Woman makes $150 an hour hugging clients (8 photos)
Ella's Bed is open for business. A single mother in Washington Heights, New York, she gives warm, comforting hugs every day. True, she hugs her clients the longest, not her children. She loves to cuddle, no matter what position she is in - standing, sitting or lying on her big plush mattress. Her favorite business brings her excellent income. 
"I'm a professional cuddler," said Ella, 48. The art teacher worked for many years in New York City public schools before retraining as a sensory therapist.
For $150 an hour, Ella, who chose not to reveal her last name for privacy reasons, invites "patients" into her boudoir and cares for them, embracing them in a variety of ways, such as face-to-face or having a person rest their head against her chest. . 
Ella said her sessions help clients overcome anxiety, depression and relationship problems
And while her clients are mostly married men aged 40 to 60, she has recently noticed an influx of Gen Z women who need support due to their inability to form friendships in the concrete jungle. 
The therapist allows the client to decide for himself what position he wants to hug in
“In a city like New York, there are a lot of lonely people - despite the fact that we are constantly surrounded by thousands,” explains the American, who left her job in school in 2017 to take up sensory therapy. The brunette does not have a psychological education, but she was trained in the Cuddlist program.
“My sessions offer clients a special kind of intimacy and unconditional acceptance that they cannot get at home, during a conversation with a psychologist or in a massage room.” 
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And although hugging a stranger may seem cynical, research has shown that it is very beneficial.
“Professional cuddling is a therapeutic practice that allows one to experience the nurturing and relaxing effects of mutual, non-sexual touch,” according to a study published in July 2023.
It is also noted that alternative treatments are used to improve “psychological and physical well-being,” help reduce stress, help normalize sleep and cardiovascular health, and strengthen the immune system. 
Michelle Rene, a cuddler from San Diego, California, gives clients a strict set of rules to adhere to before their first session: no touching under clothing, no sexual suggestions, no nudity. 
The married mother of two started her work in 2015 with the desire to give those in need a hug “like a mother’s.”
Renee, 48, offers love-deprived clients a safe space to reconnect. Like Ella, she charges $150 an hour for therapy sessions she conducts with men and women in her private home. 
