Professional cuddling is a growing trend; hugging becomes therapy, ‘healing without words’: Will India join in? | Today News

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 other non-romantic hugs and comfort, the BBC reported.

Samii also provides one-to-one cuddle therapy. According to her, it helps reduce stress and increase feel-good hormones like serotonin and oxytocin.

Her clients often face issues like loneliness, PTSD or nervous system problems. She says people wrongly assume the service attracts only “creepy guys”. In reality, both men and women of all ages attend.

In group sessions, Samii asks participants to imagine emotional moments, like hugging someone they miss. This often makes people cry.

“It’s healing without words. You don’t need to know people’s problems; you just know your touch is providing aid to them,” the BBC quoted one attendee as saying.

In personal sessions, she adjusts the approach based on the client’s needs. It involves sitting and chatting to spooning or gentle back-stroking.

On Cuddle Companions, a professional cuddling service starts from $160 (around ₹13,500) for 2 hours to $1,200 (over ₹1 lakh) for a 2-night session. Travel and city tour options with cuddling are also available at $600 (about ₹50,000) per day.

Cuddlers in India

Professional cuddling, a growing trend worldwide, is slowly entering India, especially after COVID-19. Many people moving to big cities feel lonely. Cuddling provides them comfort.

While this trend is popular abroad through websites like Cuddlist and Cuddle Companions, India has very few known cuddlers. Some small pages like Jaadu Ki Jhappi and CuddleBuddy exist, but they have little reach.

A global survey by Ipsos on World Mental Health Day 2024 found that 53% of urban Indians faced stress that affected their daily life, and about 22% experienced it many times.

Depression is also rising, with 25% of Indians feeling sad or hopeless for weeks. Countries like France showed lower stress, possibly due to a better work-life balance.

Will India join in?

Will India join in the new trend? Seems unlikely anytime soon. Culturally, India has a complex relationship with physical touch and intimacy. The fear of being misconstrued is a major barrier.

There have been multiple social media queries about professional cuddlers. Many are willing to offer as well. However, there is little engagement.

For now, platforms like cuddlecompanions.org and cuddlist.com have zero Indian professionals. Cuddle Comfort says the service is unavailable in India.