Why is there such a disparity in price? (Price Mega Thread)

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  • I'm in Chicago and want to find out how to a be professional.

  • I charge $100/hr partially because of the value my clients get. (I've been doing this as my full time career for 3 years and my clients are not "rich a holes", as I believe someone put it) Part of the reason behind my rates is that I've spent thousands of dollars on certifications and training around this work. I firmly believe in continuing education and and making the quality on par with (but different) than a therapists' session would be. I also offer sliding scale payments for marginalized folx. The standard rate helps off set the cost for those individuals (which is also a common practice in the therapy world). I hope this helps some people understand a little better the difference in price for some practitioners. In many cases you aren't just paying for an hour of hugs. You are also paying for the time and cost of the education that made that practitioner so good at what they do. :)

  • It really adds up.
    Can go broke at these rates. One hour is nothing. It goes so fast.

  • @melancholy Hopefully one day there will be enough choices all over the country so people can choose someone according to their budget. I am aware that many people don't have a choice, so they have to take it or leave it with who they have =( In the meantime, it's similar to many other self-care practices. A massage isn't cheap either (and again, price varies from one practitioner to another), for example. We also take some things from the therapy industry, some of us offering sliding scale or discounts to qualified individuals, as Keeley mentioned as well. The professionals in this for authentic and genuine intentions, we are really trying the best we can to both value our time, but also take care of our clients and potential clients...

  • I've paid a hosting Pro $60/hr and another $100/hr plus a $65 room. Both great experiences. The older, more confident Pro asked the higher rate.

  • @ubergigglefritz
    I love the idea of more training. Where are you finding these opportunities?

  • edited April 2019

    One thing ive noted in this thread is peoples lack of consideration to the pros saftey. Women arent just posting what they think they are worth. They are posting what they think is an acceptable ammount to risk the danger of going to a strangers house or hotel room. Some even into their own homes! Many do not have the saftey nets to catch them if a client goes sour and tries to do more then cuddling.

    We are litterally putting ourselves in the grasp of a potential psycho and no matter how much vetting you do, a persons online presence is very different then their real life presence. My friends sister met a guy and got married, sold her car and went to europe with him to 'visit his family' he did not tell her parents because she didnt want them to know she just sold the car they bought for her. The family had no idea where she went. Turns out her 'husband' itterally launched her straight into the skin trade when they got there. She escaped a few years later.

    Ive also known people who state that once they got married their husband became completely controling and abusive. Like the years of faking it, they finally took their mask off and proved who they really were but no one would believe them because 'no way hes so nice. Hes never hurt you before'.

    Its a dangerous world we offer a bit of caring and comfort in.

    We offer our services anyway in hopes of helping people as well as make a bit of extra cash.

    You have to take in account the area. If your in nyc the cost of living is through the roof, but so is the crime rate. Where I live i happily charge the base $80 an hour. Any lower and i wouldnt do it. I do get 15% sloughed off the top from the site and then taxes at the end of the year. This covers my gas, time, taxes, site fee, and a bit of my saftey.

    But my cost of living is also higher then say someone in new mexico. Where they have to lower their prices to match the market and get clients over there.

    The fluctuation is litterally dependent on the risk as well as the market in which these people are. If they have to drive out an hr to get to anywhere a client may be, or if they are close. But also because between we are doing unpaid work contacting people and booking appointments. Or even scouting these forums.

    They also fluctuate on if it is weekends or nights. Or some may even choose to create their own packaged deals. But mostly on how much they are willing to be paid to take a very very big risk.

    There is a ton of risk involved in this. And the fact you guys are but hurt over a measely $100 for an hr cuddle is pretty self centered.

    Then complaining they wont host? Sorry not sorry, I dont want a guy to get mad at me because he acted a fool and i blocked him, but he knows where my home is and wont stop harassing me. I do not want stalkers or people who turned out to be killers, theives, or kidnappers (ever heard of the skin trade? Have you ever seen unsolved case files?) knowing where my home is and coming back after a cuddle session after scheduled hours.

    I personally have a saftey net. I carry self defense tools (which arent cheap. They are maxed to what is legal to the state of mn.) And pray i dont have to ever discharge my tool on them to get away. I also have someone who has the address and the times in which I am supposed to be there. If i dont call by a certain time they come running to see if im ok. If not the police will be called. But i take this risk because there is genuine people out there that are in need. Genuine people that have been hurt and just need someone to hold them. Or have been disabled and no one wants to touch them. But thats mostly why I am here.
    I am also personally struggling to survive, and my $18 an hr job isnt footing the bills. I needed something I could set my own schedule.

