{"id":56313,"date":"2025-08-09T22:14:39","date_gmt":"2025-08-09T22:14:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/56313\/"},"modified":"2025-08-09T22:14:39","modified_gmt":"2025-08-09T22:14:39","slug":"cuddle-cure-inside-indias-quietly-growing-healing-touch-therapy-trend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/56313\/","title":{"rendered":"Cuddle cure? Inside India\u2019s quietly growing ‘healing touch’ therapy trend"},"content":{"rendered":"

On a rainy July afternoon, I walk through the doors of a modest two-storey \u201chealing\u201d centre at DLF Phase 4 in Gurgaon. Inside, Chitra, a 25-year-old \u201chealing touch\u201d practitioner and naturopath, greets me. The room has thick orange drapes and is softly lit with incense trays. There is a big Bodhi tree carved on one wall and a roof-to-floor mirror on another. Ahead of the mirror, on a woven carpet on the wooden floor, is a grey velvet couch, a grey table and two wheelie chairs. There is a silence, intentional\u2014and oddly intimate. I am here to try out a \u201chealing therapy\u201d like no other\u2014a cuddling session with Chitra<\/a> at Aadi Care.TOUCHED BY A STRANGERThe session starts with pleasantries. Chitra asks if I am comfortable, if the room temperature is okay, whether I need water, or if I want to adjust anything. She invites me to sit beside her on the couch, not across. Then we move to a few rounds of deep breathing. The pace is unhurried. Chitra introduces some foundational poses like a side hug. Then she asks for my consent\u2014if I am okay to be held in a certain way\u2014and we begin the session. I rest my head on her shoulder as she pats my head, asking about my day, life and, occasionally, sharing hers. Later, we sit cross-legged facing each other, holding hands lightly\u2014sometimes we talk, sometimes we just breathe in sync. While the physical closeness is comforting, I am feeling unsure, somewhere between curiosity and awkwardness. The stillness feels unfamiliar, and the unfamiliarity lingers.
Aadi Care undertakes 15-20 cuddle sessions a month. Chitra says, \u201cTouch is a basic human need, like food or water. But most of us are touch-starved\u2014and we don\u2019t even realise it.\u201d
Cuddle therapy<\/a> is a fringe healing technique that started in the US in the 2010s and is making its way to India with \u201ccuddle therapists\u201d or \u201chealing touch\u201d practitioners ready to help you hug out your problems. They say they offer sessions to help people feel held\u2014literally and emotionally\u2014with \u201csafe, consensual, platonic touch\u201d.<\/p>\n

Chitra says her clients are mostly cancer patients, trauma survivors and those nursing heartbreak. She says she makes it a point to talk about hygiene and no-go zones. She notes the clients\u2019 medical history and verifies their IDs. Chitra\u2019s hug doesn\u2019t come cheap. Aadi Care\u2019s sessions are priced at Rs 20,000 for an hour, which is much higher than what a few other practitioners ET spoke to charge.<\/p>\n

\"ETLive Events
EMBRACE THE CHANGE?A \u201ccuddle therapy\u201d does not have the components of a therapy: there is no guided conversation, diagnosis or treatment. Nishul Gupta, a senior psychologist at Fitterfly, Delhi, says cuddle therapy is at best a somatic tool that can foster emotional regulation, reduce stress and address the often-overlooked need for safe, consensual human touch. He adds, \u201cWhile it can benefit individuals dealing with isolation, anxiety, or emotional numbness, it\u2019s not a replacement for psychotherapy and must be practised with strict ethical boundaries and trauma sensitivity. In some cases, touch can trigger past wounds, so careful screening is essential.\u201dCuddle therapy practitioners claim it is a very in-the-moment practice. Simran Chandnani, founder of the recently launched In Finite Spaces in Hyderabad, calls herself a certified platonic touch practitioner aka professional cuddler. She is also an intimacy coach. She begins by exploring why the clients are turning to touch, in addition to understanding their session preferences. She says, \u201cIt\u2019s about helping people tune in to what their body wants.\u201d Her sessions involve grounding practices, guided somatics, soothing touch and non-judgmental listening.Meanwhile, in Delhi, Healmate, which started in 2021, offers cuddle therapy at its temporary studio or at a client\u2019s home, apart from services like \u201crent a friend\u201d where individuals can hire someone to spend time with them in a social capacity like going to the movies. Sonu Naraiyan, founder of Healmate, says she uses touch techniques like gentle stroking and holding hands, depending on the comfort level of the client, to promote emotional well-being and relaxation. \u201cSometimes, a client just wants to be held. Other times, they just need someone to sit beside them and stay quiet. My job is to listen, not rush,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Aili Seghetti<\/a>, an Italian, who has founded The Intimacy Curator<\/a> in Mumbai, is an intimacy coach and cuddle therapist. She says, \u201cTouch grounds us in the moment, communicating what words often cannot: safety, love, boundaries, emotional states.\u201d Nothing is more important than consent when it comes to cuddle therapy, says Trevor Hooton aka Treasure, who runs Embrace Connections in Bristol, England.<\/p>\n

