While millions of people spend full days in front of a computer or stuck in traffic, a woman in New York found a rare way to make a living: hugging people. What started as an alternative to escape from work stress ended becoming a career that today leaves income up to $100,000 dollars annually, working just a few hours a day.

The protagonist of this story is Her Love, a 51-year-old former art teacher who left the classrooms after more than a decade due to the emotional wear she suffered in the public schools in New York. According to the work environment became too burdensome due to the size of the groups, the lack of resources and the discipline problems.

“I taught classes in urban public schools where most of the students were people of color and there were many systemic problems in the United States,” he explained. or Her Love, former art teacher, in an interview for SWNS. “The stress came from huge groups, little time for everything, behavioral problems and limited resources.”

Before changing life, the woman earned around $80,000 dollars a year as a teacher and worked days of at least eight hours daily. However, she felt needed a completely different activity to regain emotional stability.

“I was looking for something with a totally different energy, something calming and centering. I didn't think that this would become my career,” Ella Love commented. , who now considers herself a professional hugger. “I just wanted something to help me regulate my nervous system while continuing to teach.”

It was 2017 when he discovered called “professional cuddling”, a practice focused on offering safe and consensual physical contact. After reading so After the topic, he took a $300 online course and started partially. Six months later decided to quit teaching completely.

“In less than half a year I fell in love with work. I asked for a sabbatical and never came back,” said Love, who is currently dedicated to e full time to offer hugging sessions. “That winter I was working fully on this and now I've been eight years doing it.”

He currently charges $150 dollars per hour and, although normally works only three hours a day, some sessions can extend up to nine hours. Their annual income is around $60,000 dollars on average, although in their best years they have reached $100,000 dollars.

The woman assures that a large part of her clients are middle-aged men, with good jobs and, in many cases, married. As she explains, many are looking for emotional connection more than a sentimental relationship.

“My clients don't want to cheat on their partner or abandon their marriage, but they feel that intimacy no longer exists,” explained the specialist. ta in affective accompaniment. “There are communication problems and a total disconnection. They are looking for human contact and someone to listen to them“.

Although the job may seem controversial to some people, she insists that there are strict rules and clear boundaries. Before accepting a client, she conducts interviews and establishes standards of behavior.

“There is a very clear code and firm boundaries,” said Love in her interview. “When someone tries to cross the line, I stop the situation and remember the rules.”

He also noted that some people experience intense emotions during sessions, as physical contact can awaken repressed memories or feelings.

“People think that they only pay for a hug, but it's not like that,” said Love. “Contact activates saved emotions. Many end up telling things that they'd never said outloud.”

In addition to working with adults who are seeking emotional support, it also cares for people with difficulties relating physically, including some patients within the autism spectrum.

“For some people this is the first time they experience safe and consensual contact,” she explained. “It’s a space where they can learn to connect and feel safe.”

Even though this profession has become more well-known in recent years, many clients keep the topic a secret for fear of being judged. She herself acknowledges that her work has also complicated some of her romantic relationships.

“My work is intimate in the emotional aspect, but it's completely different from a romantic relationship,” confessed Love.

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