Genuine relaxation is hard to come by. That relaxing of the muscles, that gentle tingling spreading through your body that brings with it a warmth, those goosebumps, your eyelids getting heavy... Sometimes it takes the shape of a 45-minute massage for R2,500, that loses steam as soon as you step out of the Buddha-blessed, incense-heavy AC parlour into a traffic jam. Sometimes, it’s the caress of a parent or a lover, with their fingers gently touching your hair, forehead... ah, bliss. And sometimes, there’s ASMR.

Okay, let’s start at the very beginning. ASMR is not a government organisation, or the name of a radio station. It translates into Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response—basically a tingling sensation that usually begins on the scalp and moves down the back of the neck and upper spine. It is usually triggered by specific auditory or visual stimuli. In lay terms, it’s certain sounds and sights that relax you, make you feel tingly all over (in a good way), sleepy and comforted.