Woman earns over £1500 a month spooning strangers: What is cuddle therapy?
A woman has revealed how she makes over £1,500 a month by hugging and spooning strangers in a practice known as 'cuddle therapy'.
Kristiina Link, 30, from Stratford, East London is a certified ‘cuddle therapist' and offers hugs to those feeling lonely and isolated.
Link’s unusual services can involve hand-holding, hair-stroking and embracing her clients for up to three hours at a time. She earns up to £170 per snuggle session.
Link initially got the idea to train as a 'cuddle therapist' after a break-up in 2019 left her feeling heartbroken.
Having researched the self-care craze, she decided to take a snuggle training course to combat her loneliness.
"I was missing the cuddling and affectionate side of a relationship after becoming single," she explains.
“I thought that there should be a service where people help each other by cuddling - kind of like an Uber for cuddles."
Read more: The power of a hug: What a lack of touch has done to our physical and mental health
After an introductory process, Davies begins her sessions by playing meditative music and holding her clients hands before cuddling up in a double bed.
"I start by playing calming music and I encourage deep breathing so they feel present in the moment," she explains.
"We cuddle in multiple positions such as standing up and spooning but I change the position every 15 minutes otherwise arms get sore and people need to stretch.
"Some people are nervous at first or don't like their hair and arms being stroked so boundaries are always discussed before we begin.
"It's important that people feel like they're in a safe space and have been paired with the right person," she adds.
As well as physical benefits, the therapist says there are also many emotional benefits to the practice.
“Hugs release the love hormone, oxytocin which is known to help with loneliness, anxiety and depression," she explains.
"In my work, I see a lot of people who are feeling isolated because of the pandemic as well as those who are grieving and in need of physical comfort."
Although it is becoming more recognised wellness trend, Davies says people often have a misconception about her occupation.
“It’s still a fairly new concept so some people get confused about what cuddle therapy actually is," she says. "It was the same for professional massages fifty years ago."
Davies has now been a cuddle therapist for three years and has found love with her new partner Matt, 44, who is hugely supportive of her unusual career.
But Davies admits her family had to overcome some initial worries about her new role.
“Initially, my mum was terrified - she was so concerned for my safety," she explains.
“Then she saw how happy it was making me and that I was doing really well in a safe space.
"These days it's becoming more normalised, so people are becoming more curious about the benefits of healing touch."
Interestingly, she says a lot of her clients are male, she believes because women tend to be more touchy with their female friends.
"In general, men don't have many male friends," she says. “I get a lot of men who work in managerial positions who want to unwind after talking and being in charge all day.
“I also see younger men, who are still quite shy or have low confidence and want to explore how to connect with a female through cuddling and touch."
Watch: Two-thirds say therapy has had a positive impact on their emotions over the past year
While she usually sees single clients, Davies says she does also see clients in a relationship, some with partners who don’t like cuddling.
"Cuddling can teach them ways to connect with their partner and they can take these techniques back to their relationship," she adds.
While a one hour session costs £65, Davies offers appointments for up to three hours, applying a £25 discount for treatment sessions of that duration.
"You release the cuddling chemicals over four hours but people start to get headaches and even drowsy at the end.
"Three hours is the optimal length for a cuddle as more than this can lead to drowsiness, headaches and even dehydration."
Davies says her favourite part of the job is being able to help clients with their emotional needs.
"My clients understand that cuddling is a form of plutonic touch therapy however, I’ve had regular clients who come every week and I sometimes I see that as a sign they’re attached.
"If the client doesn't switch between cuddle therapists, it can lead to an attachment which I try to avoid.
"It's important that people come to the session with the right intention and in the consultation, I make sure that cuddle therapy is right for them."
Read more: The science behind the perfect hug, from pressure to duration
What is cuddle therapy?
According to psychologist Dr Alison McClymont cuddle therapy is a form of therapy that prioritises the importance of physical touch as a source of emotional connection.
"The benefits of physical touch in a therapeutic setting relate back to a human's basic need for holding and connection that is instilled in us a baby," she explains.
Dr McClymont says the embrace we receive from our mothers in childhood helps us to associate cuddling as an act of well wishing, love and emotional security throughout our lives.
"The act of cuddling has been shown to release oxytocin (relaxing hormones) and endorphins (happy hormones) due to its connection with the infant-mother touch memory," she explains.
Experts say there are many positive health benefits of oxytocin release caused by physical touch including helping to reduce stress, easing pain and spiking intimacy.
And those benefits have been sorely missed during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
"The lack of physical connection between family members and friends due to enforced social distancing has been sorely felt by many," Dr McClymont explains.
"The usual forms of greeting and expressing love and emotion have been removed and for many it has felt strange not to be able to form connection in this basic way."
Read more: A day in the life of a sex therapist in lockdown
While the impacts of a lack of physical contact may well inspire some to look to cuddle therapy, Dr McClymont stresses that cuddle therapy should only be carried out by a professional who should always respect the boundaries of the client.
"No therapist should touch you without your prior consent and your continuing consent," she adds.
But if cuddle therapy isn't for you, it is still possible to reap some of the benefits of a good hug.
"In our normal lives, it can wonderfully supportive to get a hug from a loved one," Dr McClymont explains. "It releases relaxing and loving hormones and has been shown to reduce cortisol! So get hugging."
Additional reporting Caters.
