Cuddle Party Protocol

Never having heard about the "cuddle party" before, I thought I would take some time to investigate slightly further into this relatively new cultural phenomenon before casting any prejudgement on these social events.

A cuddle party is an activity based workshop instructing adult participants in the art of consensual and boundary-appropriate touch. The central tenet of the cuddling philosophy is that adults retain the same physical need for touch they had in their early childhood.

The history of the "cuddle party" seems to date back to Reid Mihalko and Marcia Baczynski who founded the organization "Cuddle Party" in New York City. Reid Mihalko's CuddleParty.com website has been operating since April 2004.

From those early days, the cuddle party has increased in popularity and even been featured on the cover of the NY Daily News, as well as various other television and newspaper / magazine sources. A cuddle party was featured on an episode of CSI: New York titled "Grand Murder at Central Station".

These parties are organized in several cities in the U.S., Canada, Germany, Amsterdam and Australia. The following is a Top 5 list of "Phrases You Should Never Hear At A Cuddle Party":

1. Those aren't pillows you're sitting on!
2. So, I've decided to shower only once a month to reduce my hydro bill
3. Are you pregnant?
4. Would anybody else care for some hot nuts?
5. Don't worry about my nasal congestion; the people at the clinic assured me that it is not nearly as contagious as some of my other conditions

Check out the newest episode of the Sada show, where Sada discusses some of the rules of the cuddle party.