I was just thinking of setting a day when I can cuddle for free or for 20/hour, so someone who can't afford my regular price gets some cuddles as well. There are so many lonely people these days. But I'm not sure if that's allowed.
Wish more pros did this or just reached out for a free session every now and then
You cant make it £5 an hour , can you...........( please )
Pretty sure there is a minimum pros can charge.
@CuddleMate63 but you live in GB...
@BlueDreams404 I'm just afraid some people will try to manipulate me in order to get free/discounted sessions they can perfectly afford. Other than that I'm ok with the idea.
According to the TOS of the website: "Can a professional still cuddle for free?
Yes, on rare occasions. But they should be very clear about this in messages to the client so as to reduce the chance of a moderator finding the activity suspicious, then make a booking with a $0 custom price."
So, yes, you can certainly still cuddle for free. I find it admirable that you care and want more people to be able to cuddle. But, what I can say is that for the people that saved up for months for a cuddle, they might feel cheated if they knew other people were able to get a free or reduced rate cuddle because they were considered to be in a a more rough financial situation. So this may be a little tricky, but it's up to you!
There's also no easy way to verify the person contacting you can't afford your normal rate.
@sunnysideup thanks for your response!
"But, what I can say is that\ for the people that saved up for months for a cuddle, they might feel cheated if they knew other people were able to get a free or reduced rate cuddle by exaggerating their financial situation." Yeah, it's a little bit unfair for other clients who paid the full price. So I don't know...
@WriterGF yeah, that's true.
@Hellena it's totally awesome that you are thinking of doing something like this. I don't need free sessions myself, but if you were doing something like this I'll book fully paid sessions with you just because I would want to support what you are doing!
My suggestion would be to set one day every month or however often when you offer this. Limit session length to 30min or 1h max per person, and prioritize those people who haven't had free sessions before. Note that "free" clients almost never convert directly into paying clients (yeah, I truly believe groupon is the stupidest marketing idea ever) so if you are doing this hoping to gain clients, I'd advise not doing it. If you are doing it with a genuine desire to serve the community, which I think you are, you will likely find it very rewarding.
@CuddlesByDeep oh, I know it's not going to make me any money! These people can't afford my regular price. I had the idea from my recent client on Cuddlist, who asked to book 15 minutes because he couldn't afford the whole hour. So I started to think I maybe can make 1 day free or cheap. The problem is I don't know how to organize this. I don't host, so I don't want to travel that far, and there will be a lot of requests, how to pick clients from bunch of them, etc. etc.
@Hellena you need to be able to host to make this work! Travelling for this is just not feasible. If you are offering sessions for free, ask and see if a local welness business doing therapy or yoga or another pro who hosts is willing to donate space to you for that day! Heck I would donate my space in a heartbeat for someone doing this. I'd try not to ask a client, as that gets into murky waters, but certainly colleagues or a business with a suitable space who would enjoy the co-advertising.
I'd also highly suggest limiting sessions to no more than an hour per person. Send them the code of conduct ahead of time and have them sign it and bring it to the session. I'd also insist on a short 10-15m screening call for those you pick, just as with your regular first timers.
@Hellena ppl will definitely take advantage of this unfortunately and there is a limit to how low you can charge $40/ hour is the cheapest you can go. If this free day thing is something you want to do often, you’ll need to talk with Mark, the owner, and see what he says. @Mark
@Hellena I love that you are considerate and also conscientious of the needs of other’s with respect to thinking of this creative way to better serve people. Also gives us all insight as to the contents of your character and what motivates you which I must say is beautiful!
My thoughts would be similar to @CuddlesByDeep in that hosting would be the most ideal with respect to convenience and viability.
Another thought to consider is that between clients ( depending on practices you employ ) you would need to change the sheets, change clothes, possibly shower, ect ect - So this calls my attention to duration. It may make more sense to offer longer sessions though still discounted to make the behind the scenes work make more sense.
Also with respect to duration ~ shorter discounted sessions enable you to connect with folks who deserve the care, attention, cuddles and connection but longer sessions with one client at a discounted rate may have more of an impact in my opinion.
Just my thoughts 😊💜
Yes, if they enthusiastically charge.
I'd like to add that it doesn't have to be just charity.
Connecting and cuddling as two enthusiasts, who are both present and intentional, and are interested in cuddling each other for the sake of it without any monetary incentive, can be a very special experience.
That specialness can be lost if it becomes a paid job rather than something one does for the pure connection.
Most if my cuddles these days are enthusiast cuddles, and I can tell you from experience, that it's completely different when it's a mutual thing between two human beings.
