The Professional Cuddling Business Is Booming, Apparently

A new professional cuddling business has opened up a storefront in Portland, Oregon. Elle.com profiled Cuddle Up to Me, a business where customers can pay $60 to cuddle with a stranger. Owner Samantha Hess told local news that, “[Clients] get to come here and know that they get to be accepted exactly as they are.”Cuddle to Me offers four themed rooms for a specific cuddling experience. Hess insists there’s “no secret menu” and “no upgrades” and the rooms are constantly monitored by security cameras. Quite the opposite happens, in fact: there’s often a lot crying during cuddling sessions.Another professional cuddler in NYC, Ali C., runs a cuddling service out of her apartment. Prices range from $60 to spooning for $500 for an overnight stay. Hess was doing something similar out of her home before the business grew too overwhelming and she decided to open the Portland storefront. That’s correct – the cuddling business is booming.If you prefer to cuddle on the go, there’s a location-based app called Cuddlr, which I first assumed was a parody. The app is real, though and encourages matches to meet and cuddle in public or in private. Although Cuddlr was designed as a “break from hookup culture,” the only reviews of the app mention its lack of gender-sorting capabilities. So be warned, your cuddle may come with more than you bargained for.