The WaterWhispers Ear Cleaning Role Play

This video is from YouTube ASMR artist TheWaterWhispers. Ilse is a prodigious uploader of ASMR videos with over 300 videos in under 2 years. Ilse used to do videos in both English and Dutch, though for the past year or so all of her videos have been in English. As with other ASMR artists, her (subtle) accent in English is one of the more appealing parts of her videos.

Ilse is one of the artists who has had the most visual change in her style. In earlier videos, Ilse was tentative and reserved, which worked well. Since then, she has gained much more confidence in her style. This is evidenced by an increase in the amount of smiling and eye contact that she makes with the viewer. This more personal tone combined with her pleasant demeanor makes for some very good videos, especially in personal attention and role playing videos.

This video is a medical role play of ear cleaning. I am a very big fan of ear cleaning videos. I actually prefer actual ear cleaning videos to intentional ASMR ear cleaning videos. But, that does not mean that the intentional ones are not excellent, especially with the popularity of 3DIO Free Space microphones.

On to the video:

• 00:06 - Ilse does an excellent job of maintaining eye contact starting here. I can imagine that is very difficult since you must look at the lens of the camera and not the video monitor.
• 00:37 - The fake handshake in ASMR videos is always very awkward. I don't think that there is a good way to shake your hand in the air and make it look like you are actually shaking someone's hand. Though, Ilse's eye movements and lovely smile here make for one of the best I have seen.
• 01:26 - The customer portion continues in the clinic room. I noticed a change in Ilse's tone in this portion to a more soothing and comforting tone, which I enjoy quite a bit.
• 02:43 - Ilse gets up to "look" at the viewer's ears. This is where the 3D microphones shine. The 3D sound, especially with headphones, is extremely wonderful.
• 04:13 - Ilse returns to the chair to finish the customer service portion. One of the surreal aspects of watching ASMR videos is that we find nothing wrong with watching a video where much of it is simply video of an empty chair. I'm definitely not complaining about it though.
• 05:33 - Ilse mentions that some people enjoy ear cleanings and the viewer can just close his/her eyes. I like it when a towel or some other cloth is draped over the lens of the camera with a gentle touch to simulate eyes being closed. It may seem silly, but it makes it feel more real to me, plus is makes me feel like I am okay to close my eyes and drift off to sleep.
• 06:06 - As Ilse begins the medical role play portion of the video, I noticed that her tone changed to an even softer one that is very good. You can even hear some mouth sounds that are very popular triggers for many in the ASMR community.
• 07:00 - When Ilse pushed the "hair" out of the viewer's face, I get major tingles. I think it is the combination of gentleness, personal attention, and attention to detail that does it for me. It is a small touch that makes this such a good video.
• 13:43 - What happened? I think I fell asleep for a bit there. But, I guess she is done with the cleaning?
• 15:02 - I have mentioned before how important I believe that empathy is to the ASMR experience and this simple look from Ilse is a fantastic example of the small expressions that great artists do that make the video work.
• 15:48 - This card that Ilse has that links to other videos is, I think, an excellent way of doing links to other videos. I dislike the in-video pop-up boxes, but I am always looking for other similar videos to watch when I like a particular video.

TheWaterWhispers, Ilse you again!

ASMRrequests Memory Erasure Role Play

This video is from YouTube ASMR artist ASMRrequests. Ally has developed a very professional style of video. She has a few types of videos that she does regularly, such as Thrifty Thursday, Time Travel Tingles, and Raw Tingles. She is also the creator of the very popular Departure series.

Ally does many very long videos. Most of her videos last a half hour or more, with a significant amount lasting nearly an hour or more. I find these lengths to be the last videos I watch before falling asleep, because I have time to drift off while the video is playing.

This video is a role play in the Departure style, though inspired by memory erasure from the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It includes several different "scenes" of some common types of ASMR videos, like medical role play, customer service, and product demonstration. It is also very long at over 50 minutes in length.In Ally's typical professional style, the editing, costuming, and props are very professional and add quite a bit to the experience.

