New Year’s Eve can be a lonely night for New Yorkers — and a lucrative one for professional cuddlers.
Requests for sessions with “cuddlists” have surged by 50 percent this year, from 60 in 2017 to 90 this New Year’s Eve, said Adam Lippin, co-founder of cuddlist.com. And the calls for appointments are still coming in.
The top reason hug-seekers — mostly men between the age of 40 and 60 — request the sessions is that they are missing a human connection, which can be most acute during the holidays.
“Superstar” cuddlist Saskia Larsen said she normally books seven to 10 sessions each week, but has six clients booked for New Year’s Eve. “I had to put three clients who I couldn’t fit in onto New Year’s Day,” she said.
Larsen, a 44-year-old blonde who lives a half-block from Central Park, said her last cozy encounter is usually at 10 p.m., but she “made an exception” for New Year’s Eve “for one of my favorite clients” and booked a 90-minute session starting at 11 p.m.
The client is a long-divorced, 70-year-old retired accountant from the Upper East Side whose son lives in Chicago.
“We will probably cuddle on the couch while watching the New Year’s Eve special and when the ball drops we will give each other an extra big bearhug,” Larsen said.
Some clients have had a difficult loss through death or divorce, and others might be looking to alleviate anxiety, stress, depression or trauma, Lippin said, adding that the #MeToo movement is driving men “not knowing or understanding boundaries and afraid of women” to the service.
Cuddlist.com specialists have 146 practitioners across the country and 20 in New York City. Rates vary, but are usually around $80 per hour.