CHRISTIANA, Tenn. – First, there were cat cafes. A few years goat yoga emerged.

Now, the new trend is cow cuddling, and some people are spending a pretty penny to pet, brush and spend time with cows. Written reports are that some are spending $50-$200 for a 90-minute cow cuddling session. Cow cuddling is in upstate New York, California, Hawaii, and in Christiana, Tenn., and Towanda, Ill.

Apparently, there are some health benefits in spending time with cows, mainly as a stress reliever. And people have no fear cuddling up to a gentle giant that weighs 1,500-2,000 pounds.

At the Gentle Barn in Christiana, visitors can give the pigs tummy rubs, cuddle the turkeys, hold the chickens – and yes, cuddle the cows.

“We live in a concrete, violent, noisy, high tech, busy world,” said Gentle Barn founder Ellie Laks. “We’ve lost out connection to animals, to nature and most of all, to ourselves. We encourage those to get hugs and unconditional love from our therapy cows. Meditate with them, hug them and let them reassure you. Put your worries down and leave renewed. We and the cows are here for you.”

Jason Worsheski farms in Towanda and his cow cuddling sessions start at just $30 an hour for two people. Worsheski claims customers come from as far as Chicago, Indianapolis and St. Louis to cuddle with this cows, and stay at his bed and breakfast.

“The animals are loved and well taken care of and they have a constant flow of new cows to offer patrons,” he said. “After all, we still are a working farm.”

Worsheski’s farm provides about seven therapy sessions each day.

At Mountain Horse Farm, a 33-acre bed-and-breakfast in upstate New York, visitors can brush, pet, play and snuggle with therapy cows during hour-long ‘cow cuddling’ sessions priced at $75 per couple. A trained equine therapist and a farm employee join each therapy session. Visitors just sign a waiver and wear closed-toe shoes.

Suzanne Vullers, who co-owns the farm with her husband, said cow cuddling participants range in age from 12 to 75, adding that sessions with the cows are especially popular among millennials.

“The younger generation lives and has grown up in a technology-filled world where lots of interactions are via a screen,” Vullers said. “It’s easy to get disconnected from nature and animals, but we need those things to stay healthy and happy. Spending time on our farm one can connect with soulful horses and cows.”

Vullers’ two Scottish Highlander cross-bred cows, Bonnie and Bella, lie down in the grass and visitors are encouraged to join them as a way to relieve their own stress, anxiety, grief and loss. Bonnie and Bella have free choice about whether or not to interact with human guests. The animals are not tied down or confined to a small space and can walk away if they wish. The sessions are limited to once or twice a day, a handful of times a week.

“Cows like to be with you, they’re very curious, they know their names and they always want to come up and see what’s going on,” Vullers said.

According to a 2019 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Health Center for Health Statistics, nearly 60 percent of hospice care providers who offer complementary and alternative therapies suggested pet therapy to patients. The report added that human-animal interaction is known to lower stress and boost social skills, and science backs the benefits of specifically cow cuddling.

“Similar to meditation, hugging a cow can slow your heart rate and lower anxiety,” Vullers said. “The body temperature of a cow is higher than humans and their heart rate is lower, so cuddling up with one is relaxing. And believe it or not, people drive for hours for the chance to embrace, brush and talk to the social bovines. People laugh, people cry. There’s a variety of emotions going on there.”

At the Krishna Cow Sanctuary on the Big Island in Hawaii, James Higgins started cow cuddling three years ago on his 40-acre farm. Once on the sanctuary, three dows (Uma, Tulsi and Devi) eagerly come trotting at Higgins’ call. When Higgins lies down, the cows do, too. Then, visitors lie down with the cows and snuggle up to them, scratching the inside of their fuzzy ears and under their necks.

“The people seem to live, and the cows seem to like it, too,” Higgins said. He charges $75 per session.

“Some people like to sit quietly with cows, others like to talk to them,” Higgins said. “Many hug them or simply snuggle with them. Cows love to be brushed and petted, so the feeling of comfort is mutual.”

Warren Corson is a licensed professional counselor whose practice in Wolcott, Conn., includes a 50-are therapeutic farm with chickens, rabbits and ducks. He said he isn’t surprised people are drawn to cow cuddling.

“It will not replace traditional therapy and it’s not designed to, but a lot of people have lost that connection to nature and there’s a need for touch,” Corson said. “Cows are actually pretty empathic. They can be very intelligent. Cows are some of the most nurturing animals that we have.”

This cow cuddling trend hasn’t been spotted yet in Ohio, Indiana or Kentucky.

“There is some science to this elemental magnetism of cows,” said Jim Herman, a veterinarian in Cincinnati, Ohio. “Because bovines are large and warm and have that slower heart rate, putting your arms around them can increase oxytocin levels in humans – that’s the hormone released in social bonding. It’s part of what can make support animals so comforting.”