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In 2006, I became a certified Cuddle Party Facilitator and began holding these type workshops here in Silicon Valley. These workshops help people learn and practice boundaries communication and intimacy skills. It is also a fun way for people to meet and be sweetly social. It has been a wonderful decade of teaching authenticity skills to thousands of people.
During this time however, several problems became apparent: 1) women had more anxiety than men about attending these events, 2) men needed an opportunity to practice asking for and negotiating physical affection, 3) many people go without physical affection for long periods of time, because our culture disapproves of physical affection, except between primarily romantic partners.
I had a deep desire to address these problems. So, in January 2016, I started a little mission-based business called Snuggle Salon. My hope was that Snuggle Salon could begin to address the above-mentioned problems. I believed that our "Snuggle Partners" ( who currently are primarily female ) could benefit from practicing setting boundaries, around touch and physical intimacy, as part of on-the-job training and thus learn how to reduce their anxiety at Cuddle Party and in their lives, in general. And, our clients could learn negotiation for touch and other intimacy skills during their snuggle sessions. And, finally, we can all make progress toward a world where non-sexual, platonic physical affection, based on consent with clearly negotiated boundaries, is a normal and standard practice. And, maybe, just maybe, this practical experience could contribute to a decrease in the incidence of #metoo episodes in our culture.
In addition to the educational opportunities, we now know that there is a substantial therapeutic value in human physical affection. Recent medical research shows that snuggling can reduce blood pressure and heart rate, improve immune system function, reduce stress and social anxiety, even decreases tissue healing time, fights depression by quickly elevating mood, and creates a sense of well-being. This is quite a list of health benefits from the humble snuggle.
But, I wasn't sure if anyone would pay for for a one-on-one snuggle session. I was also unsure whether clients would honor our Client Integrity Agreement which specifies that sessions are clothes-on and "strictly non-sexual". The results we have been nothing less than astounding. Our clients LOVE us ... see our client report card for 2017 here.
However, because I have had zero investment dollars, I couldn't afford to rent office space -- so I had to find Snuggle Partners who were willing to work from home. But, isn't this whole business model about trust? I, myself, had been inviting Cuddle Party attendees to my home for over a decade. I truly believe the mistrust we harbor towards our fellowman is misplaced. And, I wondered if there were other intrepid, trusting, open, loving, physically affectionate people out there. The answer is YES! Our Snuggle Partners are fantastically loving, friendly, trusting and very snuggly! Both our clients and our Snuggle Partners are saying that the work we are doing is "life-changing".
But, while our revenue last year doubled from 2016, in terms of business size, we are still microscopic. In 2018, I need to reach a much wider audience. I need to hire an online digital marketing firm to help me reach many, many more people. I want to bring the warmth of a snuggle session to senior centers, universities ( students age 21 and older ), hospitals and high-stress corporate environments across the globe. Please listen to my YouTube interview about Cuddle Party and Snuggle Salon to learn more about my mission.
I would be so grateful for your support in this loving, trusting mission to bring more kindness and snuggles to the world.
With much love and a warm virtual embrace,
Yvonne <3
During this time however, several problems became apparent: 1) women had more anxiety than men about attending these events, 2) men needed an opportunity to practice asking for and negotiating physical affection, 3) many people go without physical affection for long periods of time, because our culture disapproves of physical affection, except between primarily romantic partners.
I had a deep desire to address these problems. So, in January 2016, I started a little mission-based business called Snuggle Salon. My hope was that Snuggle Salon could begin to address the above-mentioned problems. I believed that our "Snuggle Partners" ( who currently are primarily female ) could benefit from practicing setting boundaries, around touch and physical intimacy, as part of on-the-job training and thus learn how to reduce their anxiety at Cuddle Party and in their lives, in general. And, our clients could learn negotiation for touch and other intimacy skills during their snuggle sessions. And, finally, we can all make progress toward a world where non-sexual, platonic physical affection, based on consent with clearly negotiated boundaries, is a normal and standard practice. And, maybe, just maybe, this practical experience could contribute to a decrease in the incidence of #metoo episodes in our culture.
In addition to the educational opportunities, we now know that there is a substantial therapeutic value in human physical affection. Recent medical research shows that snuggling can reduce blood pressure and heart rate, improve immune system function, reduce stress and social anxiety, even decreases tissue healing time, fights depression by quickly elevating mood, and creates a sense of well-being. This is quite a list of health benefits from the humble snuggle.
But, I wasn't sure if anyone would pay for for a one-on-one snuggle session. I was also unsure whether clients would honor our Client Integrity Agreement which specifies that sessions are clothes-on and "strictly non-sexual". The results we have been nothing less than astounding. Our clients LOVE us ... see our client report card for 2017 here.
However, because I have had zero investment dollars, I couldn't afford to rent office space -- so I had to find Snuggle Partners who were willing to work from home. But, isn't this whole business model about trust? I, myself, had been inviting Cuddle Party attendees to my home for over a decade. I truly believe the mistrust we harbor towards our fellowman is misplaced. And, I wondered if there were other intrepid, trusting, open, loving, physically affectionate people out there. The answer is YES! Our Snuggle Partners are fantastically loving, friendly, trusting and very snuggly! Both our clients and our Snuggle Partners are saying that the work we are doing is "life-changing".
But, while our revenue last year doubled from 2016, in terms of business size, we are still microscopic. In 2018, I need to reach a much wider audience. I need to hire an online digital marketing firm to help me reach many, many more people. I want to bring the warmth of a snuggle session to senior centers, universities ( students age 21 and older ), hospitals and high-stress corporate environments across the globe. Please listen to my YouTube interview about Cuddle Party and Snuggle Salon to learn more about my mission.
I would be so grateful for your support in this loving, trusting mission to bring more kindness and snuggles to the world.
With much love and a warm virtual embrace,
Yvonne <3
Organizer
Yvonne Shevnin
Organizer
Santa Clara, CA
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