge on China’s entrepreneurial scene. Will we see a rise in services catering to increasingly absurd desires? And what does this say about the kind of society we’re building?

Zhang’s itch-scratching service is less about scratching an itch than tapping into a deeper societal anxiety – one that demands attention, therapy, and scratch-marks on our skin.