Frequently asked questions

Platonic Touch Therapy is a unique modality held in a professional setting, that creates a safe space to give and receive touch. The workshop is ethically engineered for providing therapeutic touch for emotional well-being, guided by a certified and professional touch therapist.

Platonic touch lets you:

• Give and receive platonic touch respectfully, participating as much or as little as you feel comfortable
• Learn and practice clear boundaries and communicate them in a way that feels comfortable to you
• Build consent in a simple and straightforward way

A Platonic Touch Therapy Workshop is a guided experience so you can discover, explore, and enjoy the benefits of non-sexual touch within a therapeutic framework.

Finding connection, comfort, and physical affection can be difficult in our fast-paced world. We live in our heads, we are busy with work and with our digital lives. At the end of the day, it seems like life is a lot about doing and not enough about being.

Have you ever felt like there is nothing really wrong with you, but something is still off? 

We need physical touch simply because we are wired for it, it is vital for us, physically as well as emotionally.

This unique modality allows us to bond through platonic touch and find a connection with ourselves and others.

Cuddle parties are social events where people engage in non-sexual touch activities in a group, focusing on building connections in an affectionate setting without a therapeutic framework and usually not focused on boundaries and consent. 

Platonic Touch Therapy involves one-on-one or small group workshops of 6-8 people conducted by a certified touch therapist. The workshop serves as a way to reconnect with yourself and learn the type of nurturing touch you want/need in a guided and structured environment where support and safety are engineered for you.

First, everyone arrives on time, wearing comfortable clothing.

Next, a certified facilitator leads everyone through an introduction as a way to start feeling at ease and to share expectations. Also, knowing the rules makes it easier for everyone to feel safe and respected. 

Then, the guided exercises on boundaries and consent will allow you to be in your power as to what you enjoy and otherwise, followed by platonic touch, or to relax, chat, cuddle, or just hang out. 

We all have different touch styles. Ultimately what we work towards is to make everyone feel safe and comfortable.

At the end, we close with a short closing circle about the experience.

At Ripple Effect Platonic Touch Therapy, our team provides safe, empathetic, and informed platonic-touch experiences, prioritizing a safe and supportive environment where you can explore the power of connection while experiencing the therapeutic benefits of platonic touch. 

It is guided by a certified and professional touch therapist.

As an internationally Certified Platonic Touch Therapist and Reiki Master, with additional certifications in Life Coaching and Holistic Health, our facilitator brings a wealth of expertise and a profound understanding of human connection to this practice.

Touch impacts us from birth, and it is a big part of how we interact with others. We hug our loved ones, shake hands with our co-workers.

Being held and touched activates our physical and emotional development.

The feeling of being ‘warm and fuzzy’ is the brain’s natural high and what happens is the release of a hormone called oxytocin. When we engage in pleasant touch, like a hug, our brain releases oxytocin. This makes us feel good and firms up emotional and social bonds while lowering stress, anxiety and fear and the “stress hormone” called cortisol. 

Absolutely!

Research shows these benefits are not dependent upon a pre-existing emotional connection with the person giving the touch but come from the innate human response to touch. 

• You must be at least 18 years old.
• You agree to be free of mind altering substances and able to give informed consent during the session.
• If you have a medical condition that could affect the session, it must be disclosed. 
• You agree to practice consent and attention to personal boundaries at all times and communicate to find what is mutually comfortable throughout the session. This applies to all communication prior to and after sessions as well.
• This is a strictly platonic session. You agree to not pursue or encourage sexual arousal. 
• Clothes must stay on the whole time. 
• A minimum of tank top and outerwear shorts is required 
• No hand to genital/breast contact of any kind
• No kissing or exchanging of saliva or bodily fluid in any way
• You agree to be respectful of personal hygiene.
• Your confidentiality will be respected at all times.
• Either facilitator or you may end the session at any time. If the session ends due to your failure to adhere to the Code of Conduct no refund will be issued.

