While physical touch is on hold, professional cuddlers are turning to screen snuggling as an alternative. For those who make a living offering clients nonsexual embraces, the coronavirus has proved a huge hurdle.
Despite the industry seeming to be dependent on in-person interaction, some practitioners have found a way to offer their skills through a screen. “There’s no substitution for human touch, but it definitely helps bridge the gap,” actor and writer Randy Wade Kelley, 37, told “The Guardian” of a recent virtual cuddling session.
After self-quarantining alone for over a month in New York City, Kelley was hungry for human connection and sought out a professional from Los Angeles-based Cuddle Sanctuary. The organization is not offering in-person sessions for the foreseeable future, but founder Jean Franzblau has found there are ways to lead online sessions that offer a balm to loneliness.
“I was resistant on a very deep level to offer something that I thought would be valueless or seem like snake oil,” Franzblau told “The Guardian” of her initial thoughts. But she has since found that there is value to be had in virtual sessions if the client is open-minded. “We must meet each other halfway to make the magic.”
Link:The Guardian