Picture this — the lights are dim, the plant babies have been watered, and depending on your mood, anything from salacious 90s R&B to subtle pan flute yoga music plays raunchily (or dreamily) in the background.
In other words, you’ve set the mood. And you should be setting the mood because — cue the screams of supreme rapture — it’s about to GO. DOWN.
Have you ever been so horny that biting into a peach will send your mind spiraling into thoughts of other juices? Juicier juices? The kind of juices that make life positively juicy? We have.
And we want that degree of horniness for you, too. There’s nothing quite like the feeling you get when your body has been flooded with arousal from top to bottom.
That’s why it’s time to talk about some ways to explore sensation play that will get your juices flowing in the bedroom. Or the kitchen. Or that couch in the basement that’s seen some things (we love you, basement couch).
So, What Is Sensation Play?
Sensation play is the act of engaging one’s senses to heighten pleasure during sexy time. Think sight, smell, taste, touch, and sound. For many folks, incorporating new ways to stimulate their senses before and during intimacy can open a magical new world of experience.
1. Entertain Miss Pain
Your brain is an incredible place where “Ouch!” and “Please don’t stop!” can coexist happily ever after. How is it that pleasure and pain can meet in the cafeteria of your body for coffee and bring you such, well, pleasure?
That’s because a little pain releases endorphins in your central nervous system the same way a strenuous exercise would. Endorphins make you feel good. A little pain can make you feel more than a little good.
So, how much pain are we talking about? Well, that’s up to you. If you’re new topain playy, start mild. Tell your partner where to bite, to spank, to squeeze. Or better yet, give your partner permission to choose.
Use toys that are flexible to fit your pain preferences, such as adjustable nipple clamps. Basically, if curiosity strikes, explore your boundaries. You might just find that pain was the missing ingredient all along.
2. Sounds Like Some Good Lovin’
Some sounds are inherently sexy — moans, groans, a zipper unzipping. What’s less sexy? Crickets. And we’re not even talkin’ the kind that gets stuck behind your refrigerator.
But as a general rule of thumb, it might mean there’s too much silence in the bedroom if you can still hear that cricket stuck behind your refrigerator. How to shake it up? There are many different ways to explore sound in the bedroom.
Is there a song that does it for you? A phrase that brings you to your knees quite literally? Ever tried using lube even if you don’t feel like you need it? Just for the sexy, slippery-when-wet noise?
Pant in your lover’s ear, free the moans lodged in your throat, and speak in more breath than words — sometimes, these subtle changes can make all the difference.
3. Makes Scents to Us
Can you still remember the smell of your first crush’s perfume or cologne? Your sense of smell is powerful. And a powerful tool to leave underutilized when bringing you and your lover boatloads of titillation.
If we’re talking sex and smells, sometimes just introducing a new scent in the bedroom (or that basement couch) can increase arousal. Sauce it up with a massage oil that smells like Sandalwood, Black Pepper, and Ylang Ylang, or a delicious-smelling bath bomb that dubs as a sex game. Bonus!
Not to mention pheromones. What are they, and why do we love them? Pheromones are chemicals produced by your body to stimulate desire in your lover, and we are all about some stimulation. Give them a boost with some body mist designed to unleash their power.
4. Under Pressure
We’re not talking about the work deadline or the pressure to use that coupon that’s nearing its expiration date. (*Ahem* Get 10% off on all Simpli Favorites with code SAVE10).
This is the awe-inspiring kind of pressure. The kind that makes you feel helpless (or powerful) depending on which side of the restraint you want to be. Uh-huh. You guessed it — there’s nothing quite like a bit of bondage to give your senses the wild ride they deserve.
Imagine the contrast of combed cotton and brisk metal gripping your wrists, holding you still while your lover takes control. If you just went cross-eyed from the thought, that code was SAVE10 (wink, wink).
And if you’re new to bondage, welcome to paradise, you naughty, naughty thing. We’ve been waiting for you. Consider starting here.
5. Light as a Feather, Thick as a Cock
The sensation of being tickled intimately is just the kind of out-of-control, begging-for-mercy stuff we like around here.
Tickling and teasing do all sorts of things beyond just covering your skin in a layer of goosebumps. It can leave you feeling pushed to your limit. It can leave you craving more. Alternate between love tickles and love taps for an extra stimulating experience.
6. Fire and Ice
Let’s be honest. Oral sex is kind of already the best. Is there a way to make it even betterr? Actually, there is. Applying just a skosh of hot or cold can transform the experience from yes to “YES!” in seconds.
What about popping an ice cube into your mouth after letting it melt down your partner’s thigh or nipple first? If you’d like to leave your fire and ice to the professionals, we’re game with that, too. This lick-able lube duo won’t disappoint you or your junk.
7. Leave the Light On
We are all visual creatures. That’s why our pupils dilate at the sight of something racy. It could be watching your lover undress slowly, or how about their gaze following you as you strip for them?
Whatever it is, consider enhancing the view. Everyone knows lingerie is time-tested and lovely for those nights when something needs celebrating.
But what about those nights when something just needs to be kinky? There’s not much hotter than seeing your partner’s most taboo hole plugged with a pretty little accessory of your choosing while they wait for you, while you take them in.
Don’t believe us that butt stuff can be shockingly beautiful? Nothing will be able to prepare your senses for seeing them in this.
8. Good Vibes Only
Nothing can deliver soul-shattering sensation upon sensation (upon sensation) like our good friend and Knight in Shining Climax, the vibrator. But the vibrator is not just for singular pleasure or for those afternoons when the house is delightfully empty. No, no, no.
If you haven’t taken a stroll down our virtual vibrator aisle in a while, times have changed, and these ain’t your mama’s pleasure thumpers. One of our favorite couple designs will provide an extra dose of sensation no matter how you twist it.
9. Even a Blind Squirrel Finds a Nut
Blindfolds are a simple yet profound way to beef up your sex game through sensory deprivation. With your sight restricted, your other senses will become amplified. With your other senses amplified, suddenly, it becomes a game of guess what? Guess what they’ll do next.
Will it be their fingertips torturously dragging across your collarbone after slipping into your mouth? Will it be their breath on the sensitive skin of your neck and chest? Their tongue on your ribcage? Their tongue on your stomach, on your hip bone, on your inner thigh while your body arches in ecstasy — whoa.
Uh, apologies. Seems we got a bit carried away there. We were talking about the senses. Back to the senses!
10. Hold It
In a world where so much is demanded of you — deadlines to meet, grocery shopping to do, Netflix to binge — relinquishing control can be as satisfying as taking it. Lean into your softer side as a gentle hand covers your mouth and whispers in your ear, “Hold your breath.”
Or maybe a not-so-gentle gag pries your mouth open, sets your jaw in place, and explicitly tells you to “Kneel.” Either way, safely playing with breath control can be (no, it is; it definitely is) a sexy way to explore power in the bedroom and the physical sensations of surrendering control.
Ready To Play?
If you’ve read this far, pat yourself on the back — and when we say ‘pat yourself on the back,’ we really mean ‘touch yourself erotically,’ you delicious, sensual creature of the night. We hope your brains have been stimulated into action to expand your sexual portfolio by incorporating your senses in the bedroom.
Go forth and use your new sensational knowledge to awaken the inner god, goddess, (or demon?) inside. Time is a tickin’. What are you waiting for, angel?
Sources:
What does Sensation play mean? | Definitions
Endorphins: What They Are and How to Boost Them | Cleveland Clinic
Pheromones and their effect on women’s mood and sexuality | PMC