In the search for new and exciting ways to make money, a unique side hustle is gaining traction in the US: professional cuddling. And it's exactly what it sounds like. A client pays a certified ...

Cuddling was not something Jen Ikuta instantly embraced. “The first time someone told me that I should to go to a cuddle party, I was like, ‘You’re batshit. You’re crazy. I’m not going where a bunch ...

Indigo Dawn, a professional cuddler based in Arlington, knows better than anyone that few things are more soothing than a platonic, unselfish hug. We last spoke to Indigo in 2019, well before the ...

For this week’s cover story, “Need a Hug?,” Jason Heller got his arms around the world of professional cuddlers. In this world, people pay to attend cuddle parties, where they can experience a ...

Samii Wood, a 41-year-old professional cuddler from England, hosts “cuddle puddles” every two weeks. In these group events, strangers sit or lie together with cushions and blankets. They offer each ...

It’s rare to find an industry that wasn’t steamrolled by the COVID-19 pandemic. But for professional cuddler Samantha Hess—whose job relied on engaging in hours of sustained physical contact with a ...

PORTLAND, Ore. — Samantha Hess had just gone through a divorce with her high school sweetheart. At the age of 28, when she began dating for the first time as an adult, she realized the only touch ...

Gina Maray is a pet portrait/energy artist, Reiki practitioner and a single mom living in Kewaskum, a small town near West Bend. She’s also a professional cuddler. For $100/hour, Maray brings clients ...

The other day, a professional cuddler who goes by the name Trevor James and who cuddles for up to ten hours a day, sat down for an intake session at his home office, in Hollywood. “People come to me ...