Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Professional Cuddler?

Snuggling for dollars might be the side hustle you’re looking for.

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

I’m a retired bookkeeper, spousal caregiver, and bored out of my mind. I read about side hustles all the time. Some catch my attention, but after I investigate them and find out they suck, I look for a different one. I’m an introvert by nature. I can’t picture myself in direct sales. I get the weebee jeebees just thinking about sales to people I don’t know.

Here’s my sample sales pitch:

“Hey. You wouldn’t want to buy a car by any chance, would you?”

But being paid for cuddling piqued my curiosity. I wondered what it would be like to cuddle as a side hustle. Not in the sex worker kind of way, but could I be a good cuddler with people I don’t have history with?

I’m a hugger from way back. I learned the proper way to shake hands when I started my first real job at seventeen. Shaking hands wasn’t enough for me. I needed more, so I started hugging people. My boss was mortified the first time he saw me hug a client. After all, it was 1974. Sexual harassment wasn’t in the news yet. Hugging eventually caught on, and became accepted at my office. Hugging is one thing — it’s definitely not cuddling.