Wear comfortable, loose clothing. Think pajamas or lounge wear with legs (no dresses) and clothing must be below the knee. Layers are welcomed, depending on the season.

Being mindful of personal hygiene is our goal. Showered, clean fragrance-free is best. Some attendees may have scent allergies.

The Welcome and Introduction establishes our communication and boundary skills for the evening. This creates clarity and safety that lets everyone relax and know we are on the same page.

Doors open up before start time in case you need to change, have some water, etc. 

We promptly begin at the designated time so if you arrive after we begin, we will not be able to let you in.

While platonic touch is certainly the center of the experience, it is not only the hugging or snuggling that most people come to the workshop to experience.

The most profound experience comes from exploring, discovering, and learning the boundaries, communication skills and consent you feel comfortable with. It is about the level of ease with giving and receiving and how knowing it makes you feel. 

Afterward, it can even be more thought-provoking how platonic touch impacts your relationship with others.

Once boundaries, choice and communication on consent become easier, platonic touch happens quite naturally.

Many people find this quite natural. For others, it’s a new experience or even challenging. Some people are surprised to find such a rich, comforting, playful, and fun experience. It’s a laboratory where you can experiment with what makes you feel safe and feel good. 

All touch, and physical affection, is not about sex. We bond through human touch but sadly, in a society in which they get lumped together, most people have very little opportunity for touch or embracing that isn’t part of sex. This is a great loss.

Platonic touch therapy is specifically designed to leave the sexual kinds of touch off the menu, so that the more inclusive, non-sexual kinds of touch have a chance to be found and enjoyed.

Sometimes touch—even nonsexual touch—can be arousing. That’s totally okay: it’s not shameful or anything. It happens sometimes. It’s perfectly normal when we are close to people, especially if we don’t have much chance to enjoy touch that is not about sex.

Our agreement is to not act on it. 

If you find yourself getting a bit too hot and bothered, you can actually just say to your partner, “Hey, I’m getting a bit excited right now… I’m gonna go and get a drink for a bit.”

Our Certified touch therapist is trained to use the introduction to establish the boundary agreements and teach communication skills for the evening. We go through the Rules and a few exercises for practicing the skills of asking, communicating and respecting choices.

The facilitator is always available to help with anything at any time.

Even so, it is possible that someone at the workshop can make assumptions. This is where you get to use the communications tools you have just learned.

Of course, you are welcome to invite friends and family to hug you any time at all!

What is unique about a platonic touch therapy workshop is that because it is a facilitated experience, most people feel safe enough to attend with people they don’t know. Our Certified Facilitator creates safety by leading the group or one-on-one session, which teaches communication and boundary skills and helps everyone get comfortable, and by remaining available for any concerns that may arise. Without an event they can trust, most people are not likely to go to a stranger’s house to hug someone.

It’s like when you go to a nightclub, you don’t pay to dance. You pay for the space, atmosphere, band and janitor, and in case you need it, the bouncer. The dancing is up to you.

Besides the cost of training and certification, the responsibilities of facilitating workshops include the creation and maintenance of websites, newsletters, and other forms of promotion, and answering questions via phone and email.

The facilitator prepares the space, leads the guests through the workshop, meets any concerns or problems that arise, and cleans up after the event. All in all, the work of hosting a workshop takes about as long as the event itself.

Just as you would pay for a massage or go to a salon to get your hair shampooed and styled, you would want to feel safe and done by a professional in a setting that is conducive to getting the most out of the experience, right? 

Click on BOOK A SESSION in the menu at the top of this page. This will take you to the Services and Code of Conduct page.

First, read the Code of Conduct, found just below the services. Then choose the service you'd like to book, choosing dates and times.

Once you book and pay for your session, you will receive a confirmation, a welcome message and once you sign the code of conduct your place is saved.

Arrive a little early. The introduction is where we establish our communication and boundary skills for the evening.

If you arrive after we begin, unfortunately, we will not be able to let you in.