I was reading an article in the Wall Street Journal about the winter games and they were referring to "Konglish," which is a mashup of Korean and English terms that have some interesting meanings.

One of these terms is "skinship," which is a mashup of "skin" and "friendship" -- meaning the resulting good feelings one gets from close physical touch with a friend. Oxytocin is the primary "feel good" chemical our brains release during physical contact, so it's only natural that we might feel something for an intimate partner, although we aren't in a romantic relationship with them.

I thought this might be applicable to p4p, as it's a topic that has been discussed quite a few times -- the resulting good feelings we get from close physical contact with each other. Some folks have expressed this in threads about "developing feelings" or "catching feelings" about one another after sessions, usually in cautionary tales about "falling in love within the hobby."  

So maybe we can see this term as a mid-ground expression about how we feel regarding a client or provider without the emotional freight involved with other terms. I have great affection for some of my faves and we have certainly developed something like friendly intimacy (especially if you've repeated with them a number of times), so I'd like to think we have a "skinship" of sorts.

What do y'all think --does "skinship" fill a need in p4p?

I love to cuddle for a very long time during the afterglow.    That's when all the bonding chemistry takes place.

The euphoria I get from the start of my time with a woman when the holding and kissing starts.
It's not just the meshing of genitals, it happens from touch anywhere. Holding hands does it for me too. Face, neck, scalp, back, chest,  legs etc.  

It's all brain chemistry.

... a few days ago when I saw one of my favs, who has a lot of experience and training in massage.  As we were chatting and cuddling while cooling down, she mentioned how much people need touch and how important that is to her clients, maybe moreso than the sex.

It's not about falling in love with providers, but it does relate to the basic human need for touch, how many people are touch-deprived, and how providers help fill that need.  And I think it explains why FBSM providers are so popular, and why there's a massage place on every street corner (at least that's what it seems like).

Where do you live?

Up here in New England, people tend to be touch averse.  

...but I do agree with the rest of your post. It's more than just getting off. It's about a intimate journey between to people with a lot of kissing and touching. I love to explore a woman's body with my hands, lips and tongue and have her do the same.

We are happily mature.
Sometimes known as all growd up! Lol

END OF MESSAGE

I love this term!

I do think that the modern everyday demands rob us of many natural "feel-good" chemicals that occur in our bodies. Oxytocin being one of them.  

So many of us are pressured to put up this "put-together" persona all of the time. And I'm not saying that we're not happy, well-adjusted, productive citizens. But it takes a toll, especially on men, when we're encouraged to keep everyday intimacy such as a simple hug to a minimum.  

Humans are social creatures. All our bonds: familial, platonic, intimate, you name it, rely so much on touch! Which is where I think being a provider can be so powerful and healing. As much as I love sex, as much as I love being a bratty sadist, I love, LOVE offering cuddles and bear hugs to another human. Easiest way to ease someone's day!

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In Korean culture, skinship between a male and female has sexual undertones, and not routinely done between two people who are not dating (although, this is changing for younger generations).  

I kind of learned this from personal experience. I once touched a friend (Korean girl) gently on the lower back as I said "hello", and she immediately latched on.

Most of my "chemistry" ends up in the condom.  

But beyond that, there are pheromones that we exude from the pores of our skin as well as our breath that (hopefully) attract and help us bond with our mate.  
These pheromones release various chemicals in our brain that are akin to opiates.  
Yes, we can be literally addicted to love.

Yep, that was the point of the original WSJ article -- there are terms in the Korean culture that might not directly translate to an English speaker. They also talked about other terms in Konglish that had unexpected consequences -- one of which was "White Friends." Seems that the local Olympic organizers recruited local volunteers to attend the events that were less popular and have them root for the visiting team.  

The "white" part of White Friends was a reference to snow, as they were in the mountains, and "friends" because they were being friendly to the visiting team. Seems nobody told them about the potential interpretation of "White Friends" as something else until after the games were underway.