Move aside situationships–a new trend called Cuddle Therapy is now gaining ground in Delhi. In this, men offer companionship and hugs. But there is a catch—they will charge Rs 5,000 for three hours of cuddling. There is, after all, always a catch with men, especially Delhi-NCR ones.
What’s baffling is, in a city where dating apps throw up a scam every other day, and horror stories of assault are rife, why would someone pay for cuddles, that too to complete strangers?
Of course, there is urban loneliness, compounded by an increase in workload, especially for women. But this feels like an out of the frying pan, into the fire type of situation.
What exactly is the guarantee that, as demand rises, there will be a supply of cuddly men who respect your personal and physical space?
This isn’t about questioning the practitioners, but rather basic concepts like consent, which are often lacking across the country, especially in Delhi-NCR. If there were a contest for staring long enough to make women uncomfortable, Delhi men would win it. Every other day, someone shares a new metro horror story. Or the incidents that take place on Delhi Transport Corporation buses. Groping, rubbing and invading personal space seem reflexive here. And now cuddle therapy?
It feels like evolution has skipped a few steps altogether.
It all boils down to—how can someone trust a stranger to bring into intimate settings, and be vulnerable, where the exploitation can be both monetary and otherwise?
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Pay at your own risk
Class is clearly at play in cuddle therapy because one needs a disposable income to pay Rs 5,000 to strangers. Mind you, people grumble about paying for psychotherapy.
But cuddles? Bring it on. Even if it has no scientific basis. In fact, touch in itself can be extremely triggering for a lot of people who have been subjected to some form of trauma in the past. And with psychotherapy itself becoming a field where anyone with a basic degree is claiming space, what’s to stop creeps from simply abusing the power?
There are also services like ‘rent a boyfriend’ or ‘rent a girlfriend’, which offer ‘plus ones’ for parties or events or just to have arm candy with friends. Now, as a Netflix Christmas special with Noah Centineo playing that boyfriend, life can be hunky dory.
But imagine a regular Delhi-NCR guy doing that, in his car. It is more likely to be a crime patrol episode. Delhi Cuddle Murders could become the next hit TV series. And no, it is not even gendered– men too have been victims of rackets involving sex, blackmail, and assault.
Delhi may be meri jaan, but it is also jaanlewa or deadly—especially when it comes to such experiments. Call me a prude, but I would keep my distance from this.
I have a better proposition–retail therapy worth Rs 5,000.
Step into a fancy store, or even Sarojini Nagar, and buy what you like. I would definitely try that rather than pay a man for platonic cuddles.
Or better yet, buy a life-sized pillow, or adopt a cat. And thank me later.
Views are personal.