Is there Logic to Pros hourly rate?

4MBrace

I have had great sessions with pros ranging from $75/hr to $200/hr over the last year. The sessions have been very similar.
What logic is being used by most pros to set their hourly rate. Is it "demand and supply", average local rate or experience? What is your logic? Just wondering.

Mela_B

I base mine off of training, experience, and my cuddling related expenses.

Backscratch75

Lots of reasons - I think every pro should charge differently. There are expenses from travelling, cc charge fees, advertising, clothing, accessories like essential oils, related training and even time answering your questions.

And plus different pros offer different types of services. Some are focused on public cuddles, some in their own place or cuddle office, and some offer unique services like cuddle by a beach, river or the pro in San Fran who offers to cuddle in her camper van in the forest.

Best part here is prices are listed and you know your options. Thanks you for all the pros for going over and above!

CuddleDuncan

@4MBrace there is no logic. Or rather, the logic is individual to each professional. And of course some don't use logic, they take a more intuitive approach.

There is no substantive evidence for rates meaning anything at all. The anecdotal evidence (such as it is) suggests that if there is any correlation between rate and the 'quality' of the session, it is small and negative. That is to say, choosing a lower-priced professional may give you a very slightly better chance of a good experience than a higher-priced one.

In other words your experience - that rate makes no difference to anything except, well, the amount you pay - is common.

Some lurkers reading this may find this thread helpful:

• How To Choose Your Professional Cuddler

CharlieBear

Hmm in my opinion (and it’s not worth much because I am not a pro,) I think the logic is whatever they feel is worth their time and effort. Pros have to put up with a lot of time wasters, scammers, cancellations, and in some cases, boundary pushers. (😔) They may check what other pros are charging, but I think it’s a side-gig for many and higher prices means they can book fewer sessions while making it worthwhile.

dave31415

Yes. The same logic behind every price ever. Demand for a service falls with price. Supply of a service rises with price. At some point those two lines cross and that is the price at which supply equals demand and therefore the price you will pay.

lonelytauros

@4MBrace the way I see it it’s kind of like Disneyland. The pricing for their food their merchandise their admission is pretty ridiculous and outrageous, but people keep paying those prices.

If you look at entry-level jobs, you’re looking anywhere between $16-$18 an hour and then keep in mind your travel costs your food, your gas if you’re not working remotely from home.

Now if you’re doing something that’s a little more skilled let’s just say you make up to $30 an hour Well that’s still not even close to what these pros charge.

It’s become a service that’s been overvalued. Unfortunately, it’s something that men will always want and continue to pay for, including myself.

Yes. Supply/ demand/ all the behind the scenes cost & time. The input is similar to a massage therapist and I see most of the hourly costs are similar to that field from cuddle pros. Makes sense to me.

GreatHornedOwl

For starters, two pro cuddlers may not provide exactly the same service. One may provide a fairly expensive snack. Another may provide an inexpensive snack. A third may not provide any snack at all. Thus, the "cost of production" will vary from one cuddler to the next.

However, the price of either goods or services is only vaguely related to the cost of production, but is more related to the value perceived by a potential buyer. I just purchased an air fryer, and noted that for many models the price varied by as much as $10, depending on their color. There couldn't possibly be that much difference in the cost of production.

The object is for the seller to maximize their profit. If the price for a given item is very low. the profit will also be low. As the price is raised, some potential customers will be lost, but the profit will still rise. As the price continues to rise, so many potential customers will be lost, that the profit will begin to fall. Some particular price will be a "sweet spot," where profit is maximized. It's a bit surprising that so few cuddlers know how to find that sweet point.

philp

I would believe opportunity cost comes into play as well. A pro who could be earning 100/hr doing something else( running their own business for example) vs someone else who earns 40/hr. It’s like what their time is worth to them.

CuddleDuncan

@lonelytauros

let’s just say you make up to $30 an hour Well that’s still not even close to what these pros charge.

It's true that the charge is more than that, but you're comparing apples and oranges. (A wage with a service cost.) A typical professional probably makes about $30/hour, perhaps a little more.

pmvines

Pro cuddlers arent cuddling 40 hrs a week , many aren't even getting booked on a weekly basis . So you cant really look at it as a 40 hour a week salaried position. I think people who take issue with prices that folks charge forget that sometimes.

lonelytauros

@CuddleDuncan I actually wasn’t trying to compare apples to oranges. I was just trying to put into perspective what a person in the workforce typically makes. However, you did make an interesting point in that a typical professional probably makes about $30 an hour which is what I was already trying to point out.

But now that you’ve brought up skilled trade, and you’ve aroused my attention to the matter, let me ask you something since I feel you probably know the answer to this is cuddling a skilled profession that requires some sort of accreditation or a degree, because if it does, then I can definitely see the higher cost of what pros want

RichardGenesis

What? I think that you're treating this site and the contents therein as an item, not for its real worth. Do you feel better after your session? Did the sound of the world going to hell go silent while you were with them? You get the idea. I think what they charge is reasonable for emotional pain removal and there's no logic to that.

CuddleWho

The large majority of pro cuddlers are people who just decided to give it a try because it might be some easy money. So in those cases the thought that goes into it consists basically of looking at what others charge and then coming up with a number. Most (but not quite all) pro cuddlers who charge above average prices have no particular reason for doing so beyond the fact that they hope it will make them more money.

