Happy Humanimals: Snugs & Connection (Northeast Seattle)

Snugs & Connection is our signature Happy Humanimals event. It includes a touch and communication skills workshop followed by a cuddle and connection lab that is lovingly inspired by Cuddle Party™.

Happy Humanimals may be a great fit for you if you're a curious person who enjoys affectionate and caring touch, if you're a communication geek (or want to be), or if you want to playfully transform your relationship to your boundaries.

The workshop develops the concepts of boundaries, desires, and communication, and is designed for snuggly newbies and pros alike. We offer opportunities to tune into your own intentions and desires, practice saying and receiving "no" with grace, and express needs and wants. We all learn from wading in the kiddie pool before diving in the deep end, so our practices follow a gently deepening trajectory.

The rest of the evening is spent on the cuddle cushions, where you can relax and practice making requests in a playful and low-stakes environment: you might join a spoon drawer, ask someone to pet your hair, or request something else that will nourish you in the moment. Facilitator support available throughout.

All touch will be fully clothed, optional, platonic, verbally requested and granted at any time. Come solo or with a friend or partner. There will be no attempt to gender-balance.

Co-facilitated by Ian and Anna Joy since 2022.

Tickets

Our tickets are pay-what-you-can, under the following guidelines:

• $45 — Standard
• $65 — Supporter — Enable another community member with fewer resources to join
• $120 — Benefactor — Enable several community members
• $20 — Supported — Be supported by community

If this is not financially accessible for you, please reach out.

Ticket sales end day-of-the-event at 5pm.

No tickets will be sold at the door.

Complete 1 registration for each attendee. If you purchase a ticket for another person, please use their name and email address.

Max attendees: 25.

Other details

If you are feeling sick or test positive for COVID prior to the event, we are happy to offer a full refund. We do not require proof of a negative rapid test.

6:00pm arrival time: find street parking or arrive by public transit and walk to the venue.

6:30pm doors closed and locked.

This is a sober and scent-free event.

Wear or bring pajamas or comfy clothes. Think cozy, not sexy.

While this event is strictly platonic, we require all participants to be 18 or older.

Please note that Happy Humanimals events are not a therapeutic setting, and the facilitators are not operating in the role of counselors. If you have needs that would best be served by a mental health professional, we welcome you, but please do not consider this practice as a substitute for such care.

About Your Event Leaders

Anna Joy Reedy, SEP (she/her) in 2013 found herself in her first cuddle puddle on a dance floor being fed grapes by frolicking little fairies (children). Inspired to recreate this slice of heaven as often as possible and share it with the world, she completed the Cuddlist and Cuddle Party TM certifications along with a series of related trainings. She offers somatic 1:1 touch and trauma sessions; she has facilitated consent workshops in and around Seattle since co-founding Happy Humanimals in 2022. Learn more and work with Anna Joy by visiting her website.

Ian Wilson (they/them) is a cuddle and consent facilitator. They studied facilitation with Cuddle Party facilitators Madelon Guinazzo and Adam Paulman, and cofounded Happy Humanimals in 2022. Ian is a trained Cuddlist and continues this work in one-on-one client sessions. Ian is also a dancer, hiker, musician, artist, and creator. Learn more and work with Ian by visiting their Cuddlist profile.

FAQs

What if no one wants to cuddle with me?

That’s a completely normal concern! A lot of people have this worry, even if it’s not their first time. And your facilitators are always there for support.

While cuddles are touch are not guaranteed, we want you to join us anyway.

The event creates opportunities to connect with other participants, whether you cuddle or not.

This is a great place to learn and grow. Come because you are afraid, not in spite of it. Your resilience and innate ability to care for yourself may surprise you.

What happens if I get turned on while I’m snuggling?

Though many people have exlusively experienced cuddling as a form of foreplay, at Happy Humanimals, if arousal occurs, we don't act on it and simply shift focus. There is a potential for rewiring here: expanding the potential for snuggles to include platonic touch.

If you do find yourself turned on, you might take a break, have some water, or change positions or activities. You can always check in with a facilitator for support.

Is this dating?

Nope! Nothing to do with it. That being said, if you would love to stay connected with a new friend after the event, you may respectfully offer your contact info (with zero expectations); please do not ask for anyone’s contact info.

I’m LGBTQIA+. Is Happy Humanimals hetero-normative?

Nope! Happy Humanimals isn’t focused on sexual attraction, and there will be zero exercise pairings based on gender or sexual orientation. Welcome!

Is this a good event to work through my touch-trauma?

Happy Humanimals events are not a therapeutic setting, and the facilitators are not operating in the role of counselors. If you have needs that would best be served by a mental health professional, we welcome you, but please do not consider this practice as a substitute for such care.

Can I bring my partner(s) and only pair with them?

You are more than welcome to come with a partner and stick with them, and you are also strongly encouraged to branch out to connect with others and benefit from the gifts of the group dynamic.

I'm more interested in one-on-one cuddling; is that available?

Anna Joy and Ian are both available for one-on-one Cuddlist sessions:

• Anna Joy’s SE Informed Cuddlist practice
• Ian’s Cuddlist practice

How do I keep up to date with future Happy Humanimals events?

We have a Happy Humanimals newsletter you can sign up for! We send a emails about 1-2 times per month.

Other Qs?: Email Ian @ ian.owings@gmail.com.