Thousands of men have signed up for a £30 an hour job allowing stressed Christmas shoppers to stroke their beards.
Mo Bro’s in Highcross Shopping Centre, Leicester, will be running the pop-up beard-stroking station from today.
More than 4,000 men have already applied to have their facial hair stroked, and 46 shoppers, a mix of men and women, submitted advance applications to be ‘strokers’.
Mo Bro’s in Highcross Shopping Centre, Leicester, is running the pop-up beard-stroking station for stressed shoppers
More than 4,000 men have already applied to have their facial hair stroked, and 46 shoppers, a mix of men and women, submitted advance applications to be ‘strokers’
The station has three spots for members of the public to stroke their beard of choice for either 5, 10 or 20 minutes at £5 per 5 minutes
The company said local bearded celebrities, including Leicester Tigers players and world champion clay pigeon shooter, Ben Husthwaite, had also shown an interest.
Only candidates with beards at least two-inches long will be considered for the positions.
The station has three spots for members of the public to stroke their beard of choice for either 5, 10 or 20 minutes at £5 per 5 minutes.
The bearded men will put their chins through wooden screens in a seaside-style hole in the wall.
Savan Dattani, co-founder of Mo Bro’s, said: ‘Christmas is a stressful time of year for most people.
‘You’re in a mad rush trying to buy presents, food and drink, whilst juggling work, a family and other commitments.
‘We had a think of how we could make this situation more enjoyable, and it suddenly came to us – a beard stroking station.
‘We have a few guys with fantastic beards already signed up, but we could do with a few more because we anticipate demand to be high.
‘Santa beards preferred, but not essential.
For hygiene reasons, hand sanitiser will be available and every stroker has the option of wearing disposable gloves
Products on hand include beard balm and oil, which Mo Bro’s says ‘the guest can choose to use, to make the stroking experience more pleasurable’
Customers can also enjoy a complimentary tea, coffee or water, listen to relaxing music as they stroke, and make conversation with the gentlemen they are stroking if they choose to
‘It’s fairly common knowledge that stroking soft things, like animals, reduces stress, but we didn’t want to enlist the help of animals because they obviously can be somewhat unpredictable and chaotic.
‘So, doing what we do, we thought beards are the next best thing.
‘We’ll have an array of products available to use, so the beards will be soft and will smell great.
‘Guests of the station can even brush them if they like.’
Customers can also enjoy a complimentary tea, coffee or water, listen to relaxing music as they stroke, and make conversation with the gentlemen they are stroking if they choose to.
Products on hand include beard balm and oil, which Mo Bro’s says ‘the guest can choose to use, to make the stroking experience more pleasurable.’
To apply, hopefuls had to send their name, email address and a photo of their ‘magnificent facial hair’ to the company
The description states: ‘Men with longer Santa-esque beards are preferred’ and they ‘must be comfortable with being touched by strangers’
The job application reads: ‘Got a fantastic beard? You can earn £30 per hour at our ‘beard stroking’ pop-up for stressed-out Christmas shoppers.
‘We’re launching the world’s first beard stroking station, which will be open for three days at Highcross Shopping Centre in Leicester from Wednesday, December 20, and we want you to be a part of it.
‘If you or a friend has enviable facial hair, you’re in luck as we’re currently recruiting bearded men to be the subjects of the station, and will pay you £30 per hour for the trouble.’
The description states: ‘Men with longer Santa-esque beards are preferred’ and they ‘must be comfortable with being touched by strangers’.
To apply, hopefuls had to send their name, email address and a photo of their ‘magnificent facial hair’ to the company.
The website states: ‘The beard stroking station will welcome both men and women, who’d like to take a seat and stroke something soft, during the often-stressful Christmas shopping period.
‘It’s been reported that ‘warm touches’ between humans release Oxytocin, the hormone that reduces the levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, as does stroking cat fur.
‘Other benefits of stroking fur include a low heart rate and blood pressure.’
The website states: ‘The beard stroking station will welcome both men and women, who’d like to take a seat and stroke something soft, during the often-stressful Christmas shopping period’
Social media users expressed their bemusement at the unique job offer.
Ophélie Adeyemi said on Facebook: ‘There are things in life that I will never understand.’
Rogers Etudi added: ‘This is utterly ridiculous.’
Liz Pritchard said: ‘Don’t get me wrong, I love a beard – but come on!’
But not all were put off, with Karen Weiss adding: ‘Omg sign me up!’
For hygiene reasons, hand sanitiser will be available and every stroker has the option of wearing disposable gloves.
And grooming products will be on hand to protect skin from too much rubbing.
Mr Dattani said: ‘The last thing they’ll want is itchy beards.’
All profits will go to the homelessness charity Shelter.