On to the video:

• 00:40 - This begins the medical-style role play portion of the video. The soft-spoken style here is fantastic, and I have a particular affinity for the way that she says, "okay."
• 04:16 - Now, we move on to the customer service portion of the video. This part of the video is actually very important to the overall plot, which is very unique for an ASMR video.
• 10:38 - Very interestingly, when Ally asks for the form to be signed, you can actually hear signing. I am not sure of the method that we used for that sound, but I thought that was an extremely detailed touch that is emblematic of the high quality videos that she puts together.
• 12:27 - We move back into a medical-style role play with electrodes to be attached to the temples. The electrodes prop appears to be actual medical electrodes to my layman's eye. This is another touch from ASMRrequests that I find shows the quality of her work.
• 17:21 - The product demonstration portion of the video begins. I thought that the plot point of personal memories to introduce the items is particularly creative. Ally is able to bring out unique and different items that may provide excellent sounds for an ASMR video while still having a logical transition.
• 17:27 - I personally find the sound of this mug to be a bit jarring and not as "tingly" as I would like. But, I understand that people have many different triggers and the use of multiple items is an excellent way of trying to help as many viewers as possible.
• 28:28 - This box that she uses is an excellent example of the type of item that is a trigger for me personally. There are many different ways to use it in a demonstration format (i.e., tapping, scratching, slowly opening, etc.).
• 39:37 - I strongly believe that empathy is a strong component of ASMR and the viewer has to believe that the artist is empathetic, be it genuine or acting. This empathetic smile at 39:37 is in my opinion one of the reasons that ASMRrequests is such a popular artist.
• 40:53 - Water pouring is a sound that is a trigger for a lot of people, but it tends to just need to make me want to pee.
• 42:30 - This countdown includes an element that I am torn about within ASMR videos. When I am actively watching, I dislike the swinging side-to-side for variation in 3D audio as the swinging takes me out of the video somewhat. But, the audio effect is excellent.
• 43:32 - The slow fade to black and shift in focus is very well done and actually helped me drift off while watching. The shift in focus was like slowly closing my own eyes.

I actually am uninterested in the rest of the video. It is very well done from a technical and artistic point of view, but it was just not my cup of tea. Although, I suggest you watch it and makeup your own mind.

ASMRrequests, the lily of the Ally!

WhispersUnicorn Amateur Massage

This video is from YouTube ASMR artist WhispersUnicorn. She has a slightly more relaxed style to her videos. You could even say they are less polished than other artists out there, but I enjoy that aspect. Often you will see her lovely smile when she has clearly entertained herself and/or is nervous about the odd task that she is performing that so many of us value. Also, in the description of her videos, she often refers to her viewers as "starshines." I'm not usually into that hippie crap, but it feels genuine here, which adds to the experience.

This is one is also unique in that she has brought in a willing victim client, Amanda, who participates verbally especially at the beginning of the video. This is a rather unique video in that it includes two people interacting with the camera. Amanda does not have the ASMR chops that WhispersUnicorn has, but she is not a distraction. Plus, it is nice to see these performed on a body rather than imagined in a point-of-view perspective.

As of publishing, this is WhispersUnicorn's most popular video. This video is a cross between a traditional massage video (strictly non-professional) and a traditional ASMR video. Plus, it is long at over 20 minutes.

On to the video:

•  0:27 - I have mentioned before my love of having my hair touched, so this video is off to a good start.
• 3:23 - We have just had almost three minutes of hair brushing uninterrupted by talking. I think that this sets a good relaxing atmosphere for the great tingles coming up.
• 4:00 - This new bristle brush has a very good sound, much like white noise, but with a rhythm to it.
• 6:27 -  The message portion is about to start. I get major tingles from this part.
• 6:57 - The light touches on the side of the head to rearrange the hair are magic.
• 7:17 - Hair tugging is another one that is amazing for me. Did you know that each hair has a small muscle attached to it. I look at it as hundreds of small muscle stretches, which is very satisfying.
• 9:20 - The twisting hair tugs, I think, are especially great. The deliberate way in which they are coiled; the slight pressure applied, and the symmetrical application on both sides of the head.
• 10:20 - Tapotement, or tapping, was one of my first recognized ASMR triggers, and it still works for me. It also usually leads into a temple rub, which I think is pretty universally enjoyed, even without ASMR.
• 11:30 - She does some very light work on Amanda's neck. I wish she had used more pressure and done that longer. But, it's still a great video.
• 13:30 - These octopus head things are truly magic, but only really work when someone else is applying it, as here.

