Taking ASMR to the next level - from online videos to physical touch therapy

CapeTalk's Sara-Jayne Makwala King chats to Micaela Aspeling, owner of Serene Scratches.

Have you cottoned on to the ASMR trend yet?

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response refers to the pleasurable tingling some people experience when exposed to certain sounds like whispering or tapping, and it's become hugely popular worldwide on social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube.

Sara-Jayne Makwala King speaks to a Cape Town therapist who's taking ASMR a step further with one-on-one sessions involving actual physical touch.

Micaela Aspeling runs Serene Scratches from a salon in Durbanville.

She says her sessions combine 'normal' massage with ASMR tingle triggers like whispers, scratches and tapping.

"When I explain ASMR I tell people to think of when you go to the hairdresser and they're busy washing your hair and give you a gentle scalp massage and you get that tingling sensation over your body. That is the experience I try to give people through the tapping and the scratching."

Micaela Aspeling, Owner - Serene Scratches

"I do head scratches, back scratches, hair play, gentle massage... I use my hands and nails, as well as different wooden and silicone objects which give different sensations."

Micaela Aspeling, Owner - Serene Scratches

The ultimate aim is relaxation, and people often fall asleep during her sessions, Aspeling says.

Sara-Jayne attests that she herself listens to ASMR to help herself fall asleep at night.

The idea for physical sessions came to Aspeling when she found a page offering this, with people commenting that they wished this was available in their areas.

When her research yielded no results for this service in Cape Town, she thought she'd take it upon herself to see if she could make it work.

"Not that many people here are familiar with ASMR yet, but I do believe that once they've experienced it, it will become a thing."

Micaela Aspeling, Owner - Serene Scratches

"It helps with stress, with anxiety, and to help with better sleep. Research is being done to see if it helps with mood enhancement as well."

Micaela Aspeling, Owner - Serene Scratches

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview, and follow Aspeling on Instagram