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Why Professional Cuddling Is Booming Under Trump
In the wake of Donald Trump's election, people struggled to figure out how to cope – and some found the answer was as simple as human touch

On a Saturday night in Venice, California, light spills from an open door on an otherwise dark street. The space appears to be an art gallery or studio: blank walls, cubbies for shoes and personal items and cushioned mats and pillows lining half of the room's hardwood floor.

Twelve individuals filter into the room – dressed in pajamas, yoga attire, sweatpants – some more confidently than others. There are a handful who remove their shoes immediately and find a place on the floor, blanket in tow, presumably preparing for some grand slumber party or group nap. Each visitor is greeted by a woman wielding an iPad. "Would you like a hug?" she asks.

Abhit Singh looks puzzled but welcomes the hug – this is his first time here. The woman offers Singh the iPad. He, like all other participants, must sign a waiver. She then instructs the group to take a seat on the cushions, her voice maintaining a steady and smooth timbre.

This room is called The Love Dome and hosts events including yoga, dance and private parties. Every Wednesday and Saturday night, The Love Dome is host to Cuddle Sanctuary, an organization that leads group cuddle events, professional cuddling and training for professionals. This is one of their group cuddle sanctuaries.

Fei Wyatt, the iPad-toting host, is Cuddle Sanctuary's Chief People Officer, a professional cuddler and certification program leader and the facilitator for tonight's cuddle. In an hour's time, she'll be chaperoning a room full of strangers spooning each other on the floor. But now, participants sit cross-legged, eyes fixed on Wyatt, who leads the group through a number of warm-up exercises like deep breathing, a body awareness activity and light stretching. She then outlines a few rules: to arrive and stay sober, to keep the identities of everyone in the room confidential, that no touch is required, that you can change your mind at any time and to respect others' boundaries with enthusiasm. "This is a G-rated event," Wyatt says. "Touch stays outside the bikini area."

In an event that depends almost entirely on physical intimacy, the topic of consent is crucial to the field's success. Everyone should be in what Wyatt calls a "hell yes" space – that if asked for a specific touch, the reply would be a passionate OK. But more importantly, if you don't want to partake, the word "no" should not be marred with guilt or shame.

"That is the thing that changes the most lives," Wyatt says earlier. "Take the whole touch thing away, teaching people that they have choice over their body, they've never seen it before, they've never experienced it."

The reasons one seeks out a professional cuddling experience range from average adults seeking connection, those on the autistic spectrum, those healing from sexual trauma, adults dealing with sexual dysfunction or for older virgins to practice touch in a safe environment. The elephant in the room during some of these sessions, though, is the current state of the country's affairs. Since November – and the election of Donald Trump – professional cuddling services have seen a spike in client interest.

"The holiday season was the first time that since Trump won the election that a lot of people were seeing their family," says Adam Lippin, co-founder and CEO of Cuddlist, which provides training services to professional cuddlers and allows clients to search listings of "Cuddlists" nearby. "People with different political views were going to be in the same place with relatives. That was the first hit of people having to confront it in a significant way. We saw an uptick around that."

But what makes the organized effort of being held, a service that comes with a cost (Cuddlist sessions go for $80 an hour), something that aids in relieving the fear and discomfort that has come with Trump's presidency?

Professional cuddling is one of the latest iterations of self-care and wellness, focusing on touch therapy. Since the early 2000s, the field of professional cuddling as a therapeutic tool has transitioned from stigmatized field with pay-for-sex undertones to a legitimate service for healing with proven health benefits. Cuddle Party, founded by relationship coaches Reid Mihalko and Marcia Baczynski in 2004 in Manhattan, was one of the first organized groups for those looking to engage in facilitated touch workshops. Now, Cuddle Party trains group cuddle facilitators and hosts parties worldwide from Australia to Utah. Since their incorporation in 2016, Cuddlist has fielded over 5,000 client requests and has trained over 200 practitioners.

A decade after Cuddle Party's first events, Jean Franzblau, who would go on to found Cuddle Sanctuary, discovered her own touch needs on a business trip, mistaking her touch deprivation for a desire for a sexual experience.

"I found myself isolated and lonely," Franzblau says. "I basically hijacked this guy's evening and I pushed for a sexual experience because I really wanted to spoon. I invested four hours in dinner, hanging out and the bottom of it was 'Let's spoon' and he's like, 'I won't do that.' It was humiliating, actually."

Franzblau created Cuddle Sanctuary in 2014, after attending her first group cuddle event, to help others realize their own touch needs. Since the election, Cuddle Sanctuary has seen 252 new clients beginning as early as the day following the election. The usual Wednesday night cuddle workshop following the decision was dubbed "Election Detox." Five of the 21 attendees were new.

While the professional cuddling network is tight and connected, ultimately the field operates through individual organizations and certified facilitators nationwide. Through various groups like Cuddle Sanctuary and Cuddle Party, professional cuddler training includes three-and-four-day certification programs which cover the rules of a cuddle, consent and boundary activities. Cuddle Party even offers online seminars. To be considered a certified Cuddlist, one must enroll in an online course, attend a Cuddle Party group session and pass a video or in-person evaluation.

Though the service sometimes comes with a stigma – Is this an orgy? Do I have to go to someone's house? – there are rules, like asking for what you want and waiting to receive a "yes" before proceeding, that help everyone feel safe. Cuddle Sanctuary and Portland-based Cuddle Up To Me, which has seen 186 new clients and the addition of three new staff members since the start of 2017, encourage clients to be specific with requests – a shoulder to lean on, a spooning session or even for no touching at all – and to not feel ashamed for saying no to what they don't want.

"What this means is that we will feel more connected, empathetic, content, [have] lower stress, anxiety and depression," says Samantha Hess, owner and professional cuddler at Cuddle Up To Me. "We will sleep better, have higher metabolic function, increase our immune response, and even decrease our impulse behavior – like drinking because the world is doomed."

Pics?

I'm afraid the participants would bear as much resemblance to people with whom you would want to cuddle as a nudist colony does to Playboy.

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Originally posted by konata88:
Pics?

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On a Saturday night in Venice, California

Yeah, that figures.

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Originally posted by konata88:
Pics?

Here is a client.

Sounds like hippie tantric sex to me. Complete waste of time and you get to pay for it.

So Trump is creating jobs even for people that hate him?

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(Cuddlist sessions go for $80 an hour),

Entrepreneurs MAGA!

They left out the Mazola!

How would these weenies cope if something really bad happened to them?

I thought this is what courtesans provided.

It doesn't seem much different than sitting around a campfire beating bongos, or group hugs.

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Originally posted by Tuckerrnr1:

Exactly.

California. Color me unsurprised.

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Cuddlist sessions go for $80 an hour

With happy ending, $175 plus you get to keep the towel...

These are the people who received participation trophies for the last 20 years. They were never allowed to experience life. Now, we're starting to pay for the consequences and it may not end in our lifetimes.

One night, a very small comet will mimic the glidepath into LAX - fooling everyone and then veer north at the last minute and decimate Santa Monica, Venice and Malibu.

Then we will then be able get back to reality.

"...G-rated event..."? Do they bring their kids???

Comet incoming.

The Love Dome....or for older virgins.

i am dyin here. so funny

How long before there'll be a degree program for this?

A B.A. in Cuddling, with a minor in thumb sucking.

Boy, that's freakin' dumb.