Short of a hug? £50 gets you an expert cuddler
After a tough day, nothing will make you feel better faster than a good hug.
And for the stressed and lonely with no one to offer them a hug at home, there is now somewhere they will be met with open arms – as long as they pay £50 upfront.
for the UK’s first ‘professional snuggler’ has begun recruiting an army of ‘cuddlers’ to hug clients in need of comfort, from stressed businessmen to the recently bereaved.
However, this is one loving embrace that will hit your pocket. for a hug with holistic therapist Kitty Mansfield costs £ 50 an hour or £ 450 for an extended ‘dusk-till- dawn snuggle’ from 10.30pm until 7am.
Dressed in her pyjamas and slippers, Miss Mansfield offers to wrap her arms around her clients at her home in richmond, southwest London.
She even invites them to bring their favourite pillow, blanket or teddy to help them relax.
However, any chancers hoping for a bit more than hug will find the 58-year- old has strict rules about inappropriate requests, specifying that staff only provide comfort and affection in a platonic environment.
Set guidelines include a rule that a cushion must be wedged between the pelvic areas of the cuddler and recipient, and clients must wear long pyjamas or tracksuit bottoms rather than shorts. Miss Mansfield said: ‘the whole point of this service isn’t sexual, it’s trying to reclaim touch.
‘for the sceptics I say, “If you’re lucky enough not to need a cuddle then good for you, but why would you deprive people who don’t have a special someone of the great health benefits that come from touch?”’
for three years, Miss Mansfield has personally offered all cuddle packages – which include the ‘classic’ and ‘sporty snuggle’, where clients watch a sporting event while being hugged. But she said that rising demand has led her to recruit other staff, and she now hopes the service will grow to include other cities.
Would- be snugglers will be given specialist training, with no previous experience required to become a ‘certified professional cuddler’. recruits to BeSnuggled must be over 18, tactile and empathetic. Anyone who was a sex worker in the year before applying is banned from joining the company.
Clients can choose to cuddle on a sofa or in bed, and can talk with their snuggler, listen to music or watch tV during the session.
One client told the Sunday times he turned to the service after his wife died of cancer.
He said: ‘My wife used to hug away my troubles and it was something I missed terribly.
‘Kitty cuddled me and listened while I poured my heart out about how much I missed her.’
Miss Mansfield claims cuddling should be recognised as a legitimate therapy and be available on the NHS.
‘from the moment we’re born we want to be held, it’s just natural,’ she said. ‘I think certain people are better at snuggling than others, but as I like to be close to people, I think I do have a skill.’
the benefits of physical contact are debated among medical experts. In 2014, US researchers found that of 400 adults infected with the common cold, symptoms in those who had the highest daily social interaction and hug count were reduced by 32 per cent.