‘I scratched your back, now pay me’: 32-year-old entrepreneur’s Rs 1400000 a month itch business leaves internet amazed

An unconventional service business in southern China is turning an everyday need into a paid experience, with its founder claiming that two outlets now generate 100,000 yuan(approx. Rs 14 lakh) in monthly gross income. The venture was started by 32-year-old Zhang Xiaoqiao, who opened his first itch-scratching store in Shenzhen’s Baoan District in early May and a second branch in Futian District a month later, according to SCMP.

The stores, operating under the name Suma, offer customers a service that is exactly what its name suggests: staff scratch their backs and other itchy areas while they lie on beds in a setting similar to a massage parlour. Zhang now wants to expand the concept nationwide and establish itch-scratching as a recognised profession.

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How the unusual service works

At Suma, customers lie face down while employees use specially designed pointed nails to gently scratch their bodies.

The service costs 300 yuan per hour(approx. Rs 4,200) and is positioned as a way to relieve stress and promote relaxation. Staff may also focus on particular itchy spots, with the experience sometimes intended to trigger laughter as well.

According to Zhang, the business has attracted both male and female customers, with men accounting for about 70% of those who visit. He said some customers consider the service more relaxing than a massage, helping the stores build a base of repeat visitors.

Zhang also said that the two outlets have reached the break-even point and have begun generating profits, with combined monthly gross income reaching 100,000 yuan.

The childhood memory that inspired Zhang

The idea for the business emerged from something Zhang came across online.

Last year, while watching short videos on social media, he saw a clip of a woman scratching her husband’s back. What caught his attention was the reaction from viewers, several of whom commented that they would be willing to pay someone to provide the same service.

That prompted Zhang to connect the idea with a personal memory from childhood. He recalled his father scratching his back, something he associated with comfort and falling asleep peacefully.

He began wondering whether that familiar feeling could be transformed into a commercial service.

From seven jobs in one year to a new business

The itch-scratching venture is far from Zhang’s first attempt at entrepreneurship.

A native of Hubei province, he graduated from a lesser-known university and tried seven different jobs within a single year. Before turning 30, he had founded two companies in cross-border e-commerce, although neither managed to achieve lasting success.

He later entered the we-media industry, but that venture also failed to make a significant impact.

Those earlier setbacks did not stop him from pursuing another idea. Instead, they formed the backdrop to his decision to test a business built around an unconventional service.

Why he believes people will pay for it

Zhang believes demand is partly linked to the pressures of life in China’s major cities.

“In first-tier cities, people generally experience high levels of stress. As a result, this service is in great demand,” Zhang told the local media.

That observation forms part of his pitch for the business. Rather than competing directly with traditional massage services, the stores focus on a simpler form of physical relaxation built around scratching.

The business model, however, had no established template for Zhang to follow. Since there were no precedents for such a service in China, he said he had to research the concept independently and develop scratching techniques from scratch.

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Zhang wants 100 stores across China

Having opened two locations in Shenzhen, Zhang is already looking beyond the city.

His stated target is to establish 100 outlets nationwide. Beyond expanding the brand, he wants itch-scratching to be accepted as a legitimate and widely recognised occupation.

The ambition would require the service to move beyond its novelty value and establish a sustained customer base.

For now, Zhang’s two stores are being used to test that proposition. According to his account, they have already reached break-even and started making profits, while attracting repeat customers.

Social media is divided over the business

The unusual nature of the service has naturally triggered a humorous and sceptical response online.

One user jokingly asked whether Zhang was accepting apprentices, saying they wanted to learn the trade and open a branch in Shanghai.

Another commenter said the concept was intriguing and described itch-scratching as a potentially relaxing experience.

But others questioned whether customers would really pay 300 yuan for the service. One user asked whether there were actually enough people willing to spend that amount on having someone scratch them.

The debate captures the central challenge facing Zhang’s business: turning an unusual concept that attracts curiosity into a service people are willing to purchase repeatedly.