What is the most a professional cuddler can charge ?
The pros on this site are independent contractors and can set their prices as they wish. All of that being said, the generally accepted price is $80 per hour. See the attached pic which is from this site.
I think the highest I've seen someone list they charged was $110-120/hour, but I didn't see any reviews or hear how often they were booked. The general pricing seems to be $70-80/hour with some offering $50-60/hour. As for what the highest amount someone can list I don't know if there is one.
There is one pro who wants $150 per hour. And if must be for a minimum of 2 hours.
There is one in GA charging 200 per hr. Just joined. My guess is after a long enough time of not booking any gigs she will either quit or lower her price.
I saw $150 once and thought I was on the wrong site.
$80 seems to be the average but it's nice to see a few $50 popping up in LA.
What @pmvines said
Anyway it's too high for a cuddle imo.
I don't like to judge or jump to conclusions but when I see that kind of price point I do have to wonder....
Most Pros I've seen or talked with, though I don't want to make them feel I question their choice in coming to an hourly rate, it seems that going over $80/hour without already being established and having a solid reputation usually is doomed to not get clients or very few and maybe once for an hour. My opinion and view is that the few I see come on that start off at listing sessions at $90-100+ per hour are thinking it will be easy money to sit cuddled up with someone yet have limited to no experience. They might get a client or few for an hour, but most likely not repeat business. Also, again only my view and observations, is that most that tend to do this are younger girls that are fairly cute and might be thinking they can use that as an excuse to raise the price.
From my limited knowledge of the booking rates compared to pricing, usually the newer members that list the higher than normal rates don't last long.
It could be considered price gauging
I am new and starting at $50/hr until I get more experience and karma. Even at that price, I've only had a few local enough people messaging who didn't seem creepy, lol, and one cancelled our first meeting. Hasn't been that long yet, so hopefully something will happen :-) I agree in not understanding people coming in charging on the higher end with no karma yet...
Before I became a professional cuddler, I was an enthusiast. I do agree that experience with cuddling is vital. The reason I say this is because I've witnessed professional cuddlers join the site only to quickly lose interest due to a lack of understanding of what is required in this line of work. After all, the best cuddler is the one who enjoys such intimacy.
Now about pricing, that is usually up to the professional to decide for x amount of reasons. There is a 15% commission that professional cuddlers are required to pay from each session. So, let's say as a professional cuddler, your hourly rate is $100. You are expected to pay $15 (15%) which would leave you $85 for every hour. Therefore, if a client books you for 2 hours, you have a total of $170 left after paying your fees. Professional cuddlers are not exempt from this 15% rule for any reason, including if they give discounts to their clients. I have no problem paying the 15% fee which is more than reasonable, considering that Cuddle Comfort is providing a stable platform for professional cuddlers to market their cuddling service. Moreover, other sites have a higher commission rate.
Come to think about it, I used to work as a sales associate at Payless. We had customers come in only to complain about the high prices on given items. I even witnessed a guy stand around in the store talking poorly about Payless, and I started to think that if I was that guy, I would have just left and went to a store that accommodated me. It wasn't like Payless was his only option.
I know what it feels like to want something but not be able to afford it right away. When I got the opportunity to actually get it, I was ecstatic!!! For example, there was this artist selling a breath-taking painting of interest at a price that I considered to be very expensive. However, folks with higher-paying careers, like doctors, engineers, and lawyers, may not have felt the same way. My point is that I never attempted to argue down her price simply because it took more effort on my part to buy the painting than a doctor would have needed. Instead, I decided that I really wanted that painting and put in the time and resources to get it, without ignoring more pressing priorities. At the end of the day, she reserved the right to dictate the price of her painting as she saw fit. Her painting was neither the only option, nor a necessity, why it would have been better to criticize her price.
The same applies for professional cuddlers. They reserve the right to charge whatever price they see fit, and those who charge high prices are not the only options. So, do not take offense to one cuddler's price when you can always go to another. I'm sure most of you received the pleasure of cuddling with amazing women on the site, and I'm happy for all of you. Continue to enjoy your cuddles!
I had a pro recently quote me $100 an hour with a $60 travel fee. I thought it was a typo and asked again which she confirmed it was $100 for an hour with the $60 travel fee. I politely declined. I then booked two pros for $80 an hour each with no travel fee and had two sessions for what the other girl would’ve charged me for one.
I recently also had a pro quote me $100 an hour for a session plus a $20 Uber fee. I requested a public session at a local park and she said that a public session would be an extra $20 an hour. I thought to myself, why is a public session an extra $20 an hour? So that would be a total of $140 an hour for a one hour session. I politely declined and bought myself a new pair of Jordans.
For all of you newbies, there definitely are options. Also if you establish yourself as a regular with a pro, she may be more inclined to offer you a better rate.
