Woman Opens First Cuddle Shop

With the news of the Cuddlr app a few weeks back, we became aware that cuddles are something people really enjoy. No, we mean really enjoy. Oddly enough, we learned that people enjoyed them so much, they’d happily get down to a bit of spooning with a total stranger. Putting that theory to the test and proving it absolutely right (at least in the US), a woman has reportedly opened a cuddle shop where clients can drop $60 for an hour of solid snuggling.

Have we just missed out on the easiest and strangest way to make a buck? Well, when you learn that during her first week she received over 10,000 emails from folk looking to reserve their cuddling hours, it certainly seems so.

Of course it seems that just about anything goes in America, but would something like this really fly here in Ireland? Are people that desperate for a hug? Or is it the idea of doing it with a total stranger, complete with handholding and hair stroking, that tickles their fancy? Is the intimate act of spooning with someone you don’t know a 21st century fetish? Or is it simply about the healing nature of a hug?

If you move past the fact that it sounds kind of creepy and God only knows what sort of weirdos are going to walk through your door and latch themselves onto you like only a barnacle can, the idea behind it is quite a nice one and not at all related to sex.

‘Professional cuddler’ Samantha Hess sees her new business venture as an opportunity to help others achieve?”the level of human contact that we want or need in order to be our optimal selves”, according to the Fox 12.

After reaching a dark point in her own life, Samantha considered giving it a go.?”I was at a place where I thought paying someone to hug me and not have ulterior motives sounded like a great idea… I decided why can’t this be a thing that we can easily and safely reach for?”

Ensuring that she’s safe and giving the cuddlee the reassurance of theirs too, sessions are taped.

“This business has taken off… I’ve gotten as many as 10,000 emails in a week.”

So, who’s going to open Ireland’s first cuddle shop?

@CarolineForan