• If you would like to get your account Verified, read this thread
  • The TMF is sponsored by Clips4sale - By supporting them, you're supporting us.
  • >>> If you cannot get into your account email me at [email protected] <<<
    Don't forget to include your username

The TMF is sponsored by:

Clips4Sale Banner

professional cuddlers will tickle for a fee

Sorry.

For some reason I was able to read it for free without being a subscriber.

Try googling the article. That's how I read it. For some reason it won't link without insisting the reader subscribe.
 
MrTicklefeet said:
Maybe if Spitting can copy and paste it?
Click to expand...

Here it is.

Kimberly Kilbride is a professional cuddler.

For $80 an hour, or up to $400 for an overnight gig, the 33-year-old mother of three dons flannel pajama bottoms, puts away her family pictures and two pit bull mix dogs and invites clients into her bedroom in Highland, N.Y., to snuggle. Once the spooning begins, she insists that it stay strictly platonic.



More on Cuddling
The Cuddling Code of Conduct
.
The cuddle-for-hire business is taking off—even though the clothes stay on. Thousands of customers across the country are booking appointments with professional cuddlers in at least 16 states. The snugglers squeeze, tickle and bearhug clients for a fixed rate. Patrons who booked these services out of mere curiosity say they have become hooked on their therapeutic benefits.

“I am a convert,” says Melissa Duclos-Yourdon, 35, a freelance writer and editor in Vancouver, Wash. She originally hired a cuddler after hearing about it from members of her book club, thinking it could provide fodder for an essay. Once cuddled, “I felt transformed,” she says.

While snuggling businesses have existed for years, interest is accelerating with newer online apps and meet-up services. Plans are under way for a cuddling convention.



Kelly Peterson and client
Kelly Peterson and client
.
One free app, Cuddlr, launched in September and already has had about 240,000 downloads, according to Charlie Williams, a founder and developer. The location-based social-media application allows users to find people near them to cuddle with. Between 7,000 and 10,000 people are using the service daily, he says. The company’s slogan: “Ever just want a cuddle?”

The website Cuddle Comfort offers a matching service where members can post pictures, profiles and find others who are interested in nonsexual spooning. The free site now has around 18,000 members, founder Mark Sanger says. Recent discussions on the site include the best movie genres to snuggle to.

Not everyone feels warm and fuzzy about for-hire cuddling. When Jacqueline Samuel, 31, opened her business in a Rochester, N.Y.-area family guest home, neighbors worried it would attract unsavory patrons. She moved that business about two years ago to a Rochester commercial district. The Snuggery now charges $50 for 45 minutes and $425 for an overnight cuddle session.

The Snuggle House, a business in Madison, Wis., closed in 2013 amid concerns from residents it could become a front for something more overtly amorous than snuggling, according to Joel DeSpain, a spokesman for the Madison Police Department. He says officials checked out the operation but never issued citations.



Police officials contacted in a half-dozen cities where snuggle businesses operate say they haven’t had complaints and that the operations seem to be following the law.

Unlike massage therapists, who typically undergo specific training and licensing, cuddlers aren’t licensed. Oversight rests with local regulations and ordinances. Operators in some cases may have to abide by local requirements, such as zoning and land-use restrictions or obtaining a license for a home-based business.

The blurry nature of for-hire cuddling—part massage therapy, part clinical psychology—can lead to disappointed customers and unorthodox requests, cuddling professionals say. One female professional snuggler turned down a male client’s request to wear a skintight body suit. Another male client would only spoon in his business suit.

“I had one female client who wanted to spend the entire session tickling,” says Travis Sigley, 27, a professional cuddler in San Francisco.

The industry got its start in the U.S. at least five years ago, according to cuddle entrepreneurs who call Mr. Sigley a pioneer in the field here. The long-haired former psychology student and onetime stripper says he launched his San Francisco business, Cuddle Therapy, because he felt frustrated by restrictions against touch between therapists and their clients.

Since then, dozens of professional cuddlers have hung out a shingle or contracted to work for online cuddling entrepreneurs. Some outfits require that customers sign a contract spelling out what type of nuzzling is within bounds. Some rely on a body diagram that stipulates in bright red which body parts are off-limits.

At Cuddle Up To Me in Portland, Ore., leg touching is sanctioned, but not far up the thigh. The storefront business relies on security cameras to monitor sessions.

“I could tell some were disappointed that all they were getting was a cuddle, but that’s the way it is,” says Becky Rodrigues, 34. She works for The Snuggle Buddies LLC, an online service with cuddlers in 15 states. She nuzzles clients on a bed behind a privacy screen in her Phoenixville, Pa., basement.

Snuggle client contracts often enforce another way of keeping things clean: They require clients to shower and brush their teeth before sessions.



The Cuddle Connection, of Roseville, Calif., is one of a growing number of retail shops providing snuggles to customers. ENLARGE
The Cuddle Connection, of Roseville, Calif., is one of a growing number of retail shops providing snuggles to customers. Kelly Peterson
.
Research shows there are tangible physical and emotional perks to touch. It can increase levels of oxytocin, a bonding hormone produced by the hypothalamus that promotes warm feelings. Touch may lower heart rates and reduce stress, according to academic research.