The rest of the video is more simple hair brushing and playing. But, it ends with a little playfulness on the part of WhispersUnicorn, which I found quite endearing. There is even a "bloopers" video elsewhere.

WhispersUnicorn IS REAL!

Maria GentleWhispering Make-up Role Play

This video is from YouTube sensation GentleWhispering, AKA Maria. Maria's mother tongue is Russian, although her English is very good. Her slightly more than subtle accent adds immeasurably to the quality of the videos. She even has videos where she consciously slips into a heavier Russian accent; while in some others she speaks directly to those in the Russian community. Even those are pretty relaxing, without any real knowledge of the language.

This is one of Maria's role play videos, all of which seem to be popular for her as well as other ASMR artists on YouTube. As of publishing, this is Maria's third most popular video; and the most popular role play video. This video has a lot of things that I like very much: deliberate, slow hand movements, soft-spoken voice, crinkling sounds, and is long (almost 20 minutes).

On to the video:

•  00:01 - 02:50 - I must admit that the first three minutes seem hurried to me. It's almost like it is a quick version of "What's in my purse?". It could have been skipped, but no one's perfect.
• 3:16 - The hairband brushed against the camera 
• 3:36 - The first brush on the camera and it sounds pretty good
• 3:39 -  That noise was bad. It sounded like a very small chainsaw farted. But, as long as there is not too much of that, we should be good.
• 4:46 - I love how Maria applies the make-up to the camera lens, while lowering her voice since she is closer to the "client." The slow motions and caring tone are what make these videos so great.
• 7:10 - I love these Kabuki brushes (as a male, I have learned quite a bit from these make-up videos!). And, it is like virtually feeling them here. Maria's voice just adds to the pleasure.
• 7:36 - Maria has apologized for the second time for the "extra sound." Though, unless you are wearing headphones up quite loud, it's is virtually impossible to hear. I must admit that these unscripted moments make the videos more real for me.
• 9:00 - Maria keeps moving her hair out of her face with just the pinky on her right hand. These subtle, but deliberate movements are, I think, what differentiate Maria.
• 11:11 - These light blows on the brush give me major tingles. Maria has used them in other videos and they are awesome!
• 14:30 - When Maria runs her hands down the side of the client's face, that feels very real to me. I can virtually feel her doing that, which is the essence of ASMR.
• 19:12 - I think Maria's voice sounds the best from here until the end. Thee is a higher degree of softness that I truly love.

Ave Maria!

Facial Massage with Victoria Sprigg

Victoria Sprigg should be a YouTube superstar and I still can't explain why she isn't. Her massage and voice combination is the only one that comes close to Lita from MassageClips, but Victoria's videos are much longer. This one is in fact two videos of nearly 10 minutes each.

As the original poster mentions, the music nearly ruins this video. It is far too loud throughout most of the video, but I have managed to block it out mentally for the most part.

This video starts with a short interview with the receiver as a means of information by Victoria for what should happen before the facial. It also ends with a brief discussion of aromatherapy practices. I will be ignoring both of these portions and starting at 0:46 of the first video and ending at 8:17 of the second video.

Let's talk a walk through these amazing videos:



0:49 - I already love her accent. Obviously it is British, but I can't quite place it regionally.
1:14 - She mentions "keeping contact with the skin all the time," which I have heard mentioned in other videos. But, it sometimes makes them look awkward in the video.
2:09 - She has already broken contact with the skin, though just for a fraction of a second. And, this after oddly holding her forearm to the forehead to avoid that.
2:10 - One thing I always notice in these videos is that while their actions are generally balanced, you can usually tell what hand is the dominant hand. For Victoria, it is her left. If you notice when she is applying the cleansing cream to the face, her left hand flutters, but her right hand remains largely still.
2:52 - I love the way that Victoria says, "massage" with a harder "g" than we would use in the US. This was when I fell in love.
4:08 - If you pause it here, it looks kind of funny since eyes are closed and her shoulders and neck are not showing at all and Victoria is mostly out of frame. It looks like a dead floating head.
4:21 - I love the way that Victoria massages the chin. She does it several times in the videos and I love it every time.
7:56 - There is no way not to look silly when this is being done to you.
8:11 - Damn! Here comes that music again.
8:33 - There is obviously a monitor off to the side for Victoria. She will look at that several times throughout the video. I would think they would have used a different shot at this point, but what do I know?



