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You cuddle your dog. You cuddle your pillow. You cuddle your children and your significant other. But some people do cuddle and can earn up to $ 100 at the hour.
Professional hugs are gaining popularity among therapy experts who claim that human contact is comfort that can not be replaced by traditional therapy methods.
"So many of us do not have a basic human connection," said Adam Lippin, co-founder and CEO of Cuddlist. "Real people get real benefits."
Cuddlist employs hundreds of professional hugs across the country that are reserved by customers looking for a therapeutic hug session. Its website indicates that the sessions cost $ 80, but the price depends on the cuddler.
Jasmine Siemon is a professional hugger based in the Washington, D.C. area, who has been hugging for three years. She charges $ 100 per hour and $ 800 per night, during which she spends 12 hours on a client – six hours awake and six hours sleep.
In addition to helping her clients solve their personal problems, Ms. Siemon said: the work is also very rewarding.
"You also get a lot of benefits because you're helping someone to make giant strides, to get together, to deal with trauma and other types of problems," Seimon said.
Siemon said that customers book sessions for a variety of reasons. Some of her clients are alone, maybe just out of a divorce or not in the pool for a while. Other of his clients have disabilities or conditions that seem to become more manageable with his sessions.
"Some people suffer from trauma, PTSD fighting abroad or PTSD from childhood trauma," Siemon said. "Some clients have degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and ALS."
Certified therapeutic cuddler, Jasmine Siemon with a client.
TEGNA
Lippin and Siemon also suggested that hug sessions did not just give guests the feeling of being relaxed and comfortable. In many ways, the sessions also inform clients about consent, which they consider particularly important in the midst of the #MeToo movement.
"Most men do not want to be scared, they just do not know how not to to be creepy, "said Lippin. "We hear men say that they have just learned. These are learned behaviors. "
Siemon believes that the most important component of this learned behavior is the understanding and the establishment of solid boundaries. She said that both are vital to having a healthy relationship, not only between the hug and the client, but in any relationship in life.
"If you do not set strict limits for yourself and the session with your customers, it's easy to unbalance things," Siemon said.
She begins to set up these limits with a client. Even before the first session, she e-mails an agreement and a waiver, and they participate in a video conversation.
"Customers will sometimes push the envelope," Siemon said. "I do not think it's intended to see what they can do with it. I think it's time. "
Although Siemon was initially cautious about the stigma of being a professional hug, she quickly learned that there was a community of hugs that supported her throughout the process. She came out of the "closet to cuddle" a year ago and was a resounding success in her part time business. She added that her friends and family have quickly adapted to this idea and that it has become an integral part of her daily life.
Siemon advised those who are interested in exercising a hugging profession to do their research and make sure to do so for the right reasons.
"You do not do it just because you like to hug or make quick money," she said. "The people who participate like that are the ones who are more likely to be pushing their limits and maybe [don’t] have the tools to hold these boundaries strong. "
She hopes that in the future, professional hugs will become a more widely accepted and discussed treatment method.
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