$80 For A Cuddle From Astoria’s Professional Cuddler

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Image Credit: Adan Gonzalez/The New York Times

Well sometimes all you need is a good cuddle, to get you through the day. And for Astoria resident Brianna Quijada, she made it her business.

For only $80 an hour, you can curl up with Brianna for a nice cuddle in either her studio, a hotel room or in the comfort of your own  home.

According to Cuddlist, Brianna, 30, offers her clients therapeutic and non-sexual cuddles in the evenings, after signing off on her day job where she manages a vegan restaurant in the Upper East Side, according to the New York Times.

Image Credit: Adan Gonzalez/The New York Times

But of course every cuddle comes with rules.

Cuddle clients need to keep their clothes on, for starters, and friskiness is off limits, and the first session is a 45 minutes ice breaker to go over the rules and to get to know the structure of it all, according to Brianna. 

One of the key aspects of the cuddle is communication. It’s a two way street where both parties are expected to speak out if at any point one feels uncomfortable.

Some of the requests for Brianna range from hand-holding, synchronized breathing, looking each other in the eyes or anything else that may induce a strong emotion.

In many ways, it is the next step of therapy after mediation or even yoga. A sense of closeness to someone else that is platonic.

Brianna told the New York Times that her clients come from a wide variety of places and from all over the world. They can be mid 30’s to mid 50’s, some of which may attend events such as Burning Man. Or others who work in corporate industries.

At the end of the day, it’s all about comfort and care. For some people new to New York, the city can really take it out of you. Feeling distant from family and friends, or just emotionally drained can often lead to worse things. According to Brianna, one of the best things for it – is a cuddle.

To her it’s all about the touch. Raising oxycoton levels while at the same time feeling vulnerable.

So if you find yourself a little down and out, then perhaps all you really need, is a bit of a cuddle?

*Featured Image Credit: Adan Gonzalez/The New York Times