Who actually wants a professional cuddler? Well, it might actually be you. Sometimes after a tough day all you really want is a cuddle. But sometimes you come home to an empty apartment and the only cuddle you’re going to get is from you’re pet. If you haven’t got a pet then, well, there’s always wine. Or if not then the pillow.

Or, you could contact Kan Seidel who makes a living as a professional cuddler. Born and raised in Nebraska he now lives in New York and makes around $80 an hour cuddling strangers and does around one session a week. He’s not the only pro cuddler in town either, there’s a whole industry around it.

He’s just one of many on the website Cuddlist which aims to hook up those in need of cuddles with people who can provide them. It also provides training for wannabe cuddlers.

Because there’s a whole ethics to cuddling, and being so close to a client there’s also a Code of Conduct they must follow too. Different cuddlers employ different methods, Kan who practices Thai massage uses his Thai massage mat for his clients. If you are going to be hugging a stranger for a while you want to feel comfortable.

It might sound bizarre, but it seems to be something people want. Plus, the practitioners don’t just see it as going along to hug someone for a few minutes, to them it’s a form of therapy. Many of their clients might be autistic or just unable to engage socially, so don’t get the human contact they might need. Which is where the pro cuddlers services come in.

“Trust me, I don’t do cuddling for the money,” Kan told Elite Daily. “I started cuddling because I felt like I had the power to really help people.” After all, everyone needs snuggle buddies.

If it sounds like something you’d like to do then give it a try, but whatever you do don’t mix it up with the type of service this guy offers, he’s a professional ‘dry humper‘. It might not be what you were looking for.

Professional cuddler photo via YouTube