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Earlier this week a friend of mine told me something rather bizarre; a woman in Portland has opened a cuddling business, and she’s charging $60 an hour for private sessions.
I know times were tough, but damn people are we seriously paying for snuggles now?
Having been single for a while, I know the night-time craving for having someone to hold all too well - the various intimate spooning positions while you snore away the troubles of the day.
I remember even as a child I would cuddle with my grams and in that moment everything was at ease, just the idea of being held is overwhelmingly beautiful. So when I found out that there is a woman out there selling people that intimate interaction, I was all kinds of shocked.
But I must admit I couldn't help feeling sorry for the "forever alones".
In her first week of opening the business, Samantha Hess had around 1 000 customers waiting for the self-proclaimed professional snuggler to do wonders. Hmm, I was unaware that this was an actual profession. How does one become a professional snuggler actually? Is there a three week course that offers a higher certificate maybe?
According to the Business Insider Samantha’s business was inspired by some man with a "Free Hugs" sign. I guess she conveniently left out the "FREE" part when she opened her studio and named it "Cuddle Up To Me".
Samantha emphasized how in our culture this kind of touching has been linked with romance and it is not easy for people to be platonic. And because of this clients need to sign a document with all the rules and personal boundaries before enjoying the "meditational" service.
I dug a little deeper to try and make sense of why a person would go as far as adding "cuddling with stranger" on their list of expenses. I stumbled upon a few (apparent) scientifically proved reasons why cuddling is so much more than spooning and hoping for round two.
As said by Lifehack these are the facts:
1. It can lower the risks of heart disease
2. Boost your immune system
3. And if you suffer from anxiety, cuddling might do the trick
Granted these are viable reasons, but R660 for what is actually a dramatic hug seems a bit much. I mean do you not know anyone that wants to touch you? Really, not even a Facebook friend?
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