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S’porean sets up ASMR ‘audio spa’ whispering, crinkling objects to customers in US

SINGAPORE — A 25-year-old US-based Singaporean is part of a team that provides unique “audio spa” services that include brushing your hair, crinkling paper and whispering into your ear in the name of relaxation and sensory awareness.

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SINGAPORE — A 25-year-old US-based Singaporean is part of a team that provides unique “audio spa” services that include brushing your hair, crinkling paper and whispering into your ear in the name of relaxation and sensory awareness.

Together with three associates, Melinda Lauw set up Whisperlodge last year out of a love for autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) and immersive theatre.

ASMR is described as a tingling sensation that begins in the scalp and moves down your spine, typically triggered by soft sounds. Not everyone experiences it though, but it has nonetheless grown into an online subculture in US.

Growing up, Lauw had “this weird liking for certain sounds” that she did not dare confide in anyone about it. One of her earliest memories of experiencing ASMR’s tingling feeling was when she was watching the popular children’s programme Teletubbies in pre-school.

“I only discovered the term ASMR about seven years ago, and my life completely changed. This weird thing (ASMR tingles) I had, stopped being weird. I was able to name it, talk about it, and I found a community of people online who shared the same tingles.

“Since then, I’ve been actively researching ASMR, watching ASMR videos, sharing ASMR and making art about ASMR,” said Lauw.

Lauw and her associates have so far done 14 small runs of the intimate immersive “performances”, or audio spa services. These services are either conducted in groups of three to eight guests, where they are led through a house for a 90-minute session, or a one-on-one treatment tailored to an individual’s ASMR requests.

Such sessions can range from US$40 (S$54) to US$180, depending on the level of intimacy, and are usually sold out, according to Lauw.

“Whisperlodge is the only place in the world where you can reliably come to experience ASMR in person... We see (it) as a place where you are encouraged to slow down, to draw out your attention span, and to focus on small details and sounds,” said Lauw.

The ASMR movement also encompasses the “slime craze” which has taken Singapore by storm since the beginning of the year, say slime makers and sellers TODAY spoke to.

Geraldine Ang, 21, a travel assistant at her mother’s travel agency showcases her slime catalogue on Instagram account @slimecrime.co, estimated that there are around 200 such accounts in Singapore. Ang sells them for S$3 to S$14 each, depending on size and type, and claims to make about S$2,000 to S$3,000 per month.

Slimes, easily made from everyday materials like glue, shaving foam and scented hand lotion, may contain foam beads, glitter, eye makeup or fishbowl beads to create aesthetic and audio effects.

Sellers like Ang and Jermaine Peng, 14, upload “slime videos” on Instagram, in which users knead or “poke” the slime to make popping, “crunchy and sizzling” sounds.

The trend attracts mainly teenagers who, correspondingly, are Ang and Peng's clients.

Said Ang: “I only learned about ASMR after watching slime videos. I wanted to understand the logic behind the popularity of these videos, so I started searching ASMR videos on YouTube. I would say slime videos are a ‘watered down’ version of ASMR as most people watch or make slime because it’s fun and de-stressing, not necessarily because they experience tingles.”

A search on ASMR yielded over 10 million results on YouTube, including a recent parody video by 32-year-old local blogger Wendy Cheng, better known by her moniker Xiaxue.

Peng said: “I make slimes as I find it fun and interesting. It helps me de-stress from my school work... (but) the sound of slime poking is (also) satisfying.”

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