@Hellena while I think this is a nice gesture, I wouldn’t do it. I know I sound like a big meanie but I think there’s enough taking advantage of our kindness here. You’d open the door for even more creeps. But that’s just my opinion. Again, I think it’s a nice gesture, but there’s just too many people here that wouldn’t be nice about it.
I liked a suggestion from another thread that mentioned doing a point system. Maybe after 3 paid cuddles get 1 free? I personally feel safer cuddling pros so I don’t mind paying for services that are very much appreciated.
@butterflyqueen I was about to suggest the same thing! Rather than allowing any random person to potentially "take advantage", you could reward your regulars with a free surprise cuddle here and there. I know it doesn't meet all your hopes as far as for people who can't pay, but at least it's "giving back" something.
~ Sunset Snuggles
@Hellena it is really nice gesture and as i pro do wish i could cuddle everyone with no care on a price. I do offer discounts like veteran discounts and the more hours booked. But i have also given some on a need basis. Getting to know the person helps you learn more about them. I've had regulars I've given discounts or even free sessions when i know they are going through hard times. Id say you have every right to but make sure its on a case by case basis.
Very kind thoughts @Hellena . Hope you find a method that works for you. That's a nice idea @SunsetSnuggles , but does only help the ones that can already afford it, unfortunately... But I'm sure they'd still appreciate it. Awesome @PlushandPerfect , that's generous. As a veteran, I appreciate you.
I once had a wax appointment, and totally overslept, paid the full price as required for missing appointment. My next visit, she refused to take my payment, saying the previous no-show fee covered it. Thought that was very gracious of her. I definitely appreciated it and thought was above and beyond customer service.
@Hellena In London it's fairly common for experienced professionals to offer informal discounts when appropriate. It seems to very much on a case-by-case basis. There are some better-off clients to contribute to this process by donating a session fee with the words "use this for somebody who needs it".
My impression is that this happens with existing clients, not completely new ones. In other words the whole creep/scrounger question is avoided because it only comes up with people the professional already knows, and chooses to discuss it with.
A second avenue, which is discussed sometimes but doesn't seem to happen much (or at all) is offering free or very cheap sessions through other organisations such as mental health or homeless charities.
Speaking from experience, most of the benefits of cuddling can be obtained in one hour sessions. Sure, longer is better, but 15 minutes of top and tail with 45 minutes of cuddling is all you actually need. Consequently you can do much more good in two 1-hour sessions than you can in one 2-hour session.
Also speaking from wider experience of the world, don't make yourself out of pocket. What you are giving is your time, skill and care: there is no need to give money as well. In other words, somebody somewhere must pay the cold hard cash for your expenses. Travel, laundry, whatever.
Having a small fee, and/or a refundable deposit, is definitely worth considering. There is a kind of person - and it's a big group - who do not value things that are free. One of my earliest experiencs of talking therapy was with a charity who insisted on payment: they were very clear that they didn't care how much you paid, but you had to pay
Discounts for many sessions booked, and discounts for genuine need, are totally separate things. By all means do both, but keep them very distinct in your head.
@entwine I had a broadly similar experience, when a professional gave me an entirely free session (following a cock-up) when she just didn't have to.
I love this idea @Hellena... I think @CuddlesByDeep has some really good suggestions about how to make it work. I may try this too!
I would like some Advice from a male professional who can help me build my cuddling business
@shadow1992 , this question is completely off topic. There are other threads on this including one stickied in the Professional Cuddling forum. Please keep your comments/questions relevant to the topic under discussion and your posts in the appropriate forums or risk losing your forum privileges. - Babichev
@shadow1992 there are several helpful threads on the first page of the Professional board, including the stickies. Remember that most of the advice for women professionals applies to men as well.
This thread is more buried but you may find it useful:
@Sheena123 Just want to add that $40 was the min before Covid, but we since relaxed that and now pros can set a rate below it. It's useful for virtual sessions and generally for pros that are just starting out and feel they would like to price their services competitively. $40 is the realistic minimum I think professionals would be willing to charge, but it's not a strict rule we enforce unless it looks like that rate isn't a true reflection of what is charged to clients.
@Hellena This is a great idea. Your baseline rate is $100/hr which should stay the same because this new idea you have is for a case by case basis. So for clients you would like to offer services below your regular price you can just send them a booking proposal (you will have to send it) with a custom price set. In the future we hope to have different kind of packages professionals can setup on their profiles, offering various levels of discounts (e.g. to regular clients, new clients, certain dates, etc)
Why should human connection, comfort, and compassion be free? Not much in life is these days! Everything is a commodity.
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No. You can enthusiastically be a pro , or professionally be enthusiastic . That is all that this life will afford.