Are cuddle parties really gross?
Like many ideas of questionable value, it came from New York. There in February 2004 two relationship coaches – Reid Mihalko, 38, and Marcia Baczynksi, 28 – thought of a new way for strangers to meet. Declaring that the West was deprived of human contact, they argued it was time for an “affection revolution”. It would involve “cuddles and snuggles, nurturing, non-sexual, affectionate touch”. Or, in practical terms, a group of people in pyjamas meeting up to hug total strangers in a “cuddle party”. In a typical event, participants go through a series of ice-breaking exercises to encourage them to get close. At a recent London party, participants were encouraged to form a circle on all fours, mooing and pretending they were cows, and then gently fall against each other. The intimacy levels gradually ramp up from gentle hugs via spooning to a pile of intertwined bodies. And over two years, this idea has spread like bird flu from the States to Canada, Australia and Germany. Last week, conq
