Just wondering has anyone else noticed its been extremely quiet the last few months ?
Quiet in what way?
I have noticed a lot less activity from local cuddlers in my area.
In all ways really. No messages, no bookings and I've noticed less people looking at my profile. Thinking maybe I need to update my profile 🤔
Yes!! Just had this conversation with someone the other day!
I don't know about your area, but here in NorCal it's been a really rough flu/RSV/COVID winter, with cases rising to the point our county went back to mask recommendation. A lot of people who avoided COVID the rest of the pandemic got it bad (or twice even) because of new mutations. A lot of folks I know have cut back on their in-person socializing and other exposures, which includes attending cuddle events or seeing cuddle partners.
Personally, I'm high risk for infection complications from all upper respiratory infections, so I tend to isolate more in winter anyway, but when cases of the above mentioned viruses rise in especially careful. I haven't been cuddling since November (partially since I was one of those who got COVID and took forever to recover).
Additionally, I've noticed for a lot of small, service-based businesses there will be a drop after the holiday season as people will have spent a lot of their discretionary income on gifts, travel, etc. They may also be focused on other goals for awhile, and things generally tend to pick back up around mid-March. Yrmv, but this has been true in several industries I've worked in (performing arts, hotels, cuddling, childcare, academic tutoring, even casinos 😂).
@cuddlefaery a faery of all trades I see!
@therapycuddles1 your profile is perfect.
Thank you so much for the beautiful feedback @robroo, really appreciate it 😊 🩵💙
@lonelytauros bahaha ADHD + working in the performing arts 🤷🏻♀️ 😅 (unstable income meaning needing day jobs and working multiple at a time)
Hi, I'm in the Toronto area and it's been super slow. Lots of cancelations and so few people booking. Also noticing people deleting their profiles.
One of my dear friends, a pro cuddler who has had a lot of interest since joining CC in Aug......just mentioned to me how slow it has suddenly become. She still has her regulars, but very few new inquiries.
The way I look at it is that cuddle therapy is still fairly unknown in the mainstream. I doubt that Cuddle Comfort does any marketing for cuddling in general, so it's not something that people generally just stumble over. They usually find out by word of mouth. And many hobbyists that do get involved, are often soured by high costs and upcharging, or just don't meet the wonderful cuddlers that exist on this site, or participate in this forum. I'm in touch with some other cuddle clients who share the messaging with potential pros they might see.....and I'm completely blown away at how little energy is put into the communication to allow the inquiring client to feel received, invited, and acknowledged.
I'm not at all saying that any of you reading this post are that way......just saying that the industry standard, the bar so to say, is not very high. The system of karma does not allow for truly candid reviews, so there are very few ways to distinguish between pros, except for the photos and session descriptions. All karma is basically good karma, unless someone reports a no show. I have yet to read a karma where the client describes simply a mediocre experience.....
So there's more than likely a host of reasons for the slowdown. It could also be more supply than demand. Many new cuddlers appear, attracted to a side gig that can bring cash revenue, and where you can set your own hours. I've spoken to some new pros about how they got into the biz, and several talk about seeing it on TikTok, or some friends tell them about it. But for each new pro, doesn't there need to be 5-10 new clients entering the scene to make it worthwhile?
It's a conundrum, but one worthy of reflection and spirited discussion!
I can’t speak for anyone other than myself but after meeting and connecting with one particular enthusiast last summer, I have not booked a pro since then.
I have noticed the forums are not nearly as active (or interesting) as they used to be so I only check them once every couple of days instead of multiple times per day like I used to and I comment a lot less because most of the topics don’t interest me.
There have been moments in time when the forums were really interesting exchanges of ideas.
Sadly, it's deviated into airing of grievances, seeing who can yell the loudest, paragraphs of verbal diarrhea, cheers from sycophants, lectures from hall monitors. It's how forums come to die. Oh well.
But yeah, generally it's eerily quiet and few new faces in my local area in quite a while.