WATCH: TikTok ASMR trend heads to the massage studio in SA
Imagine a massage that was spawned in a viral universe where whispering, chewing crackly snacks and tapping or slurping through straws reign supreme. ASMR, short for autonomous sensory meridian response, has now hopped across the digital sphere to a real-world experience – and it's now leapt across the Atlantic to Mzansi.
An ASMR massage is designed to soothe frayed nervous systems through touch, breath, sensory experiences and ambient sound.
Ann-Marie Viviers, founder of Heavenly Healing, has introduced what she believes is one of the first ASMR-based massage treatments in South Africa. Her method is inspired by the online trend that has captivated millions of people looking for calm in distraction in an increasingly messy world.
'It is not just a massage,' said Viviers. 'It is a controlled sensory environment. You are surrounded by soft thunder, rain sounds and intuitive touch. It is designed to quiet the noise that most people carry in their heads.'
The treatment includes slow, gentle touch, carefully selected soundscapes, energy work, and ritual elements that blend ceremony and therapy in a single moment.
Watch an ASMR massage:
Sessions, she said, begin with a mist of water infused with crystals such as selenite and clear quartz, left to charge under the moon. Clients choose the sound palette for their session from rainfall, rustling leaves, to distant thunder, which plays softly in the background.
The massage itself involves barely-there brushing using feathers, silk or soft-textured fabric. 'Stones like larimar or amethyst are placed gently on or around the body to support grounding or emotional release.'
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'There is a softness to this kind of massage that helps people feel seen without needing to speak,' Viviers said. 'Every sound and every touch is chosen to help the body settle and the mind find stillness. It is not about knots or pressure points. It is about emotional reset.'
Full body and spirit experience
Viviers said it is a full-body and full-spirit experience. 'It is sensual in the sense of being fully present in your senses. Some clients describe it as a spiritual return to themselves. You come in scattered and leave whole.'
Psychologist and medical doctor Dr Jonathan Redelinghuys said the popularity of ASMR content online, and now in real-life experiences, represents a move toward sensory-based therapies.
'People are turning to experiences that bypass the brain's usual defences,' he said. 'ASMR works with soft, repetitive, predictable input. The brain reads that as safety. That brings the nervous system down from a constant state of alert.'
Dr Redelinghuys said ASMR, once considered internet novelty, has proven its staying power. 'We are overstimulated, overworked and interrupted constantly. ASMR offers a very different kind of presence. Whether it is online or in person, people are responding to that.'
Possible reduction in anxiety
Clinical research on ASMR is still in its early stages, but existing studies point to reduced anxiety, lower heart rate and improved sleep in individuals who respond to the stimuli. Dr Redelinghuys said it is not a one-size-fits-all approach, but it is meaningful for those who experience the effect.
'This kind of massage is not therapy in the traditional sense, but it is therapeutic,' he said. 'It brings people back into their bodies. That alone can be healing.'
Viviers said the treatment has attracted people who do not always feel comfortable with conventional massage. 'Some clients have trauma, some struggle with overstimulation, some just want a way to feel without having to talk. This gives them that.'
Sessions typically last between one and one and a half hours and are structured around presence rather than outcome. 'We are not trying to fix anything,' Viviers said. 'We are creating a pause, a space where someone can just be. From the moment the mist goes into the air to the final breath of the session, it is about stillness.'
Dr Redelinghuys said the use of ASMR in wellness treatments is not surprising. 'Not all healing comes from analysis. Some of it comes from attention and care,' he said. 'If a treatment helps someone feel safe and calm, it matters.'
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