    But I take the risk to both help people, and help myself. Complain about prices all you want but honestly it is rediculous that you are complaining about it. If you want free cuddles see if a non pro is willing, or get out and do things to see if you can get a normal women who is willing to cuddle you for free. Good luck though, a lot of us are too affraid to be even approached. Let alone relax enough to cuddle you while barely knowing who you are. For that you have to build a relationship, that is your cost with that person. And you still dont get a yes or no. And they still may ultimately say no, no matter how many drinks or dinners youve bought them. Or movies youve taken them too, etc etc. It cuts the bs and that song and dance.

    With us, its no strings attached, you can get your fix of human contact, and you can continue on with business as usual. But at least be less stressed out, happier, and not have to worry about trying to maintain a relationship.

    Man, yall are willing to pay a therapist $200-$300 a session out of pocket for a women/man to nod and pretend shes listening to half of what you say. While making the same carbon copied statements of how you should handle your problems, but you cant pay $50-$100 for a women to come over and cuddle you, and be your in home therapist?

    Its a service. Dont like the price. Then leave. Why are you here anyway? Thats like walking into mcdonalds and complaining about the prices. If you dont like the service provided or the pricing go elsewhere. But dont sit and bash the people who work there because you feel self entitled and like your meal should be free.

  • On this site we don't make all of the money we list as our rates. Cuddle Comfort takes a mandatory cut which is why the higher prices.

    I've been offering this service since 2017 which is why my rates are higher. I have 300+ hours of cuddles in professional sessions, and many happy return clients.

    We basically charge what we truly feel the service is worth and a quality service with a lasting effect you will expect to invest in.

    It needs to be sustainable for the Pro as well, so we can continue to offer the service and not get burnt out or feel not truly valued so price point does have an effect on that.

  • [Deleted User]jessie_bella (deleted user)

    I recently started cuddling because a friend referred me. In my location price is high to travel and the cost of living is high. I started at $100/hr but I have also offered a free hour if they pay for a hotel. I also have older cuddlers who have asked me if $80/hr is okay and I have agreed to it happily.

    Recently a friend in another City noticed similar conversations with a user and we reported him then we got suspended. Is that common on here. It shows that if we report people out of concern that we too may be "in trouble". Is this what to expect ?

  • edited April 2019

    @jessie_bella what was the reason you were suspended?

  • edited April 2019

    I think what happens is you have girls join this site who have never done anything like this nor do they know anything about pro cuddling and business in general including business law. There are so many pros that think they can make up their own rules. They see someone charge $100 an hour and think oh wow, easy money, I’m going to charge $100 an hour even though I’ve never had a session before. They will say, I love to cuddle and have cuddled with my boyfriend or something like that. I like to grill, should I be able to walk into a top tier restaurant and ask for top pay?

    The going accepted rate has been and still is $80 an hour so why should someone who has no experience doing this charge $100 an hour. Where things really take a bad turn is when pros start charging astronomical travel fees and start upselling extras. When I say extras, I don’t necessarily mean illegal extras. An example is I was once told that an outdoor session would be an extra $10. Why should an outdoor session be an extra $10, that makes no sense.

    I can go profile by profile and point out silliness in pricing. Some pros will list $80 an hour and then list 2 hours as $160. Ok so what, I’m an idiot and I can’t figure out on my own that $80 times 2 is $160.

    There is another pro on the site who lists an hour at $80, 2 hours at $150 and 3 hours at $300 and 4 hours at $400. Wait, I thought we were supposed to get discounts for longer sessions??? I suggest you ask this pro for 2, 2 hour sessions which would cost you $300 rather than a 4 hour session that would cost you $400. Am I the only person that sees the ridiculous in that?

    Someone above said traveling is expensive, well then maybe more pros should find a way to host or use the marketing skills that you should have that make you think you can charge $100 an hour to come up with something that makes sessions worthwhile for you and economical for clients. Someone also said the cost of living is high. So does that mean that the cost of living is only high for pro cuddlers or is it high for everyone including clients? The same cost of living that pro cuddlers deal with is the same cost of living that clients deal with.

    There is a new pro that is charging $80 an hour and a 9 hour overnight stay for $720. Ok let’s do the math again, $80 times 9 is $720 so where’s the discount for a long session and why should a pro receive $80 an hour for being unconscious? The model that snugglebuddies set which I still think should be the model for overnighters is $80 an hour for awake time and $40 an hour for sleep time. In the case of the 9 hour overnighted, let’s say 3 hours were awake and 6 were sleeping that would be a total of $480.