Yes, I offer one free hour after ten paid and am very interested in doing monthly plans. I would love regulars :-)
"I politely declined and bought myself a new pair of Jordans." Way to go, Morpheus. You determine what is worth investing in just like I do/did. Which Jordans did you buy? Lml I'm trying to picture you in some J's while the anthem plays:
J’s on my feet J’s on my feet J’s on my feet So get like me
Discounts are great! Who doesn't like discounts? I would be lying if I said I don't. lol I think that's why I give them because I love them myself.
The highest I have seen is $200 but that didn’t seem to last long. I have been doing $80 an hour since beginning as a professional cuddler on the various platforms. I think it’s reasonable for the time I spend getting ready while also filtering those who are not serious about therapeutic cuddling. It also allows me to maintain a fair amount once commission is paid.
I am still figuring out travel fees, so I am excited to read this thread. I personally try not t charge a travel fee if it’s less than 30 minutes driving. If it’s more than that then I try to keep a reasonable fee just enough to replace the gas spent because if I have to drive 45-60 minutes one way that can easily turn an hour session to 3 hours of my time gone. I just try to make adjustments to keep it reasonable based on the distance without causing a crazy hike to the final price.
Here most are charging $40. Of course there are new pros every day putting 80 or 100, but it is really ridiculous and they get no business
It's not as ridiculous as you think, for people who are actually passionate about their service. There is a lot of time that goes into it outside the hour you're paying for. It's ridiculous I guess for someone who basically just lies there. But people make their statements with their wallets, so if it's too much for you, go elsewhere. I just know I'm putting in a ton of unpaid time into the work, so the hourly paid has to compensate for those hours also. Otherwise, I can't afford to do it at all.
@ubergigglefritz What is some of the work you do outside the actual cuddle?
Most pro cuddlers put time and money in for advertising ( they aren’t only here )
They Vet clients which for some includes meeting they don’t charge for
many do skin treatments ( those that do more skin to skin , platonic cuddling ) , pedicures so their feet are soft and not clawing their clients
They get child care and spend time away from their family ( many of us have to consider if pay from a job is worth the childcare , drive time as well as wear and tear on their car )
Not to mention the great pros that bring candles , give massages and bring little extras to make the atmosphere comfortable and inviting .
I think for the best of us, there is a passion for learning and improving our craft and what we can offer people. I'm in the early stages, so learning a lot of the basics about how to offer the best experience for people, but after I get a little further, I'm looking forward to learning entirely new skills related to the power of touch and connection. I anticipate this being constant, with no end. It's like a doctor continuing to learn as new knowledge and information becomes available. There is no end in learning if you care about being the best you can be.
Beyond that, there is a lot of communication, marketing, etc. Personally, I plan on maintaining connection with regular clients between sessions, and this takes time outside of sessions. Similar to hosting on Airbnb, there is a lot more involved than what the customer necessarily sees.
Also, this can be a very emotionally taxing job, since our focus is 100% on the client and what they need, pushing our own personal stresses or emotions temporarily aside in order to be a positive force on the client. So, for me to provide the best service with unwavering focus, I can't maintain enough clients to fill 40 hours a week of paid hours like I would a regular full-time job. Similar to social work, the more cases you have on your plate at a time, the less personal focus you can provide. I want to do better than the minimum, and strive for exceptional, so I need to make "enough" with fewer clients.
These are my goals anyway, others may work differently, and you might not agree. But just some food for thought :-) Of course, my passion and genuine caring nature isn't even enough yet, ha, as I haven't had any paid clients yet at even $50/hr. So you can also choose to ignore my thoughts O:-) Hopefully soon though. I still think this is the right place for me. I need to crack down on some marketing ideas. Not many people in Virginia seem to know about this yet...
I always host and before a session, I clean my house which usually takes a couple of hours. I shower and groom my beard. I get a manicure and pedicure once every two weeks. I set up candles and accent lights in my living room. I make sure I walk my dogs before hand so they are nice and tired and not bouncing around. I make sure to have water available for my cuddle buddies. I’m very picky and like things to be as comfortable and as perfect as possible. A lot can go into being a host.
If you don’t like the prices . Hire someone cheaper or find an enthusiast . Everyone has choices .
Morpheus, great list for prep :-) Definitely a lot of prep! I haven't hosted enough to have figured everything out O:-) But there is definitely a lot of similarities to Airbnb, with cleaning, laundry, etc...
I prefer hosting cause I like to be clean when being that close to someone. The thought of being grimey after a days work and then cuddling is gross to me. I want to smell good with fresh breath etc If I were to go somewhere after work for example, I wouldn’t be comfortable.
I spend a lot of time grooming my beard and love when my cuddle buddies like it and want to touch it :-)
I charge $90 an hour and have absolutely no problem getting that. On other sites I charge $110 an hour and still have no problem getting that. I charge what I think my time and talent is worth. Sometimes you get what you pay for.
I think having a discounted first session would be beneficial for newer pro's. I offer a discount on the first hour of our first session, then you can make the decision on whether our time together enriched your life enough to see me again at my normal rate. Being open to communicating casually has helped me a lot as well, I get a complete picture of another lovely human being which makes our time even more special cause now we have inside jokes.