Professional cuddler squeezes profits from loneliness 

The business is Indy Cuddles, and it’s pretty much what it sounds like. For a small fee — $60 an hour — Kelly will come to your home and snuggle with you.

Armed with knowledge from an illustrated book of cuddling positions, basic website design skills and a passion for human touch, Kelly started the business this fall.

Kelly is one of a growing number of entrepreneurs seizing what they see as an opportunity to cash in on cuddling.

Backed by science that confirms the health benefits of human touch, they have developed apps, written books and started in-home services. The idea behind this budding industry is a straightforward one: There are always lonely people out there.

Scientific research has shown there are health benefits to be gained from physical contact with other humans.

Researchers from Emory University found that gentle touching reduces the physical signs of stress and tension. DePauw University’s Touch and Emotion Lab has found that touching skin helps people develop closer bonds, particularly in infants.  Even a brief hug or touch on the shoulder, for example, can reduce stress-causing cortisol in the body and release oxytocin, a hormone that promotes social bonding.

Despite the scientific backing, snuggling as a business enterprise requires acceptance.

Technology has helped people gain that, Kelly said. Much of her business has come through social media from people who share Indy Cuddles with their Facebook friends and Twitter followers.  “It seems like technology is helping to make these things more normal.”

Among the rules: “Cleanliness and adequate hygiene is required by both parties” and “Both parties will remain fully clothed, and hands will remain outside of the clothing at all times.”

Most cuddle sessions start on the couch, she said. Kelly asks about how people feel, how their week has been.

“Part of my job is listening,” she said. “I am forming some kind of relationship with these folks.”

“Maybe before, people thought, ‘I’m lonely, so what? I’ll deal with it,'” she said. “Now they know they don’t have to.”