I Paid Money To Cuddle With Strangers. It Didn't Go The Way I Thought It Would

The author in her pajamas.

I couldn’t get anyone to go with me.

As a writer about pleasure, I felt compelled to experience a cuddle party, and I learned about one in New York City that claimed to be “a warm evening of connection, cuddles and consent.” My husband of 25 years, Mark, said the thing sounded “weird,” and my most daring friend simply wrinkled her nose. So I bought a single ticket on Eventbrite, as if this event was just another conventional form of entertainment, like a concert or a play.