    Once again, the big issue is you have a bunch of girls many of which are very young that have little or no understanding of business and there’s no educational process on this site other than the bad information that are receiving from other pros.

    Then making matters worst are the clients that don’t understand what a bad business deal is and pay these prices. When I book sessions, I don’t care how much I may want to see a particular pro, if it’s a bad business deal in my opinion, I won’t do it.

  • edited April 2019

    I don’t usually see pro cuddlers but I do read the profiles and nowadays the majority of active profiles in any city are pros and i do see the things that @Morpheus mentions. I just don’t see myself paying $80 and up plus the traveling fee, plus the place to host.
    And I agree with the previous post, it is interesting to say the least that a pro cuddler can’t host but they mention in their profile that they will charge a traveling fee and any hotel room charges are the client’s responsibility. So $80, plus between $20 and $40 for traveling charges, plus the hotel room expense.

    Please note this is not a complain, I am only reflecting on @Morpheus post. I will never see anything wrong as to how people make a living and if they can charge all that and get it well then more power to them.

    That is the main reason why I personally don’t see pro’s. But I do travel and I will consider a pro if her price point is reasonable to me. For example, i saw a pro last year that was less than $80, didn’t charge me a travel fee and gave me an extra 15 minutes because I was hosting. And the session was excellent.

    Last but not least the previous post mentions the snuggle buddies overnight session and the price is actually $330 for 8 hours and $400 for 10. Very reasonable. I might just give them a try.

  • edited April 2019

    I no longer offer overnights for safety reasons, but I agree, if you're going to charge somebody for being asleep then good bloody luck getting anybody to book you ever, if not rarely. Time is money but there's a reasonable limit to that...

    As for travel fees, I get that people have got to put fuel in their tanks, but especially if you can't host and an outside accomodation needs to be made by the client, cut them some slack and offer some sort of discount in the form of free time, or only have them pay for travel one-way. If my tank is empty and someone wants a session, it's not their fault nor their responsibility to make sure my tank is full to get to them. I should be making sure that I have the minimal means to get where I need to go in order to do business, and chances are, whatever I make will be partially going towards gas anyway especially if I had to make a special trip out to them. This is why I don't rely on pro cuddling as a full-time job, because I would need to charge people out the ass in order to sustain, and then no one would book.

    @Morpheus

    There are so many pros that think they can make up their own rules, many of which don’t align with the law and or tax code.

    Examples?

    I can't speak for what goes on in the states, you guys have the rather broody IRS to deal with...here in Canada, we have the CRA who aren't nearly as anal. In 2017, I had to pay taxes since my income was sizeable. Come 2018 where my rules are more strict, my boundaries are budge-free, and I don't book with people who make it clear to me that they're no good, after records of all expenses were totaled, I didn't meet the minimum requirement in order to file a return. The minimum amount of income you need to make as a small business owner here in order to file is $3500. I was having so few actual sessions turn out that I barely made $2000 that year. Mainly I just spent precious free time consulting with hopefuls (a lottttt of hopefuls) and they never booked or turned out. And now you can see why I definitely can't do this as a full-time job, or else I'd essentially be homeless. :lol:

  • There’s a new pro in LA charging $200 an hour. Among other things, her profile says and I quote

    “I am aware that my prices are high. I give all in my sessions: they are high quality and therapeutic. It’s an opportunity to invest in your healing and growth!”

    Lmao

  • [Deleted User]CharlesTwisted (deleted user)

    Well, in fairness, there are people that pay money for Tarot readings, so why not try to tap into that market of people with more money than sense?

  • I personally love cuddling for work and base my price around location, my luxury pad, me offering alocohol, treats, homemade snacks and unlimited water :) and cuddles. I make it a fun cuddle private party and we always did have a blast. My price helps to turn off possibly someone who may seem questionable coming in or out of my luxury building and I can not risk having questions asked from neighbors. Most if not all of my clients are business types coming from work and fit into the scheme of the lifestyle here. Nothing personal! I am updating my profile this week.

  • edited May 2019

    Hello everyone! Couldn't resist adding to the discussion... I'm also the one who charges $100 for an hour - for a few reasons.

    Yes, I'm new on this website, but does that mean new to cuddling? :) How can one even conclude that it's a new person - mistakelessly? (No such word? Eh!) Accounts here can be muted and deactivated (beautiful feature), so, no karma or friends might also mean lack of presence and/or being shy (I prefer adding to Favorites instead of a public list of friends - a habit of privacy inherited from social media usage). Descriptions can be strategically composed to skip experience and concentrate on something else. Personal meeting might be bad chemistry between you two or just a bad day for a cuddler, e.g. sudden stomachache combined with opting for responsibility instead of self-care. Lack of research, fears, goals, and so on. Too many factors to make a conclusion.

