{"id":5517,"date":"2012-07-13T14:17:41","date_gmt":"2012-07-13T14:17:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.flubu.com\/blog\/?p=5517"},"modified":"2012-07-13T14:17:41","modified_gmt":"2012-07-13T14:17:41","slug":"what-a-brilliant-idea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.flubu.com\/blog\/2012\/07\/13\/what-a-brilliant-idea\/","title":{"rendered":"what a brilliant idea!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

She\u2019s been on the local news, CNN, and Fox World News. Now, the Penfield woman who started her own cuddling business is getting more national attention than she ever imagined. Jackie Samuel, a University of Rochester graduate, is currently pursuing a master\u2019s degree in social work, and opened The Snuggery after the spring semester ended.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I like to do is cuddle, so I figured it was a good thing to do,\u201d said Samuel, 29. \u201cA lot of people didn\u2019t like the idea so I figured it would be kind of an underground small-scale operation and provide a little extra income.\u201d But since word has started to spread about her unique product, she\u2019s appeared on the TV and radio to answer questions from curious outsiders. Although she\u2019s surprised by all the attention, Samuel hopes that more people will embrace the healing power of human touch.<\/p>\n

How long have you been in the cuddling business?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I informally started doing it a few years ago. When I first started grad school, I just
\nneeded something interesting to do. I sold hugs one time on the street (laughs).<\/p>\n

Really? How much does a hug cost?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A dollar. My sister and I made $80 in an hour. People would buy hugs for their friends or buy a pack of five hugs. I thought it was hilarious.<\/p>\n

What kind of feedback have you gotten about your business since it began?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been getting emails from people all over the country who are saying they\u2019re inspired and I\u2019m going to start a movement, and everybody\u2019s going to cuddle more now. I haven\u2019t gotten a whole lot of negative emails, probably because people who feel negatively don\u2019t want to reach out to me.<\/p>\n

But you have been teased on the air about the sexual undertones that can be associated with cuddling. How do you respond to that?<\/strong>
\nI maintain the position that I have the right to cuddle, and I\u2019m straightforward that there\u2019s no sex involved.<\/p>\n

Do any of your clients seek sex?<\/strong>
\nI haven\u2019t had anyone, no. Hypothetically, if someone were to get aroused, I would just communicate that that\u2019s not what we\u2019re doing. I\u2019ve had to restate boundaries before, but I think that\u2019s normal of any new thing.<\/p>\n

What do you enjoy about the business?<\/strong>
\nI\u2019m really relaxed when I\u2019m cuddling. I\u2019ve always been really quiet, and I\u2019m one of the quietest people I know when I\u2019m in a group of people, and I feel like when I\u2019m cuddling I have an opportunity to engage and be present. My mode of operation and where I\u2019m most comfortable is when I\u2019m cuddling. People say, \u201cIsn\u2019t it weird to cuddle with a stranger?\u201d and honestly, I feel like it\u2019s more weird to sit down and have a conversation. Once I\u2019m cuddling, I feel peaceful and good.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s fair to say that most shy people are scared to even hug a stranger. Do you ever have reservations
\nlike that?<\/strong>
\nI remember the very first time I cuddled with a stranger. When we first spooned, I felt like I couldn\u2019t breathe in all the way. I couldn\u2019t catch my breath because I was anxious. But very quickly, I just sank into a very peaceful state, and it was enough of a peaceful feeling that it washed the anxiety away and I didn\u2019t ever feel it again. <\/p>\n

Do you think there\u2019s something wrong with our society if people don\u2019t want to touch others?<\/strong>
\nI do. I\u2019ve traveled a ton and I\u2019ve noticed in other countries how much more friendly people are, and how much
\nmore willing they are to engage in touch with other people. Every time I come back to this country I feel like
\nthere\u2019s a void \u2014 there\u2019s something missing and there\u2019s a coldness.<\/p>\n

Why do you think that is?<\/strong>
\nThere\u2019s such an emphasis on buying comfort, using money to buy fast food or clothing or things that make us
\nsupposedly feel good but don\u2019t have any kind of enduring effect on our happiness. I feel like I\u2019m a product of my culture, in some ways, to know there\u2019s such an emphasis on using money to get that kind of happiness. I just
\nwanted to offer something that would reliably make people feel good and relaxed.<\/p>\n

Do you come from a family that was very \u2018touchy-feely\u2019 and if so, how did that prepare you for this
\ncareer?<\/strong>
\nI\u2019ve always been a very quiet person and more engaged when touching. I think early childhood really matters, and
\nin my early childhood I had a lot of touch, so maybe that made me more comfortable with it.<\/p>\n

What are some of the health benefits of cuddling?<\/strong>
\nIt lowers blood pressure. If you\u2019re comfortable with touch, it can reduce your cortisol levels, and most studies show that when they have a reduction of cortisol levels, they\u2019re immune system is stronger. Cuddling can also increase your seratonin and oxytocin levels, which help you to feel calmer and more relaxed.<\/p>\n

Many of your clients are men who are middle-aged and older. Do you ever feel unsafe or threatened?<\/strong>
\nI\u2019ve never felt at risk, no.<\/p>\n

Do you hope to grow the business?<\/strong>
\nI always envisioned to grow it and hire other people to cuddle as well and offering that on a larger scale. I don\u2019t know if Rochester is big enough to supply a steady clientele. Something that\u2019s always excited me, if I did have a steady income, is providing cuddles for people who can\u2019t afford it \u2014 homeless people and people who are isolated from society and give them the opportunity to experience touch.<\/p>\n

What would you like to say to people who find this strange or disturbing?<\/strong>
\nIf someone\u2019s disturbed, they need to ask why they\u2019re disturbed. It\u2019s not like this is the only thing in our culture and society that we pay for that\u2019s intimate \u2014 and I\u2019m not talking about prostitution. I\u2019m talking about therapy and all sorts of alternative healing. I just want people to really think about why they\u2019re critical.<\/p>\n

Original Link: www.henriettapost.com\/features\/x1990297700\/Meet-Penfield-snuggler-Jackie-Samuel<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

She\u2019s been on the local news, CNN, and Fox World News. Now, the Penfield woman who started her own cuddling business is getting more national attention than she ever imagined. Jackie Samuel, a University of Rochester graduate, is currently pursuing a master\u2019s degree in social work, and opened The Snuggery after the spring semester ended….<\/p>\n

Read More “what a brilliant idea!”<\/span> »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[38],"class_list":["post-5517","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-linked-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3u9vK-1qZ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.flubu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5517","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.flubu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.flubu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.flubu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.flubu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5517"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.flubu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5517\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5520,"href":"https:\/\/www.flubu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5517\/revisions\/5520"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.flubu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5517"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.flubu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5517"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.flubu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}