This Chinese entrepreneur found a strange way to help people relax. Now he makes ₹14 lakh a month

What started with a social media video and a childhood memory has turned into an unusual business in China, where customers are paying to have their backs and other itchy spots professionally scratched, South China Morning Post reported on Thursday.

Thirty-two-year-old Zhang Xiaoqiao has opened two “itch-scratching” stores in Shenzhen, southern China, offering customers one-hour sessions in which staff use specially designed long, pointed nails to scratch their bodies.

Zhang opened his first outlet in Baoan District in May and a second one in Futian District a month later. The stores operate under the name Suma and have a setup similar to a massage parlour, with customers lying face down while staff work on their backs and other parts of the body.

The service costs 300 yuan (around ₹4,410) for an hour. Zhang says the sessions are meant to help customers unwind, reduce stress and potentially sleep better. Staff can also concentrate on specific itchy spots, with the sensation sometimes leaving customers laughing.

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Speaking to the South China Morning Post, Zhang said the idea made sense in cities where people face high levels of stress and claimed there was considerable demand for the service.

The business is already generating significant revenue. Zhang told the SCMP that the two outlets together bring in about 100,000 yuan (around ₹14.7 lakh) in gross revenue each month. The stores have reached the break-even stage and have started making a profit.

Men account for roughly 70 per cent of the clientele, although Zhang's customers include both men and women. He told the SCMP that some repeat customers had described the experience as more relaxing than a conventional massage.

With no established industry to draw lessons from, Zhang said he had to develop the techniques himself and work out what kind of scratching would give customers the most relaxing experience.

How the idea started

The business idea came to Zhang last year when he stumbled upon a short video showing a woman scratching her husband’s back. He noticed viewers joking in the comments that they would happily pay someone to do the same for them.

The video reminded Zhang of his childhood, when his father would scratch his back and help him fall asleep. That memory eventually became the inspiration for his latest venture.

Zhang's entrepreneurial journey has included several failed attempts. The Hubei native reportedly tried seven different jobs in a single year after graduating from university. Before turning 30, he had founded two cross-border e-commerce companies, but neither succeeded.

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He later entered the social-media content industry, but that venture also failed to gain much traction.

Zhang wants 100 stores

The two Shenzhen outlets are only the beginning for Zhang. He told the South China Morning Post that he hopes to eventually open 100 outlets across China and establish scratching as a recognised profession.

The unusual business has also triggered plenty of discussion on Chinese social media. While some users said they were curious about trying the service, others questioned whether people would really pay 300 yuan (₹4,410) for an hour of professional itch-scratching.

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