welcome to your cuddle healing
be heard,
be held 🤎
Consensual Cuddles is a Brown & Queer-Led healing space supporting Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, People of Color (QTBIPOC) and allies heal with platonic cuddles, consensual communication, and play!
why cuddling?
Touch is a vital human need.
From our very first moments on this planet, touch has been essential—offering comfort, connection, and even survival. A newborn’s nervous system and brain thrive on touch, and as we grow, this need doesn’t disappear. In fact, science shows that safe, loving touch profoundly improves our health and well-being.
Yet today, with the rise of social media and the isolation brought by COVID-19, we’re experiencing unprecedented levels of loneliness and touch starvation. For many of us, growing up in a culture that didn’t prioritize consent or boundaries left us without the skills to ask for the touch we need—or the safety to do so.
But what if there’s another way?
What if meeting your touch needs could be one of the most healing experiences of your life? Imagine asking for the kind of touch that soothes your soul and being celebrated for it. Picture a cuddle practice your inner child would adore—a space where platonic touch is as fun as it is transformative.
This is why I created Consensual Cuddles.
I believe in a world where we can meet our touch and connection needs with ease, joy, and consent. A world where QTBIPOC kin, in particular, have spaces that center our experiences. Whether you’re new to platonic touch or already a cuddle enthusiast, this space was made for you.
Welcome to your cuddle healing journey.
🤎 Warmly,
Jozelle Wong Yu, MA (she/they), Founder and CEO
✨ the cuddle science ✨
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ease stress
Cuddling triggers the release of oxytocin, also known as the “love hormone.” Oxytocin helps reduce stress levels by lowering cortisol, a stress hormone, in the body.
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relieve pain
A quality cuddle provides more than moral support amidst pain. The oxytocin it releases can help block pain signals, making it an effective form of natural pain relief.
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improve immunity
In a study of over 400 adults, researchers found that hugging may reduce the chance a person will get sick. The release of oxytocin has anti-inflammatory effects, aiding in the body’s ability to fight off infections and illnesses.
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deepen connection
Cuddling promotes bonding and attachment. It foster a sense of connection, trust, and security, which are essential for secure relationships and communities.
✨ reviews ✨
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Alex (they/them)
Software Engineer
"I really love that touch is no longer a scary or scarce form of connection. Now that I have the skills I learned from working with Jozelle and Consensual Cuddles, I trust myself to get my needs met in ways that both my 5-year-old self and elder self smile upon. I'm better at knowing what I want, asking for it, receiving it, and trusting that I'm safe to receive these good things. The skills Jozelle teaches applies across realms (touch, work, relationships), and I am a better human since working with Consensual Cuddles. Highly recommend for your healing/upleveling journey!"
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Fatima (she/they)
Public Health Consultant
“I feel more curious and hopeful around platonic touch and the playfulness that can come with it and the comfort and the safety and the trust that can be built with platonic touch in ways that I felt hesitant about going into our sessions. I’m feeling grateful about that, because there is just an expanded way of viewing it now. Trust can be playful and fun and cute and kinda silly and all of those things.”
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Grace (she/her)
Professional Cuddler
“Lap of luxury with hair and back caresses was amazing... There were several moments when I said something vulnerable and was greeted with compassion and support. Jo was able to actively listen and reflect what I said beautifully. She also made it very safe for me to ask for what I want.”
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Clarisse (they/them)
Prop Master
“[The best part of my sessions are] ...when we’re in the second half of the session (so I’m already very relaxed and comfortable) and Jozelle asks for a different position and if there’s anything I want to try, so I get to think about that question and be mindful of the pyshical sensations JUST in that moment while being in a safe space to request a certain touch or position is truly *magical* and empowering.”
