LINDON, Utah (AP) — Nonsexual cuddle parties are catching on in Utah, attracting people who crave the human touch without having to engage romantically with others.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports three chapters of a national "cuddle party" organization where relative strangers meet up for massages, spooning and caresses. Participants must keep their clothes on and ask permission before cuddling. Pamela Bradford says she got involved in cuddle parties after moving to Utah in 2013.

Bradford is divorced and says once her kids moved out of her house, she went months without human touch except through accidental encounters. She says she researched touch therapies and started to help organize regular cuddle parties in Utah.

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