For a moment, I felt like a child again.
My head rested on a silky pillowcase, fingers gently combing through my hair while a soft voice whispered in my ear.
But this wasn’t bedtime — and that definitely wasn’t mom. It was actually 3 p.m. on a scorching summer day in NoMad, and I was in the middle of a signature therapy session at Whisper Wave, New York’s first and only ASMR spa.
ASMR, or Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, is the tingly, goosebump-like sensation some people get from certain audio, visual or tactile triggers.
If you’ve spent more than five minutes on the internet in the past decade, you’ve probably seen so-called “ASMRtists” whispering, tapping, scratching or even chewing into a mic, trying to generate that fuzzy blissed feeling that some have likened to a “brain orgasm.”
Some of the most popular ASMR clips on YouTube have racked up over 30 million views, and TikTok hosts a whopping 346.2 million videos related to “ASMR Sounds.”
At Whisper Wave, founder Rebecca Benvie is taking the internet craze offline — and straight to your nervous system.
“A lot of people think ASMR is a technique, when, in fact, it’s a physiological response to different types of stimuli,” Benvie, 40, told The Post. “People can get ASMR from literally anything.”
While researchers are still studying the science behind ASMR, fans swear by its calming effects. Studies suggest it can ease stress and anxiety, boost mood, improve sleep and even offer temporary relief from chronic pain and depression.
But it’s not for everyone. Some people feel nothing, and for others, the triggers can actually have a distressing effect.
Benvie, a longtime ASMR enthusiast with a background in somatic therapy and energy healing, discovered its healing power firsthand while seeking ways to manage her own PTSD.
“This is something I had personally been seeking out, and I was very surprised to see that nobody was doing anything like it in New York,” she said. “I wanted to offer it to this very productive and stressed-out community.”
What it’s really like to get an ASMR treatment
I hadn’t dipped much into the world of ASMR myself, but when I heard Whisper Wave was offering live sessions — and charging $150 or more a pop — I had to find out what the buzz was about.
At my appointment, the room was cozy and dim, lit by a flickering candle and a warm sunset lamp. It looked like a massage studio, but instead of lotions and hot stones, Benvie’s toolkit was packed with feathers, brushes — and, as I soon found out, a few surprise items straight from the pet store.
“I want people to be taken back to a time when they were children being nurtured and cared for.”
Rebecca Benvie
She had me lie face-down on a silk-draped table under a light blanket. Clients are encouraged to dress comfortably, but Benvie is clear: The goal here is serenity, not seduction.
Benvie greeted me with a serene smile, asked how I was feeling, and if there was anything specific I wanted her to focus on. Then she got to work — wafting essential oils through the air and gently combing my hair while reading a fairy tale in a soft, hypnotic whisper.
Before long, I was lulled into a dream-like state, my breath slow and steady.
The first tingles hit when she lightly traced thin wooden sticks across my back. Then nylon brushes swept over my shoulders and neck, sending shivers down my spine.
I was happy to join the club of people who feel those famous ASMR chills, but at first, I kept thinking: What on earth is Benvie using to make this happen?
Eventually, I stopped analyzing and just surrendered. My racing brain finally shut up, letting my body take the wheel.
Next up: soft makeup brushes gliding across my face, peacock feathers drifting lazily down my arms.
At one point, I heard a faint metallic crinkle in my ear — which, it turns out, was a cat toy. The exact kind my tabby uses to stage 3 a.m. zoomies. Relaxing? Weirdly, yes.
“ASMR isn’t just relaxation, it’s a gateway to emotional and physical healing.”
Rebecca Benvie
Benvie followed that by slowly swirling a singing bowl over my head, its vibrations humming through my body. She traced words of affirmation on my skin, gently scratched my back and playfully mimicked cracking an egg on my scalp, letting her fingertips trickle down my neck like yolk.
As our session came to a close, the usual hum of my anxious thoughts had quieted. The tension I’d lugged in — rush-hour stress, inbox overload, and brutal New York summer heat — had faded away.
More than anything, I felt cared for, transported back to girlhood as my mother tucked me into bed.
“I want it to feel very nostalgic,” Benvie said. “I want people to be taken back to a time when they were children being nurtured and cared for.”
From insomnia and anxiety to PTSD, Benvie said many of Whisper Wave’s clients are struggling with personal challenges and come back regularly to recharge. But she emphasized that live ASMR can help others too — from stressed-out workaholics who can’t relax to people dealing with breakups or major life changes.
“By addressing the nervous system and taking it down from its heightened, dysregulated state into a place of its more baseline calm, we’re able to perform miracles on ourselves in terms of our own healing journeys,” Benvie said.
Some Whisper Wave clients, she noted, are just starving for human connection.
“Loneliness is one that we talk about a lot,” Benvie said. “Outside of romance, many people aren’t receiving enough physical touch, and can go weeks without more than a handshake.”
Believe it or not, that can take a serious toll on your wellbeing.
Studies have linked a lack of physical contact to feelings of loneliness, depression, anxiety and low self-esteem. It can spike cortisol — the body’s primary stress hormone — and lead to sleep issues, weakened immunity, digestive problems and even heart trouble.
“Massage is one of the few services for human contact, but it can be physically challenging, and often lacks the softer, more nurturing element that so many of us crave,” Benvie explained.
She knows firsthand. During a busy spell traveling for work, Benvie said she started booking massages not for sore muscles — but just to get some non-sexual, nurturing touch.
For those less drawn to ASMR’s tingly quirks, Whisper Wave offers treatments centered around hairplay and back rubs, designed to spark feelings of calm and closeness.
There’s also a “Sleep Induction” session, where clients lie under a weighted blanket while Benvie performs rhythmic tapping and back tracking, paired with hypnotic whispers and gentle ambient sound.
For anyone looking to go deeper, she’s crafted a spiritual reset experience that blends ASMR with energy healing techniques like Reiki, herb smudging and aura cleansing.
“ASMR isn’t just relaxation, it’s a gateway to emotional and physical healing,” Benvie said. “I just want people to leave feeling really cozy, like their whole system’s been taken care of.”
While ASMR might not be my new everyday escape, Whisper Wave delivers a rare dose of calm — and a few spine-tingling surprises — in a city where slowing down is easier said than done.
