Why aren't there more pro cuddlers in college towns?

WiserGuy3000

Curious....wouldn't female college students seem a group likely to be interested in pro cuddling? Several years ago, there were lots of articles about how college women were turning to "sugar baby / sugar daddy" arrangements to make some extra money. But those arrangements are of course illegal (in the US at least) if sexual activities are involved, which I imagine includes the majority of said arrangements. And sex work brings in lots of other risks, too.

Purely platonic cuddling on the other hand, is a completely legal and safer way to make some extra money, and college kids always need that. I would think that college age females would do very well in this market -- to be frank, the benefits of youthful attractiveness would certainly help! But also, they have a decent amount of free time, they're used to communicating on the Internet, and they don't have to factor a spouse or children or fulltime job into their schedule!! Granted, hosting cuddle sessions from a dorm or shared apartment would be a challenge, so clients would likely have to host.

Still, I'd expect to find at least some college students among the pros listed here. And yet in my college town and several others I checked out of curiosity, that doesn't seem to be a demographic that's participating, judging by the ages represented. I've cuddled with one pro who is a grad student, but otherwise haven't seen any evidence of participation. (I wouldn't expect to see college kids as enthusiasts, because for the most part free cuddles are pretty easy to find in college.)

Anyone else had experience with this demographic, or have thoughts on this?

xandriarain

@WiserGuy3000 so I was a college student from 2013-2018 and I didn’t even hear about professional cuddling until 2016 or 2017. At the time I had knew very little about the industry, I had a partner who was very much against the idea and no car. When I was in college I had all of my essentials covered and worked very little, school was alway the first priority. To be honest It wasn’t until after I graduated and had been chewed up and spit out by some really predatory sales jobs that I finally decided to give professional cuddling a try.

So to sum up my answer:
1. Most people don’t know cuddle therapy even exists
2. There is still a lot of stigma and unknowns around this work
3. College students may not be able to host or do outcalls due to not having a car
4. College students may not need to work.
5. (This is not included in my story because I was in the Philadelphia area) you are most likely to see professional cuddlers in densely populated areas where there is a demand. In rural college towns I can’t imagine there would be as many clients so it probably wouldn’t be worth it to even be a professional cuddler in those locations.

Lastly, this is a dangerous profession for young adults who have little life experience and are financially needy. I was 24 when I started and definitely made my share of mistakes but it probably would have been so much worse if I had started at 18,19 or 20.

WiserGuy3000

@xandriarain logical points. I'll push back just a little on #3 -- Uber/Lyft make not having a car a lot less of a problem now than it was when I was in college (about 20 years before you were)! And college towns -- even rural ones -- generally have decent Uber availability, likely because so many students don't have their own cars, and/or don't want to drive drunk. There's a good rideshare market, and demand drives supply -- yay capitalism?

On #5, what does "worth it" really mean? After all, it doesn't cost anything to use CC unless you get bookings, right? So I'd still kind of expect some college-aged women to make profiles, maybe they only get one booking a month (or less) but it costs them no money and very little time to start up, so there's no financial risk.

And your last point, absolutely. There are undoubtedly some predatory clients on here, and an 18-22 year old isn't going to have great experience handling those people. I wasn't necessarily saying it was a good idea for college students to be professional cuddlers. But, given that a lot of college students (1) need extra income; and (2) often make less-than-ideal choices, I'm still surprised there aren't more of them on CC, especially in towns where college students make up a decent chunk of the local populace.

cde123

I find it fascinating that so many people on this site are 30+. My theory is that people generally need to be burnt out on regular romantic relationships to get to the point they are looking for or offering cuddles. I don't think we'll find many college-age enthusiasts on here, since it's not hard to find someone your own age to cuddle in college, and plus you can go at your own pace. I think it takes a certain maturity to recognize cuddling is your need.

Thinking back to myself in college, I certainly wouldn't have considered offering cuddles on CC unless I was desperately in need of money. Why sift through older men for any other reason? They are unlikely to understand you and you are already surrounded by people to date and/or cuddle if that's your need, without the socially awkward age gap.

So I think college students would be in it for quick cash only and maybe due to desperation. These aren't the people we want on this site in my opinion and I'm glad we have the mix we already do.

WiserGuy3000

@cde123, you're absolutely right on enthusiasts. College students have all the free cuddles they need, for the most part.

On college professionals, I just keep coming back to the idea of "sugar babies." Maybe all of that was wildly overblown in the media and didn't really happen often. But it just seems that if college students were willing to "sift through older men" (your words) for sex work, why wouldn't they do the same for cuddling, which is less invasive and less dangerous?

And, I tend to think younger people would be really good at cuddling. I see how college kids hug so often, sit on each other's laps, lean on each other in class, etc. They sort of unconsciously understand the importance of physical contact. They aren't lacking it, but they appreciate its worth, even if they do so without realizing it.

CuddleWho

Yeah I actually think the reason there are maybe fewer younger pro cuddlers is indeed sex work.

But it just seems that if college students were willing to "sift through older men" (your words) for sex work, why wouldn't they do the same for cuddling, which is less invasive and less dangerous?

Because it's less lucrative, and I suspect in total it's actually less safe.

To be a sugar baby, you've got to sift through a bunch of men but then you may establish a relationship with one, and just see that one consistently. And if you're a little picky and patient, it can actually be someone you like and find attractive. And depending on the nature of the arrangement it's possible he may financially support you completely.

To be a pro cuddler, you've got to consistently meet new strange men, and consistently hustle. It's harder, maybe less safe, and less lucrative.

And this isn't even getting into the rise of other forms of sex work, like OnlyFans.

WiserGuy3000

@CuddleWho thanks! That clearly explains the difference between sugar babying and cuddling. I was thinking "but cuddling is so much easier," but I see how that's not necessarily the case. And obviously OnlyFans and similar services give other options now too. Didn't even think about that.

cde123

This is not the site to discuss sugar dating, but I hope it's obvious that any large age, maturity, experience, or financial gap between partners can result in some very coercive situations, making the whole thing definitely not "more safe" than professional cuddling. It's also dishonest but that's another topic.

CuddleWho

Adults are adults and are capable of choosing what kinds of relationships they want. A woman deliberately seeks out and spends a lot of time and effort to find a given type of relationship... and yet somehow she has apparently been "coerced" because there's an age gap. Makes no sense on any level. And dishonest? Where in the world does dishonesty enter into it?

xandriarain

@WiserGuy3000 before I got my first office space my average session was about 45 minutes to an hour away. Uber and lyft fees would have seriously cut into my profit margins. Without a car, doing outcall sessions doesn’t make sense unless you are lucky enough to live in an area with a large number of clients local to you.

WiserGuy3000

@xandriarain in Philly, I surely understand that. But many college towns (my own included) are densely populated and relatively compact. I can get anywhere in town for $20 or less in an Uber.

The concerns about limited numbers of clients still apply, of course.