A customer receives scratching services at Zhang's shop in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province. Photo: Jimu News

A 32-year-old man has turned something as simple as back scratching into a real and booming business in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province.

According to a media outlet operated by Shenzhen Media Group, Zhang Xiaoqiao opened his first "itch-scratching" shop in May. The store made 80,000 yuan ($11,920) in revenue in its first month. He opened a second shop the following month, and a third is now being planned.

Zhang said about 60 to 70 percent of his customers are male. Some have even traveled to Shenzhen from places including Jiangxi, Hangzhou and the Sichuan-Chongqing region just to try the service.

The shop's most popular option is an 80-minute sleep-aid package priced at 299 yuan ($45) to help the client get asleep. The stores also offer traditional ear cleaning and massage, but scratching services account for more than 70 percent of their revenue.

The job may sound simple, but Zhang spent more than four months developing his own techniques. Jimu News reported that he divided the human body into five main "itch zones" and more than 30 smaller areas, with different levels of pressure used on different parts.

The business idea came from a video Zhang saw online of a wife scratching her husband. It reminded him of how his father used to scratch him to help him fall asleep when he was a child.

After two failed attempts at starting businesses, Zhang began making online content about scratching. The response encouraged him to turn the unusual idea into a real shop.

Global Times