Did Martin Amis predict the future?
A little bit, yes.
Let me introduce you to this passage about cuddling, yes cuddling, from Money:
“‘You know, Slick,’ he said,–sometimes business looks to me like a big dumb dog howling to be played with. Want to know my hunch for the next growth area in the addiction line? Want to make a million? Shall I let you in?”
‘Do it,’ I said.
‘Cuddles,’ said Fielding Goodney. ‘Cuddling up. Two people lying down and generating warmth and safety. Now how do we market this. A how-to book? A video? Nightshirts? A cuddle studio, with cuddle hostesses? Think about it, Slick. There are millions and millions of dollars out there somewhere in cuddles.’”
Well that’s a weird idea.
But guess what? In 2012, the first “cuddle cafe” opened in Japan, and it’s as weird as you might think.
I remember reading about this a couple of years ago, so when I read that passage in Money, the idea seemed familiar. And it was.
According to Yahoo, the cuddle cafes do not involve sex. The shop will charge 9,000 Yen (almost $90) for the customer to cuddle with one girl in a bed-sized cubicle. Then there are the extras:
For about $13, the cuddler will put on a costume — there are school uniforms, and a Sailor Moon outfit. If a client wants a particular girl, that’s also extra.
The man can sleep with his head in the girl’s lap — apparently a very popular add-on — but at the steep price of $13 for every three minutes. Getting or giving massage is also extra, as is petting the head or holding hands.
One rather intense option is to start the cuddle session by staring into one another’s eyes for a full minute, and at a cost of $13.
Staring into each other’s eyes?
You can also get slapped in the face (WHAT?) for $13 per slap. I’m not making this up.
And while this article describes the first “cuddle cafe” in Japan, the Americans had the idea first. The manager in Japan go the idea from a New York-based business called The Snuggery.
Really, guys, I’m not making any of this up.
So, if you’re into creepy, weird fetishes, go get your snuggle on. But, if you do, just remember that Martin Amis had the idea 30 years ago.
More at Yahoo.
(Image: The Design Inspiration)