Dr Deepak Raheja, senior psychiatrist, psychotherapist and director, Hope Care India<\/a>, Delhi, says, \u201cAnyone offering cuddle therapy should be transparent about their training and know how to handle emotional reactions. If something feels off\u2014like secrecy, vague qualifications, or sexual undertone\u2014that\u2019s a red flag. Also, if a practitioner dismisses your discomfort or pushes you to continue when you are unsure, walk away. These therapies should never feel coercive or blurry.\u201d<\/p>\n

TRAINED TO TOUCH?Who trains cuddle therapists? Websites like Cuddlist<\/a> and Cuddle Sanctuary promise to make one a cuddle practitioner\u2014the former offers to give a \u201ccertification\u201d after a couple of classes while the latter has 15 hours of live training. Cuddle Professionals International, founded by one Claire Mendelsohn in the UK, offers certification and codes of conduct. Indian practitioners say they adapt the practice to local contexts. Chandnani says she is certified by Cuddle Sanctuary.<\/p>\n

The cost of cuddle sessions varies across practitioners. Naraiyan, who has worked with over 250 clients, offers sessions starting at Rs 1,999 for 60 minutes, while In Finite Spaces\u2019 sessions start at Rs 4,000. Seghetti charges Rs 5,000 for women and trans clients, and Rs 10,000 for others. Treasure\u2019s sessions in the UK are priced at \u00a375 (approximately Rs 8,600) for an hour.<\/p>\n

Chandnani says no two sessions are the same: \u201cSometimes people want to be heard or acknowledged but often they also just want to be held and witnessed.\u201d Chitra says her clients book monthly sessions to manage anxiety or pain. Naraiyan says her clients range from entrepreneurs to homemakers. \u201cMany of them aren\u2019t lonely in the traditional sense. They have families or partners, but they lack safe, non-judgmental physical affection,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Raheja says alternative therapies are filling a void left by modern-day living. \u201cPeople are more digitally connected and emotionally isolated. We are missing physical presence.\u201d His advice? \u201cSometimes, the solution can be as simple as getting a pet. A dog or a cat can offer unconditional affection and oxytocin.\u201d<\/p>\n

WHAT?
Cuddle Therapy, or touch therapy, is a service that claims to provide people with a safe space to enjoy non-sexual physical touch<\/p>\n

WHAT HAPPENS?
In a session, a trained cuddler offers physical contact, from holding hands to hugging<\/p>\n

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
It varies from Rs 2,000 to Rs 20,000 for an hour, depending on place, duration and nature of the session<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On a rainy July afternoon, I walk through the doors of a modest two-storey \u201chealing\u201d centre at DLF…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":56314,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[46475,64,63,46470,46469,46474,137,46473,46472,490,46471],"class_list":{"0":"post-56313","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-medication","8":"tag-aadi-cares","9":"tag-au","10":"tag-australia","11":"tag-chitra","12":"tag-cuddle-therapy","13":"tag-cuddlist","14":"tag-health","15":"tag-hope-care-india","16":"tag-intimacy-curator","17":"tag-medication","18":"tag-seghetti"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56313","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56313"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56313\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}