    Then, obviously, as someone has mentioned, the company takes its cut. And while cuddling might seem easier than a standard but less paying work - it still is work. And! You get to choose how much you want to be paid! Why would I set the price that would pay my bills all the same but also made my life much, much more stressful? Especially if I'm also working on a few other projects that require my time - and sanity. Few years ago I worked with another cuddling company with a set price of $80/hour, out of which exactly half went to the company. I had so many emails that I couldn't physically handle them! But oh my, that stress. Over a few months of a freaking nightmare, I simply got burnt. New ones writing, old ones writing... Add friends, family, other life encounters, all wanting something. "Why don't you answer? You don't like me? Are you single? Hiiii..." Haha! (That's a nervous laugh.) At the latest point a simple "How are you" made me sweat like a pig and close the browser just to make it stop, even if temporary, without answering. Oh, and all that, of course, spiced up with constant "offers" and suggestions, which have eventually made me feel so, so... Someone here said, "devalued" - yes! Ironically enough, I followed the rules meticulously, yet that icky feeling lingered. So I quit! Back then.

    Now, it's all changed, as I've changed. As guessed, higher price doesn't guarantee anything, the offers still pop up occasionally. Except, I'm more mature now and don't take it personally. People are people! They test boundaries. But they also tend to respect a respectful (!), assertive refusal. Besides, I've learnt by now that it's important to not only have desires in general but also express them. Like saying a smiley "Hi" to a stranger you've liked or asking for a coffee refill in Starbucks. (They actually do!) So I don't get insulted! It's just a "No." And on a bigger scale, there is definitely less "water tasting" because most visitors get "scared off" before they even contact me :) But isn't that wonderful? Do I want to spend endless hours replying 50 people, out of which only a few will book, and marketing myself ("Tell me why I should hire you and not that one." Eww!) or do I use that freed time to bond with a few people who actually looked beyond the price? Even if there will be less booking overall. Those, who want to see me, contact me regardless. And there were cases when we thoroughly discussed the price, far from my benefit, haha! (And I understood why that happened - we did need to meet.) You know, the guts. Sometimes you just know that you need to see that specific person, even if you don't know why - yet. Those with whom we clicked all shared thoughts about that same gut feeling. Even more, I met through cuddling 3 of my closest, most trusted friends, closest to the point that one had ALL of my belongings while I was abroad, while the another had the password to my bank.

    But anyway, back to high prices. Another reason, however arrogant it sounds, might be a simple "I know what I'm doing." I really do! No, I'm not saying it's a rule of thumb and high price equals knowledge. And please, neither am I saying that those charging less don't know what they are doing! There is no connection whatsoever. But it is a choice. Some can call it greed, snobbism, bad math skills, lack of intellect, absence of common sense, or whatever suits them - it doesn't really matter as they have their own, established vision, rightly so. But it is a choice. Personal one, conscious one.

    And last, about work again, particularly "easy money" as it might be seen by some indeed. For a professional, experienced cuddler, cuddling is 100% of truly mental work, not physical at all. Another example of mental work - software engineer. High salary minus expenses for education, plus enormous stress when debugging. Those who code know what I mean. Having a genuine, warm, trustful, highly spontaneous, unrepeatably individualized connection with a human you know almost nothing about - that's a colossal amount of energy. And work. Just like with a computer. You click your Excel shortcut and wait for it to open. You don't see the rest - the memory being used, bits and bites decoded, overwritten, compiled, with all the other simultaneously running processes, and the incredibly complex program itself, with all it's algorithms and data structures. It's all handled on the background, by a professional - your computer in this case, a cuddler in another. So yes, we do know what we are doing :)

    Good luck to you all!

  • As a professional, I have heard lots of horror stories about other "professionals", and stories of sessions they thought were "good", but the client just didn't know anything different. If I were looking for a professional, I would do my own version of screening. The prices most of us charge is NOT cheap. I can't throw away that kind of money to just try someone out without any support to think they will be amazing. Karma is helpful (but really not that reliable), personal recommendation is probably the best, but how they speak to me directly and how they represent themselves on here or other community forums is the biggest thing. I respect people who ask me questions and want to know why I'm different. For many people, they can only afford one session a month, for some it's even less frequent than that. They don't want to waste that opportunity. It also allows us to make sure we're a good for. I would rather "waste" my time communicating with someone who decides not to book than to waste my time getting together for a session where the person isn't happy or is looking for different services. We are all different. For every person looking, there is a professional somewhere who is a good fit. It's just a matter of finding them, and hopefully being in each other's vicinity one day ? lol.