0:26 - I love the way that Victoria massages the temples.
0:54 - I love it when people play with my hair. This must feel REALLY good.
1:38 - Another word that I love when Victoria says it: "wonderful"
3:09 - It looks as if the recipient's neck has become rubber as she leans it into Victoria's shoulder to keep it up. Mine would too.
5:15 - The close-up here is very nice. I love the way Victoria spreads the cream about the face.
6:26 - The music is so damn loud that I can barely hear Victoria. I HATE THAT!
7:10 - I am so glad that the music is gone.
7:55 - Mmmmmmm...more hair touching.
8:15 - A finishing close-up of the sunflowers? Sure that makes sense.

Victoria, you are my queen.

Lita from Massage Clips - "Massage Instructions Video for Face and Ears"

My absolute personal favorite on YouTube is Lita from Massage Clips. More important than the actual massage is Lita's voice. It is magical. One listen and you are hooked. One word, that has been used often in the comments, describes Lita's videos perfectly: eargasm. Her most popular video (below) has only just more than 1 million hits on YouTube, which is a travesty to me.

BTW, who are the 40 people who disliked this video? And, what happened to them to make them hate life so much?

Let's talk a walk through this unfortunately short video.



0:01 - Wow! I am very comfortable already.
0:14 - She doesn't even move or speak for 10 seconds and I am nearly comatose already.
0:24 - "...calm right down." Mmmmmmm.
0:38 - Look away from her thumbs and look at the light touch she is applying with her fingers on the lower portion of the recipients face. It's those little details that make Lita so awesome.
0:54 - "OK" (in a hushed whisper) is, I think, the moment this video becomes eargasmic.
0:56 - "and the ears" like she just discovered them (a comment from pburnett11 2 years ago)
0:59 - "Like so" (in a hushed whisper) is eargasm moment #2.
1:04 - The slow zoom towards the ear is very subtle, and a very good addition.
1:16 - I could honestly care less about the ear reflexology description here. But, I am glad she is talking again.
1:33 - "It feels really good." I believe that.
1:47 - NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

I hate you Lita for making me love you so much.

Baba the Cosmic Barber in "World's Greatest Head Massage"

The title of this video ("World's Greatest Head Massage" by nupse) is not an overstatement. In fact, it is an understatement. Fans of this video are, well, fanatical. People have traveled to Pushkar, India to enjoy one of Baba's massages.

I call him Baba because that is what he is referred to as in the comments and in the response videos that follow this. Is that his real name? I really don't know. It seemed racist to me the first time I saw it in the comments. But, what do I know?

I have watched this video at least 200 times, and I am still enthralled with it. Let me walk you through the video:



0:01 - What the hell is he doing?
0:05 - Ohhhhh....Note the application of cosmic energy. I get it.
0:20 - I bet that feels pretty good (neck tension loosens).
0:31 - What the hell was that noise?
1:01 - Where did that music come from?
1:07 - ♪ He's got the whole world in his hands ♪
1:12 - That one little spot really needed some good cosmic energy. Screw the rest of his head.
1:26 - That was sudden!
2:08 - This is my favorite part. That looks soooo relaxing (eyelids getting heavy).
2:12 - PEEKABOO! Creepy guy looking at you. I bet his finger smells good.
2:30 - That looks good (starting to doze off).
2:43 - Was that a cough or a sneeze? (BTW, it was the camera guy, you can see him in the mirror)
2:50 - Baba likes.
2:54 - I wonder what Baba's breathe smells like. Christian knows.
3:10 - More of my favorite. Those rolling knuckles looks quite pleasing.
3:15 - hffgdbfvhgh (Head crashes into keyboard from relaxation coma)
3:35 - Pull back and RELAX! Did he really have to beat him like that?
4:00 - WHOA! Hey! Whatcha doing there Baba?
4:23 - 1.5 seconds of hacking. That seems right.
4:44 - Where did the music go?
5:15 - Baba looks like he's getting ready to slash his throat.
5:16 - Video cuts away, so I assume he did, in fact, slash his throat.

It's Baba's world, we just live in it.