From taste to touch, how to tantalize every inch (with or without a partner)

Sex conversations often revolve around the big O.

But what about sex itself?

Don’t get us wrong. We love mind-bending orgasms.

But we think it’s important not to get so caught up in the destination that we forget about the journey.

‘How does it feel? What do I taste? What sounds turn me on?’

Questions and experiences like this can help get us out of our heads and into experiencing full-body pleasure. Bringing all 5 senses – touch, taste, smell, sight, and sound – into solo or partner play is a surefire way to drop deeper into your entire sexual experience.

Here are our top tips for bringing all 5 senses into the bedroom.

Touch

Our tip: Experiment with pressure and temperature.

Play with cold temperatures using an ice cube or cold bottle. Run an ice cube over yourself or your partner, and place the ice cube in your mouth before kissing (everywhere). To add heat instead, use warm massage oil from a candle like the Kama Sutra Massage Oil Candle.

For pressure, use all ends of your sex toys and try pressing them where it feels good a little harder, or a little softer.  Light and teasy? Rough and rowdy? Experiment and see what feels good. You can also bring more uncommon tools into the bedroom to run over skin, like a fluffy makeup brush or a fork (just be careful!)

Taste

Our tip: Make things sweeter.

Play around with sweet stuff that’s easy to apply (and lick off). Honey, chocolate syrup, whipped cream – drop a little on your partner and do your thing. If you’re experimenting solo, try dipping a little on your fingers or other parts of your body that feel good. Warning: We do have to caution against putting this sweet stuff on our intimate areas. No one wants a health scare! If you want to taste sweet all over, we recommend flavored suppositories.

If you don’t want to put edibles on the body, feed your partner (or yourself) sweet strawberries, grapes, or other tantalizing goodies you can sensually suck on to get in the mood.

Sight

Our tip: Get everything outta sight – in more ways than one.

Our first tip starts before sexy time. A clean, calm environment can make us relaxed, and less tension in our body leads to more pleasure everywhere else. We suggest making time to give your sexy space a clean-up or remodel before your next adventure. When it’s time to turn things up, make your space calm and inciting with soft lamps or candles.

When we’re getting down in the sheets, bring a blindfold in for play. Depriving ourselves of one sense tends to heighten the others. Need we say more? With a partner, it can also be fun to take your eyes out of the equation and let them surprise you.

Sound

Our tip: Get comfortable vocalizing.

There’s power in finding your voice. And that goes for sex, too! Whether speaking affirmations to yourself as you touch or making noise as loud (or soft) as you desire, letting out what we might sometimes hold back can take things up a notch.

If you’re not used to vocalizing, focus first on your breath. Breathe deeply in and out (this helps heighten your senses, too). As you ready for an exhale, vocalize with your exhale. It doesn’t even have to be a moan. A satisfied “ahhhhh” is a step to getting you comfortable vocalizing what turns you on.

Make sure your environment is full of pleasurable sounds outside of your own. Music, white noise, or even a moment of silence. The background vibes are yours for the curating.

Smell

Our tip: pick and use sexytime-only smells.

You’ve probably heard of aromatherapy or at the very least, understand that certain smells can make you energized, calm, or nostalgic. Some scents are even considered aphrodisiacs. When it comes to experimenting with smell in the bedroom, pick different candles or incense that transport you to the place you want to be in your mind.

Smell is a strong memory trigger. That’s why we love to bring certain smells out ONLY for sex, so when the smell hits you or your partner’s nostrils, your brain llights up with fond memories and is ready to go. It enhances the mood and experience. We love vanilla, sandalwood, and lavender for calming scents, or citrus and paradise smells to liven things up.

You could also wear a particular scented perfume during sex with a partner, so the smell on your body is an immediate reminder for them of the things you’ve done together – ready to do more.