In this episode of Saucy and Unfiltered, Bez sits down with SunRay Bates — community member, hug enthusiast, and co-facilitator of Hug Healing — ahead of her workshop at The Sauce on March 7th. What starts as a conversation about hugging quickly opens into something much deeper: the hunger so many of us carry for safe, platonic touch, and how rarely our culture actually makes space for it.

SunRay shares her journey from experiencing the first Hug Healing event as a total revelation, to becoming one of its most devoted co-facilitators. She talks honestly about her own history with unsafe touch, and how this practice — founded over a decade ago by her best friend Billy Bob — has been genuinely medicinal for her nervous system, her relationships, and her heart.

We talk cacao ceremonies, sound baths, the "Bliss Ball" (yes, it's exactly what it sounds like and also somehow more), and why SunRay is bringing this work to Yosemite Falls this spring. If you've ever felt awkward asking for a hug, or realized you might be starving for connection you didn't know how to name — this one's for you.

Hug Healing is happening Saturday, March 7th at The 418 Project. Come ready to be held.