WriterGF

@lonelytauros I'm not sure you can refer to the service as "overvalued" except for you personally. Different people value cuddling to a different degree.

CuddleDuncan

@lonelytauros there is no country that currently regulates cuddling as far as I know. In other words anybody can just call themselves a 'professional cuddler'. The majority of those that do never actually see a client, or if they do they disappear from the professional pretty quickly once they realise what it actually involves. Which is, of course, very intimate physical contact with a stranger.

There are a number of training courses available in the USA and the UK and possibly others. I haven't done any of them but I understand they are of varying quality. Some do genuinely require the student to meet a certain standard, and will fail students who do not reach it.

Professional cuddling, when done properly, is a difficult, demanding and skilled job. A high proportion of clients have trauma around touch, and a disappointingly large proportion of those have been further traumatised by being sexually assaulted by professional cuddlers. So if you want to be any good as a professional cuddler, you have to be able to help somebody like that. To do so without doing more harm is difficult even before you get to the challenges of transference.

lonelytauros

@WriterGF food for thought what is the most that you are willing to pay for a cuddle session? Whatever your limit is you have a limit and anything past your personal limit Then the service has been become overvalued to you.

WriterGF

@lonelytauros No, that would mean an individual cuddler might be out of my price range. It does not mean that pro has overvalued their services. Prices are based on the market and what that market will bear. If someone is charging $200 an hour and getting no business, they will either lower their price or quit. If they are doing good business, just not from me, that only speaks to my situation, not the pro's. And no one is forced to use a pro ... don't want to pay? Find an enthusiast.

RichardGenesis

I guess some of you still want to reduce it to science. It's not. How much money would you sell something that someone gave to you on a special day? Would it hit the price point? It's the emotional value of the service. I've been through hell and back several times, if a beautiful soul can remove just a fraction of the hurt it's worth it to me. Happiness is free, removing pain is not. I value their ability to help fellow human beings.
I guess it's ironic. You're on a site that promotes tranquility and you're talking about accounting and economics. Peace.

GreatHornedOwl

@RichardGenesis I think that you may be missing the point to the original question. Suppose that there are two professional professional cuddlers in your area, and one of them charges $100 per hour, while the other charges $120 per hour. Further, suppose that either of them can remove a fraction of your hurt. How do you explain the difference between their prices?

Rezz

Here.

https://www.cuddlecomfort.com/forum/discussion/4600/why-is-there-such-a-disparity-in-price-price-mega-thread#latest

WKplatonic

Being an excellent professional cuddlier is hard work, mentally and emotionally; a lot goes into cuddling clients that the average client will never "get" or understand.

If you find an excellent professional cuddlier, I suggest you hold on to them and treat them well.

WriterGF

@GreatHornedOwl Simple. It's how much they value their own time. I once had a boss tell me, before you go out to do yard work or shovel snow, think about how much your time is worth an hour. If the amount is more than it would cost you to hire someone to do the work, then hire someone. There is no way to know the circumstances of a cuddler's life or why they may feel an hour of their time is worth a given amount. But if they are doing decent business at that amount, why change it? i have seen cuddlers in my area charge as little as $45 an hour, and others charge as much as $150. All have their reasons, I am sure, and the market will decide if their decision is right or not.

KansasDad

@Charlie_Bear exactly. Pros get to decide what it is worth to them to provide the service, and prospective clients get to decide whether or not they are willing to pay that price. “Logic” may or may not factor into any of these decisions. We are not Mr. Spock and it is ok to be illogical:

CuddleWho

@RichardGenesis There's a simple way to get people not to discuss the economics of a service: Don't charge them for it.

Cuddlers are not ethereal angels who are above all concerns of money or economics. They are small business owners who are trying to make money by selling their time and services. Some of them charge $60/hour. Some of them charge $300/hour. It's perfectly reasonable for their customers (the majority of people on this site) to think about and discuss this variable pricing.

achetocuddle

Pro cuddling is a special service that would be difficult to adequately compare to other services. Seems to me that a person willing to cuddle anyone they deem safe and offer something that others really like and that makes them feel better could and should make good money or at least decent money. I sure as h*ll would not put up with what they put up with, Lol. If I owned any business I would pretty much charge what people would pay. Why would any person wanting to have a successful business do otherwise?

And lots of people continue to forget the site payment and other overhead.

CharlieBear

Moving to the Professional Cuddling forum [Charlie_Bear]

RichardGenesis

I'm not saying that I don't agree with the question. What I'm saying is that it is exceedingly difficult to quantify certain things in life. For example, I've been to the Guggenheim Museum several times. I know people in the art industry. I could put paint splatters on canvas and try to auction it. I would get nothing, not even enough to cover the cost of materials. On the other hand, an artist can bring my painting to the same auction and possibly get millions.

It's understandable to question the price difference, but we're not comparing shoes, we are comparing people and their service. I've been a consultant for over twenty years, I can charge my clients an insane amount of money, while newer consultants do not. The difference - I've seen it all and most likely will solve my client's problem with speed and quality. Once I sign off on the project, it's done. The others might not be able to achieve that level of performance. I know, because it took me years to perfect my service.

I'm merely trying to state that the answer you seek may not exist. You are trying to be objective with a subjective service.