For $80 an hour, or up to $400 for an overnight gig, the 33-year-old mother of three dons flannel pajama bottoms, puts away her family pictures and two pit bull mix dogs and invites clients into her bedroom in Highland, N.Y., to snuggle. Once the spooning begins, she insists that it stay strictly platonic.
The cuddle-for-hire business is taking off—even though the clothes stay on. Thousands of customers across the country are booking appointments with professional cuddlers in at least 16 states. The snugglers squeeze, tickle and bearhug clients for a fixed rate. Patrons who booked these services out of mere curiosity say they have become hooked on their therapeutic benefits.
"I am a convert," says Melissa Duclos-Yourdon, 35, a freelance writer and editor in Vancouver, Wash. She originally hired a cuddler after hearing about it from members of her book club, thinking it could provide fodder for an essay. Once cuddled, "I felt transformed," she says.
While snuggling businesses have existed for years, interest is accelerating with newer online apps and meet-up services. Plans are under way for a cuddling convention.
One free app, Cuddlr, launched in September and already has had about 240,000 downloads, according to Charlie Williams, a founder and developer. The location-based social-media application allows users to find people near them to cuddle with. Between 7,000 and 10,000 people are using the service daily, he says. The company’s slogan: “Ever just want a cuddle?”
The website Cuddle Comfort offers a matching service where members can post pictures, profiles and find others who are interested in nonsexual spooning. The free site now has around 18,000 members, founder Mark Sanger says. Recent discussions on the site include the best movie genres to snuggle to.
Not everyone feels warm and fuzzy about for-hire cuddling. When Jacqueline Samuel, 31, opened her business in a Rochester, N.Y.-area family guest home, neighbors worried it would attract unsavory patrons. She moved that business about two years ago to a Rochester commercial district. The Snuggery now charges $50 for 45 minutes and $425 for an overnight cuddle session.
The Snuggle House, a business in Madison, Wis., closed in 2013 amid concerns from residents it could become a front for something more overtly amorous than snuggling, according to Joel DeSpain, a spokesman for the Madison Police Department. He says officials checked out the operation but never issued citations.
Police officials contacted in a half-dozen cities where snuggle businesses operate say they haven’t had complaints and that the operations seem to be following the law.
Unlike massage therapists, who typically undergo specific training and licensing, cuddlers aren’t licensed. Oversight rests with local regulations and ordinances. Operators in some cases may have to abide by local requirements, such as zoning and land-use restrictions or obtaining a license for a home-based business.
The blurry nature of for-hire cuddling—part massage therapy, part clinical psychology—can lead to disappointed customers and unorthodox requests, cuddling professionals say. One female professional snuggler turned down a male client’s request to wear a skintight body suit. Another male client would only spoon in his business suit.
"I had one female client who wanted to spend the entire session tickling," says Travis Sigley, 27, a professional cuddler in San Francisco.
The industry got its start in the U.S. at least five years ago, according to cuddle entrepreneurs who call Mr. Sigley a pioneer in the field here. The long-haired former psychology student and onetime stripper says he launched his San Francisco business, Cuddle Therapy, because he felt frustrated by restrictions against touch between therapists and their clients.
Since then, dozens of professional cuddlers have hung out a shingle or contracted to work for online cuddling entrepreneurs. Some outfits require that customers sign a contract spelling out what type of nuzzling is within bounds. Some rely on a body diagram that stipulates in bright red which body parts are off-limits.
At Cuddle Up To Me in Portland, Ore., leg touching is sanctioned, but not far up the thigh. The storefront business relies on security cameras to monitor sessions.
"I could tell some were disappointed that all they were getting was a cuddle, but that’s the way it is," says Becky Rodrigues, 34. She works for The Snuggle Buddies LLC, an online service with cuddlers in 15 states. She nuzzles clients on a bed behind a privacy screen in her Phoenixville, Pa., basement.
Snuggle client contracts often enforce another way of keeping things clean: They require clients to shower and brush their teeth before sessions.
Research shows there are tangible physical and emotional perks to touch. It can increase levels of oxytocin, a bonding hormone produced by the hypothalamus that promotes warm feelings. Touch may lower heart rates and reduce stress, according to academic research.
Many professional cuddlers tailor their services around a book called 'The Cuddle Sutra,' which offers detailed descriptions of poses such as Cheek to Cheek, Come to Papa and Sardines.
Kelly Peterson, 49, a former high-school teacher, opened Cuddle Connection in February in Roseville, Calif. She says she spent thousands to draft legal documents and secure professional liability coverage.
Sessions take place on reclining lounge chairs or giant bean bags. Ms. Peterson believes beds give clients the wrong idea. Employees wear “professional cuddling outfits” of velour leisure suits.
Women have sent husbands and boyfriends to teach them how to cuddle properly. One of Ms. Peterson’s professional cuddlers got so comfortable that the client and the snuggler fell asleep past the alarm notifying them the session had ended.
Samantha Hess, 30, opened Cuddle Up To Me in November as a storefront in Portland. Business is so brisk she has hired three employees who offer 50 cuddle positions, charging $1 a minute for sessions lasting up to five hours. She says she gets thousands of emails from interested clients—along with a few marriage proposals.
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