Many professional cuddlers tailor their services around a book called “The Cuddle Sutra,” which offers detailed descriptions of poses such as Cheek to Cheek, Come to Papa and Sardines.

Kelly Peterson, 49, a former high-school teacher, opened Cuddle Connection in February in Roseville, Calif. She says she spent thousands to draft legal documents and secure professional liability coverage.

Sessions take place on reclining lounge chairs or giant bean bags. Ms. Peterson believes beds give clients the wrong idea. Employees wear “professional cuddling outfits” of velour leisure suits.

Women have sent husbands and boyfriends to teach them how to cuddle properly. One of Ms. Peterson’s professional cuddlers got so comfortable that the client and the snuggler fell asleep past the alarm notifying them the session had ended.

Samantha Hess, 30, opened Cuddle Up To Me in November as a storefront in Portland. Business is so brisk she has hired three employees who offer 50 cuddle positions, charging $1 a minute for sessions lasting up to five hours. She says she gets thousands of emails from interested clients—along with a few marriage proposals.

Ms. Hess is now organizing Cuddle Con in Portland. She says the first-ever cuddling event will feature speakers on touch, communication, pillow fights and massage classes. A crowdfunding campaign launched Tuesday with the hope of raising $33,000 had raised $169 as of Thursday afternoon. The event is scheduled for Valentine’s Day.

Write to Stephanie Armour at [email protected]








































Most Popular Videos
1.

[http://m.wsj.net/video/20160123/012316snow/012316snow_167x94.jpg]
Snowstorm Jonas Paralyzes Much of East Coast

2.

[http://m.wsj.net/video/20160123/012316snowdctl/012316snowdctl_167x94.jpg]
Timelapse of Historic Washington, D.C. Blizzard

3.

[http://m.wsj.net/video/20160122/012216archive/012216archive_167x94.jpg]
Rare Color Film of U.S. Marines in Combat Emerges

4.

[http://m.wsj.net/video/20160122/012216davosgatesgmo/012216davosgatesgmo_167x94.jpg]
Bill Gates: GMO's Will End Starvation in Africa

5.

[http://m.wsj.net/video/20160122/012216bmanning/012216bmanning_167x94.jpg]
Brady, Manning Face Off: What to Watch




Most Popular Articles
1. Bloomberg Mulling Run for President as Independent
Bloomberg Mulling Run for President as Independent

2. Snowstorm Paralyzes Much of East Coast
Snowstorm Paralyzes Much of East Coast

3. The Carolina Panthers’ Secret Weapon: Waffle House
The Carolina Panthers’ Secret Weapon: Waffle House

4. Clinton’s Emails: A Criminal Charge Is Justified
Opinion: Clinton’s Emails: A Criminal Charge Is Justified

5. Companies Urge Retiring Workers to Leave Their Money Behind
Companies Urge Retiring Workers to Leave Their Money Behind

















Share your thoughts
Sign In to comment


There are 255 comments.


Livefyre












Richard Helfrich






























































Newest

Oldest

Reader Recommended









Herb Zeller
 
Last edited:
Am I the only one that finds paying someone just to hold you incredibly fucking sad?
 
Related video

People Spoon With Professional Cuddlers For The First Time:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO2-tMzG43Y

Hey, I won't judge. I'm a huge cuddle-bug, but that's just ends up being motivation for me to develop intimate relationships. I guess some people don't have time, or the ability, to form such relationships... and they have money to spend.

If somebody offered me 40 bucks an hour to cuddle and talk to em, I'd do it. Not sure about tickling, though.
 
On a slightly tangential note, ever give hugs to those ppl wandering around with the "Free hugs" signs? I never thought I'd do it, but ended up doing it once... It felt awesome!
 
No I know. Everyone needs love, just sucks some people gotta pay for it.

I've seen the free hugs people but never did it haha
 
Yes, everyone needs love, but not everyone is able to get it. Some of us (me) just try to stand the loneliness, while the other use other methods to find it... like paying for a one night "love". Everyone is different, everyone looks for happyness at his own way
 
chicag0 said:
No I know. Everyone needs love, just sucks some people gotta pay for it.

I've seen the free hugs people but never did it haha
Click to expand...

Many of the clients are men over 50 whose wives died.

It's not always easy starting over after being away from the dating scene for decades.
 
I wasn't saying that in a negative way. Nothing wrong with paying for what you can't get otherwise in this case. I don't know that I'll ever be in the position where I'd feel the need to pay for it, but if I did I would. I was just saying it would be nice if everyone could get their needs met in that regard without having to spend money on it.
 
Don't worry, nobody thought that you said that in a negative way... or at least, i didn't
 
Screw that.. I'll tickle and cuddle for free... so any of you girls willing to pay for it.. just come here... 😛
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
What's New

9/19/2024
The TMF Archives hold colections of our communities creators work, take a look!
Tickle Experiment
Door 44
Live Camgirls!
Live Camgirls
Streaming Videos
streaming tickling videos on demand at the TMF!
Tickling videos on demand!
Pic of the Week
Pic of the Week
Congratulations to
*** brad1701 ***
 The winner of our weekly Trivia, held every Sunday night at 11PM EST in our Chat Room
Back
Top