This Chinese man gets paid to scratch people’s backs, and earns ₹14 lakh a month

There are business ideas that change the world.

Then there are business ideas that scratch it.

Quite literally.

In Shenzhen, China, 32-year-old entrepreneur Zhang Xiaoqiao has built an entire company around something most people usually ask a spouse, sibling or friend to do: scratch an itch they cannot reach. What sounds like a joke has turned into a surprisingly profitable venture, with Zhang reportedly earning around 100,000 yuan (about ₹14 lakh) a month from two outlets.

And yes, people are actually lining up for it.

The business that asks one simple question: “Where does it itch?”

Walk into one of Zhang's stores, operating under the brand Suma, and you will not find massages, facials or spa treatments.

Instead, customers lie face down on beds while trained staff use specially designed pointed nails to gently scratch their backs and other hard-to-reach areas. The sessions are tailored to each customer, who can point out particularly itchy spots that need attention.

The service costs around 300 yuan (roughly ₹4,200) an hour.

For many customers, apparently, it is money well spent.

Some have told Zhang that the experience is more relaxing than a massage. Others say it helps them sleep better after stressful days.

How do you even come up with an itch-scratching business?

Like many modern business stories, this one began with social media.

According to reports cited by the South China Morning Post, Zhang came across a video showing a woman scratching her husband's back. What caught his attention was not the video itself but the comments below it.

Several viewers said they would happily pay for that service.

Most people would scroll on.

Zhang started taking notes.

The idea also reminded him of his childhood, when his father would scratch his back to help him fall asleep. Somewhere between nostalgia and entrepreneurship, a business model was born.

Why are people paying for something they could do for free?

Because, according to Zhang, stress has become a business opportunity.

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

His customer base reflects that demand.

Around 70% of clients are men, though women also use the service. Many become repeat customers, helping the business reach profitability within months of opening.

In an age where people pay for sound baths, sleep pods and goat yoga, professional itch-scratching may not be the strangest wellness trend after all.

From seven jobs to one very unusual profession

Zhang's path to success was hardly straightforward.

According to multiple reports, he worked seven different jobs in a single year after graduating from university. He later launched two cross-border e-commerce companies and experimented with social media ventures, but none delivered the breakthrough he wanted.

Then came the itch.

Today, his two stores generate roughly ₹14 lakh in monthly revenue, and he reportedly wants to expand the concept to 100 outlets across China.

The bigger lesson hidden behind the laughs

At first glance, the story sounds absurd.

A professional back-scratcher? Really?

But look closer and it is a reminder that some of the most successful businesses do not invent new problems. They spot old ones that everyone else has learned to ignore.

For centuries, humans have struggled with that one unreachable itch.

Most people grabbed a ruler.

Zhang Xiaoqiao grabbed a business plan.

(With inputs from agencies)