  • So I charge 100/hr but I offer ways for people to not have to pay that much that requires some kind of commitment to seeing me more than once.

    I provide a TON of value in my sessions beyond cuddling using advanced emotional labor techniques that I took the time to learn both before being a cuddler and after being in this field. This has helped my clients IMMENSELY improve their lives inside and outside of sessions, so there is an immeasurable value add here. These techniques are therapeutic in nature, although they are not therapy and I still recommend my clients see a therapist because they will offer something different for them. On top of all of this, I make it look effortless to do this.

    I can't speak for all cuddlers on the emotional labor they do in their sessions (though many have told me that they do their fair share), but I imagine many of you that are seeking this service are conditioned to not see or value the emotional labor others do for you. This isn't necessarily your fault because you don't know, but I do want to let you know that what we do is real work, even if we do enjoy our sessions too. The nature of professional cuddling tends to create this sense of safety in our vulnerability that requires emotional labor to both allow in sessions and to make space to process it. This could be as advanced as digging deeper via therapy or coaching while upholding our own boundaries or as simple as just listening and holding space for someone to show up how they want to.

    I'll be the person to say it boldly: this is the first of very few accepted industries that are charging for physical labor combined with emotional labor. Many of you just don't value it enough to pay for it with your money.

  • The pro I mentioned above that was charging $200 an hour is gone. I’m not sure if she deleted or was banned. At those prices, I knew she wouldn’t last long.

  • Personally I think 80 is the perfect number to start at. Anything lower than 60 and it becomes touch for hire not cuddle therapy. Anything more than 150 and you getting into what sex work charges. There's only two pros in my city and I'm one of them. But the other woman has way more experience and is with cuddlist. She also does 80. But because there's not really competition so clientele stay consistent. Though I'm 24 and if they are over 35 and are seeing me, not the expert, there is a reason for it. And they aren't always nice reasons.

  • @hunnybee I started lower than 60 for a brief time while I had my first clients. I felt I was in training basically, kind of like getting a haircut at barber college, lol. I raised them slowly as I felt more confident I knew what I was doing (actually $60 for a while). My regular rates are still lower than your recommended starting rate, only $75. Evenings are $85. Weekends $100 (I don't prefer to work on weekends and this curbs the rate of those requests). I wish I could be lower honestly, but I don't think I'll go lower than $75. That's a wicked deal already for someone with so much experience, karma, and training. You don't want to be seen as cheap either (unless in training and still learning initially). As I travel, I might make small adjustments if I can afford. Some areas are pretty poor and I would like to help ?

  • @ubergigglefritz 80 was the default on cuddle comfort. I also don't charge more for evenings and weekends. I prefer them. And I'm figuring out discounts for public meets (that are mostly hand holding and hugs), and maybe overnights ( because I also know I can't sleep while being cuddled). In my area 60 might encur a rush that I'm also not prepared to handle.

  • @hunnybee I don't like that CC puts $80 as the default =P That's the industry average, and I don't know what other industry that people just starting out get paid the industry average ;-)

    I charge according to preferences. If you prefer evenings and weekends, then your use of that strategy would result in higher rates during other times of the day O:-)

  • edited May 2019

    Is it just me or has anyone else noticed the dramatic increased in professional fees. It's like one pro sets a high price and everyone else follows. And what's up with the new pros charging an arm and a leg for their newly found hobby?

    MOD: Merged into discussion regarding pro cuddling pricing [SoulcuddlerZ]

  • I agree lol

  • [Deleted User]bob44224 (deleted user)

    Like all things, pricing is all about what the market will bear. I do agree with you however -

  • Oh, golly. Another thread complaining about professionals. How illuminating.

  • edited May 2019

    This hobby is starting to get pretty expensive for me. There seems to be a trend where the new pros are charging more than the regular pros. I have a few regular pros and 2 main pros whom I would visit on a monthly basis. Also, I have 2 scheduled sessions within the next 7 days, I just can’t keep up with some of these prices. I miss those $60-$80 days. In one incident, a pro changed her price after we agreed on a session, her explanation for increasing her price was because of high demands. Sure, I understand the game and how it works. But, I’m like, you just got in the game. What are your qualifications and how long have you been cuddling? Hmmm...

  • There's no real justification other than they can find guys willing to pay for it so why not make more money ?
    Only thing you can do is see the ones who arent charging exorbitant amounts and avoid the newer ones.
    It's not really their fault though. It's the fault of the clients willing to pay that high rate anyway

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