I have previously written an article about an in-person ASMR spa in Canada.

Well, the lucky citizens of Ireland may also be getting a new ASMR spa for their real world tingles and relaxation.

Amanda Rose Doherty is a product manager at a pharmaceutical company in Dublin, Ireland and received her Business Studies Degree in Marketing at Dublin City University.

Amanda is also interested in opening up an ASMR spa in Dublin.

Her keen marketing education and wisdom is guiding her to make informed decisions about her spa vision.  To help her do this, she has created a survey to gather input from those within the ASMR community.

In my interview with Amanda she shares her inspiration for an ASMR spa, her goals for the survey about the spa, her perceived challenges of bringing her idea to reality, her wonderful vision of an ASMR-enriched future and more.

Below are my questions in bold, her replies in italics, and a link to her ASMR spa survey.

What inspired you to want to create a spa which offers ASMR triggers?

Amanda, “I was going through a phase of watching role-play videos by Maria (Gentle Whispering), Ally (ASMR Requests) and Emma (Whispers Red) and initially thought – “what about a real life ASMR café?”, but the more I thought on it and watched more ASMR spa role-play videos, I then set on the idea of the spa.

Most of my favourite stimuli revolve around someone getting pampered – massaged, hair brushed, nails painted etc.”

Have you heard of or visited any other spas that do something similar?

Amanda, “Only thanks to your post on Terri Renaud of “The Spa Club” in Scarborough Ontario, Canada.   From doing research online, I also know that Lush offers synesthesia-type massages.  I’m going to visit Lush in the UK in 2016 to check it out as I haven’t ever visited an ASMR-type spa.”

Where will your spa be located?

Amanda, “Dublin City, Ireland. My dream would be to have a couple of spas located throughout the world and ideally in quiet locations in the countryside.”

Will it look like other walk-in spas? How will it be similar and different?

Amanda, “I’ve been doing quite a lot of research (Pinterest is great for this) on layouts, design, colour psychology, sound systems etc. and it will have similarities to other walk-in spas, however, the textures and layout will be more deliberate and conducive to ‘tingles’.

I see the service as being the main differentiating factor, with each guest receiving the ultimate tailored package with live role-plays unfolding in front of their eyes.”

Are you self-funding this idea or do you have investors?

Amanda, “Right now, Im concentrating my efforts on developing my business plan and joining as many entrepreneurial and networking groups/events as possible so that I’m exposing myself to potential investors.

The recession in Ireland has meant that the government is actively encouraging entrepreneurial communities, opening up more opportunities to start-ups.  As a result, there are numerous funding boards providing decent sums of money for new ventures.”

You have created a survey to gather feedback about this idea, what decisions will be guided by the results of this survey?

Amanda, “The results of the survey will allow me to answer the following:
a. Market potential – will a real-life ASMR be used by anyone?, i.e. how profitable could this business be?
b. Who would use this service? i.e. demographics – who is my target audience? Age, location, interests etc.
c. which leads to – pricing, how much are people willing to spend on such a service?”

Will you be making the results of the survey public?

Amanda, “Absolutely! I will 100% share my results.  I think it would be interesting for other people out there who might be carrying out similar research or just curious about the nature of the trends within the ASMR arena.”

Is this your first business venture?

Amanda, “Yes, it is – I’ve thrashed out a few other business ideas in my head, but for some reason or another, that’s where they’ve stayed.  

This is the first one that from the moment I had the idea, I could not stop thinking about it and am doing constant research.  More than likely it’s because I’m so passionate about ASMR.”

What do you think will be the biggest challenge with bringing this idea to reality?

Amanda, “To be honest, one of them is/will be explaining the idea to people (especially potential investors) who’re not familiar with the concept.  But in fairness, some of the people I’ve shared the idea with that weren’t previously familiar have been really responsive and intrigued.

One thing I’m finding is that when I do explain this phenomenon, some people think it’s a sexual experience, so that’s been interesting dealing with those questions!

Another challenge I see and I’m experiencing already is juggling my full-time job and trying to dedicate enough time to this so that I’m not neglecting either.”

Have you come up with a name for the spa yet?

Amanda, “I’m toying with a few names at the minute.  I was fortunate enough to be able to visit a place in South America recently called Cartagena with my work, and I absolutely fell in love with the place.  

There is a huge fort built around the old part of the city so most of it is pedestrianized and it feels so safe with a very chilled atmosphere.  So I’m thinking a word that denotes a haven or hut or cabin of some sort.”

Where do you see the field of live ASMR services in 10 years from now?

Amanda, “You can see that the amount of ASMRtists on YouTube is just exploding and the research on the topic is becoming of bigger interest to individuals in the sciences.

Our lives are only getting busier and people are constantly looking for ways to reduce stress but still maintain an active lifestyle; I see there being ASMR ‘pods’ located at workplaces, on the streets, with live ASMR shows, and even integrations into certain industries – like aviation with dedicated ASMR airlines, hospitality, retail etc.

By that stage, one would like to think that scientists will have uncovered some evidence as to why people experience ASMR, opening up a whole new field within neurology.  It might allow the science and the holistic fields to finally merge.

I see a surge in ASMR technology – ASMR cinemas, with ASMR surround-sound systems.  The possibilities are endless!”

Click HERE to share your ideal ASMR spa vision with Amanda by taking her survey.

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This post brought to you by ASMR University.  A site with the mission of increasing the awareness, understanding, and research of the Art and Science of Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response.