Pinch Me therapy dough sales go national

Cape Region hypnotherapist Nancy Rothner created Pinch Me therapy dough and began selling her product online just last summer.

Now she says the whirlwind success of her invention is keeping her busier than she ever imagined.

Pinch Me is a pliable, putty-like dough available in six nature-based colors and scents that offers users what Rothner likes to call "a good habit" and aromatherapy for stress relief.

Orders trickled in at first, she said, but the product really began to take off after Pinch Me was included in gift bags at the American Music Awards in November, giving her instant exposure, credibility and a celebrity fan base.

"I'm thrilled, I'm elated," Rothner said. "This is my dream."

The inventor still doesn't know how producers discovered her product, but she said the success has been swift.

Since then, Pinch Me has caught the attention of online reviewers and celebrities like Nikki Soohoo, who appeared in the movie "Lovely Bones" and featured the product at her launch party in Beverly Hills.

Blogger Mary Walker, who runs plumcrazyaboutcoupons.com, and others are filling the website www.pinchmedough.com with positive assessments of their experience with the product.

"When I heard Pinch Me, I wasn’t sure what to think. But it arrived and I soon put it to work. Heck, I even had my husband using it," Walker wrote. "The more you pinch, the better you will feel."

After her success with the AMAs, Rothner said, she was also interviewed for nationally syndicated radio show "Overnight America" with Jon Grayson on CBS radio.

Another flood of orders for Pinch Me has kept her busy since.

Here in the Cape Region, Rothner is now doing double-duty with work as a hypnotherapist during the day and filling orders at night. She offers free shipping nationwide and a portion of her proceeds are directed at Bootstrap USA, helping soldiers overcome Post Traumatic Stress Disorder through relaxation therapies.

Pinch Me therapy dough is now available for purchase at Bad Hair Day? salon in Rehoboth Beach and online at www.pinchmedough.com.