No Sex, Just Cuddle: Meet A Woman Who Charges $60 An Hour To Cuddle Strangers

It used to be that a hug was a comforting gesture of companionship between friends or lovers but one woman in Penfield, NY has turned cuddling into a business.

Jacqueline Samuel, 29, opened The Snuggery last month, a place where, from upwards of $60, clients can snuggle with the petite Master's student in a strictly non-sexual context.

Sessions of up to 90 minutes take place in a private room while friends and family members mill around the house offering protection from any over-enthusiastic clients.

For customers interested in Jackie's services, most of whom are men, she admits, a series of FAQs provides information about what clothing to wear and what kind of behaviour is appropriate.

Sexual arousal, reads the website, 'is perfectly normal and should not make anyone feel uncomfortable,' but acting on those impulses is forbidden.

'This is not about sex, and I'm really straightforward about that,' she insisted during an interview with 13WHAM, adding with a child-like lisp: 'I always liked to snuggle, it seemed pretty simple to me.'

But the premise behind the unusual idea is perhaps best explained by Ms Samuel's study of cognitive science and social work at the University of Rochester.