Self-indulgence Fuels New Trend in Spending

Not every Chinese consumer indulgence is a famous-brand handbag or a new lipstick. Sometimes, self-pampering can be a solo ski trip, a visit to a pet café visit on a rainy afternoon or a blind-box toy. What were once guilty pleasures are becoming budgeted routines.

As economic uncertainty weighs on big-ticket purchases, personal spending is veering toward emotional reward over status seeking. In China, the self-gratification trend is led by young urbanites who consider pleasure a necessity, not a luxury.

From solo spa sessions to late-night dessert deliveries, these "just-for-me" purchases are shaping a booming services sector. Self-pampering is at the heart of a trend worth hundreds of billions of yuan in spending, and analysts say it's only getting started in China. Underlying it all is the belief that if something is personally pleasurable, it's worth paying for.

The rise of the "me era" is reshaping how China's services industries, especially in beauty, wellness and leisure activities, are targeting the young generation.

"At the heart of this trend is emotional-value consumption," said Chen Xin, director of Meituan's beauty division. "People aren't just paying for a haircut or a facial. They're paying to reset, to feel taken care of – even if the sensation is just momentary."

Meituan, which operates China's largest lifestyle app, now partners with over 800,000 beauty services and clocked more than 110 million orders for basic hair-dressing packages last year.

People born in the mid-1990s and beyond now account for 59 percent of beauty service buyers on the platform, fueling a 24 percent year-on-year rise in niche services like custom hair coloring and "therapeutic" treatments such as scalp massages and yoga.

Among the company's top 100 most-booked stylists, many are praised by users for their emotional resonance and ability to understand women's needs.

"Consumers are no longer satisfied with basic functionality alone," Chen said. "They're looking for function plus emotional value. The yardstick for services has shifted from simple price-performance to a deeper need for personal resonance."

The trend is spilling over into other lifestyle categories, from pet cafés to immersive experiences.

According trend tracking firm iResearch, China's "self-pleasure" market was valued at 4.2 trillion yuan (US$577 billion) in 2024, with 76 percent of spending driven by consumers aged 18 to 35. The trend spans over 30 niche sectors, including beauty, health, boutique travel and even some digital services.

The pet realm is one example. Once centered on breeding and vet clinics, it has expanded to embrace the vast number of people who view pets as family deserving of premium treatment. The value of the market expanded from 97.8 billion yuan in 2015 to 592.8 billion yuan in 2023, and it now includes services such as pet spas, pet birthday cakes and AI pet translators.

One popular package on lifestyle apps, dubbed "emotional support for a dog," allows consumers to pay to walk a fluffy companion without the long-term responsibility of pet ownership.

"Today's consumers are under growing pressure from career competition and burnout, and they're turning to emotion-driven purchases for relief," said analyst Li Meicen from Caitong Securities, citing a 2024 MobTech survey showing that over 80 percent of Chinese respondents regularly feel 'trapped' by the urban rat race.

"For many, buying something that sparks joy isn't irrational; it's therapeutic," she said.

The report also noted that purchases driven by emotional pleasure jumped from 33 percent in 2021 to 42 percent in 2022, becoming the second most cited reason for buying something.

The booming blind-box toy market has benefited from the trend. Pop Mart, China's top collectibles brand, has built an empire on surprise and emotional payoff. Over 70 percent of its customers are women, and many describe the purchase of a 59-yuan figurine as "an instant hit of joy."

While some "dopamine buys" aim to provide emotional highs, others focus on emotional release. One growing category called "healing consumption" is designed not to excite but to discharge negative emotions.

Temples provide one venue for the trend. Once seen as a tradition for the elderly, temple visits are now being embraced by young white-collar workers seeking emotional detox. On the lifestyle platform RedNote, hashtags like "healing through worship" and "temple travel" have surged, with users documenting pilgrimages not taken for incense offerings but for a spiritual refuge and break from digital life.

Around popular pilgrimage spots, like Hangzhou's Lingyin Temple or Xi'an's Famen Temple, pop-up cafés, incense-blending workshops and souvenir shops sell everything from embroidered amulets to "blessing coffees" and zodiac-themed prayer beads. Some platforms now offer "one-day meditation retreats" along with temple tours.

"The rise of emotional products is closely tied to modern consumers' growing need for emotional relief and comfort," said Li with Caitong Securities. "China's self-care economy is increasingly structured by four drivers: pursuit of personal health and well-being, the desire to realize life goals, the need for individual expression and the search for emotional comfort."

As the pressures of modern life grow stronger, young Chinese consumers are quietly rewriting what it means to feel good, and what that's worth.