The first thing Emily explains is that her business is not an escort service.
Hugs, cuddles, even a neck massage are all okay, but anything more is off limits.
Some clients like to talk, some want to dance or snuggle through a movie. Others just like to be held.
“I think some people are just missing human touch and we need that in our lives,” says Emily, the owner and founder of X Factor Cayman, the islands’ first professional cuddling service.
It’s a niche service that has become popular in parts of the UK, Australia and the US.
Clients pay for sessions – ranging from $96.25 for an hour to $1,039.50 for an overnight booking – with a licensed ‘cuddle therapist’.
Emily, who asked that we not use her real name to help protect the privacy of her and her clients, said the rates reflect what is charged for similar services internationally.
“To my knowledge, there is nothing like this in Cayman and not a lot of people know the business is mine.
“I know Cayman can be a bit closed-minded sometimes and people do get the wrong idea. We have had some backlash from people who think it is an escort service.”
She insists that is not what it is about. Clients sign up to a code of conduct, the clothes stay on and anything sexual is off limits.
Massages, games, dancing, singing, eye-gazing, holding hands or spooning are all within bounds, however.
The site advertises three options: Origo, a one-hour session at the beach, coffee shop or in your home; Diende, a two-hour session, which can involve playing games or dining together; and Nox, which it describes as ‘the ultimate cuddling experience’ – a nine-hour overnight session.
The human touch
The aim, says Emily, is to address an innate human need for physical touch.
Cuddling services have taken off in other parts of the world, particularly in the aftermath of the pandemic amid warnings about a loneliness epidemic.
Emily said she had the idea to set up a business in Cayman while snuggling with her child one evening.
She realised the sense of warmth and connection she got from close contact with her family was something that was missing in other people’s lives, she said.
“I started working on the website that night.”
She has since become licensed as a cuddle professional and was granted a trade and business licence for X Factor Cayman late last year.
She admits seeing her first client was an awkward and nerve-racking moment. She gave a friend the address and told him to expect a call from her when the session was over.
But once she arrived at the location, she says, the awkwardness dissipated. They cuddled on the sofa and talked about their lives.
“When the two hours was up, I gave him a hug and that was it.”
Since the service launched, there have been multiple enquiries from prospective clients.
She grew up in a family where hugs were normal.
“My mum and I are very affectionate and I think this is where I get it from.”
There’s a quote on her website, which she says her mum introduced her to, that says, “We need 4 hugs a day for survival.”
While that’s not a scientific formula, medical experts do draw links between the simple act of touch and boosts in the level of oxytocin, which has been called the ‘love hormone’.
Emily said some people didn’t have that physical connection from their families or even their partners, while others, especially in Cayman, are living alone, far from home.
A philosophical question
But there is a philosophical question at the root of the business model.
Can you separate the hug from the love behind it?
Put another way, is it purely human touch we crave, or is it something more? Once a hug becomes a transactional arrangement with a stranger, does it lose its power to console?
For Emily, a hug is both physical and emotional and can retain its warmth and its power.
“It is an equal amount of both. You might be paying me to cuddle with you but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about you,” she said.
“I am not just there to make money. You are calling me because you need it and you miss it, and I feel like it can still be a very genuine experience.”
The business is advertising for new cuddle therapists right now.
The job is not for everyone, says Emily. You have to have empathy and be able to listen and care for others. The physical aspect is just one part of it.
Alongside the warmth of human connection, she believes, people are looking for a sympathetic ear in troubled times.
“Depression rates are up, suicide rates are up. We are lacking God in our lives and we are lacking human touch.”
Though she is trained and accredited as a cuddle guide, she is not a counsellor or a therapist. And if the conversation gets too intense, she says she may refer someone to a specialist.
The other thing she wants clients to know is that everything is confidential. Payments can be in cash if necessary and, if you are married, she is not obliged to tell your partner.
“Some people are in relationships and they are on completely different schedules, and they are missing out on touch in their lives.”
Despite the clandestine nature of the arrangement and the intimacy of the service provided, she believes this is a therapy that Cayman Islands people need as much as anyone else.
“I am not here to try to steal your boyfriend or to be your girlfriend or your friend with benefits. I am just trying to help people feel better.”
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