MANY of us look to odd ways to earn extra cash, but one man has taken it to new levels, by charging people for hugs and cuddles.
Trevor Hooton is a professional cuddler, and runs the business "Embrace Connections" – where he charges £75 for hour long hugging sessions.
Trevor refers to himself as "Treasure", and said he's seen a boom in business for his cuddle therapy.
Trevor told The Mirror: "I built a business based on my passions for building human connections.
"Many people struggle to make those and that's where I step in. It's more than just cuddling – it's giving people the things they need, whatever that might be.
"The parties have been great, and I think it's a really great way to provide value to lots of people at once. I want it to have a really big impact on the world.
READ MORE IN NEWS
Bizarre job where you can earn up to £90k a YEAR & you don’t need a degree
I make £21.35-an-hour in bizarre job you’ve probably never heard of
"I've done four parties so far and each one has been unique and special in its own way. We have a very mixed group – some people are single and unfamiliar of touch but want to develop comfort."
Trevor offers an array of services, ranging from cuddle parties to connection coaching, and cuddle therapy, which is a one-on-one cuddle session.
Trevor said: "I'm challenging the unspoken rules of society and think by challenging the rules we can reach something better for ourselves."
One attendee of Trevor's sessions said it made him feel more honest with his feelings.
Most read in The Sun
Phillip Schofield releases statement to mend relationship with Holly
Noughties band shock fans as singer PUNCHES bandmate in brutal onstage brawl
Piers reignites Alex Beresford feud & calls weatherman a 'treacherous p***k'
Rihanna’s baby's unique name finally revealed one year after welcoming son
He said: "Stress can be hard to deal with without the support of another human being – so I wanted to try something a bit more intimate.
"It was personal issues, family issues and stress from study. Having someone to listen to you is nice.
"It's hard to be open about my problems unless I have that trust with a person but cuddle therapy really helped to build that trust and made me feel more comfortable to talk about my issues."
Would you try cuddle therapy? It seems to be gaining popularity – another woman said she charges £190 per hour to cuddle clients craving human touch.
With many of her clients having suffered trauma or abuse, Shoup cuddles, spoons and comforts her customers in platonic displays of affection to help combat symptoms of depression, loneliness and anxiety.
"Cuddle therapists are professionals that give access to platonic touch through boundaries of consent education for the purposes of comfort, validation, and alleviating loneliness," Shoup, the Director of Development at Cuddlist, explained to The US Sun.
"We give access to platonic touch, but that doesn’t mean it’s mandated or expected. It’s just the access to it.
"I have lots of clients who are working through various stages of grief or trauma and actually touching isn’t something that we can do for quite a while until we work together for a long time," she added.
According to Shoup, hugs increase the production of the love hormone oxytocin, which is known to help keep feelings of loneliness at bay.
Source: Read Full Article
