Sensuality & Arousal
September 19, 2019

Beyond Pussy: 5 Erogenous Zones You Didn’t Know About

It’s time to think outside the box! Explore these erogenous zones the next time you’re having some sweet sexy times.
Written by
Stella Harris
Published on
September 19, 2019
Updated on
What's changed?
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When it comes to sexual pleasure, the pussy is a no-brainer. Home to the clitoris—the main driver of orgasms for people with a vulva—the pussy is often the first and only stop people make on the way to arousal-ville. But to ignore the rest of the body is to miss out on a whole world of pleasure.

In fact, depending on how you touch, there are very few parts of the body that can’t be worked into some stimulating sexy times. And often the most fun part of sex is the lead-up to vulva touching. So why not slow down to explore all the ways you can make your partner feel good?

Here are five ideas for mixing up your sexy-time routines:

1. Stimulate Arousal Through Teasing Touch

Areas of the body that are touched less often tend to be more sensitive—and this sensitivity can make for some tingly fun. Try exploring parts of the body you don’t usually touch, and keep your touch unexpected. This can be as simple as skipping an area of the body when you’re touching someone and then finally coming back to it, such as running your nails up and down someone’s arm while skipping the soft underside of the forearm, and then eventually coming back to that area with a drag of your nails.

Areas of the body that are touched less are more sensitive.

2. Find The Pleasure In Between Fingers

Opt to give your partner a hand massage and try letting your nails linger in every crevice. Everywhere from the webbing between the fingers to the underside of the knuckle are surprisingly sensitive to touch. And hey, if all that touching leads to some finger kissing and sucking, all the better.

3. Caress And Kiss Behind The Knees

Another area that doesn’t get much love is the tender skin behind the knees. This area is so protected when legs are bent that even incidental touch is rare. And that makes the backside of knees absolutely ripe for your tender touch. A gentle touch of fingernails will give a thrill—and you can level up by using your mouth. Kissing extra-sensitive parts of the body can be electrifying and feel a little naughty, even when they’re only PG-13 zones.

4. Tease Your Partner’s Butt Cleavage

Officially known as the intergluteal cleft, butt cleavage is the vertical line from the base of the spine down to the genital area. And while this whole area can be incredibly sensitive, start by exploring just the very top of the cleft, right where the lower back puckers or dimples. Located so close to the genitals, this is a big transition zone—and a perfect area to play with anticipation. The top of the cleft falls into the category of more-sensitive, lesser-touched body parts so touch alone will feel amazing, but it will also cause your partner to wonder what’s coming next. Play with that anticipation by keeping your touches tame… at least until you’re begged for more.

Play with that anticipation by keeping your touches tame… at least until you’re begged for more.

5. Stimulate The Scalp

Remember playing with each other’s hair at sleepovers? There’s more than one reason that’s a popular activity. The scalp is incredibly sensitive and rarely gets any attention. Brushing someone’s hair or giving a scalp massage can both be incredibly sensual options for stimulating this erogenous zone. Play with the different sensations created by alternating between the pads of the fingers and the fingernails. And if you’re feeling especially frisky, grab a handful of hair right at the base of the skull and give a gentle tug.

Add A Sex Toy For More Intense Sensation Play

While hands are a wonderful, multi-purpose sex toy, you can enhance all the forms of play outlined above with a variety of sensation and sex toys. A Wartenburg Wheel can be a great way to start—don’t let its appearance scare you off!

While originally used as a diagnostic tool to assess nerve response, the Wartenburg Wheel has been adopted by kinksters and sensation players alike for its ability to make your skin sing. The wheel looks like a tiny pizza cutter covered with spikes, and when gently drawn along the skin it adds a range of hot, tingly sensations.

Adding toys to the mix gives you a wider range of sensations you can play with than what hands alone can achieve

If that’s not your style, you can also grab a feather wand to switch things up with some whisper-soft feels.

Whatever area of the body you aim for, be sure to check in with your partner before you do something new, and again as you’re playing. Asking questions like “harder or softer?” can be a great way to get feedback without making your partner do too much thinking, which can be difficult when aroused and distracted.

Happy pleasure-hunting!

Reviewed for Medical Accuracy

Stella Harris is a Certified Intimacy Educator and Sex Coach who uses a variety of tools to guide and empower her clients and she teaches everything from pleasure anatomy, to communication skills, to kink and BDSM. Stella speaks at venues and conferences across the USA and Canada while maintaining a private practice in her adopted hometown of Portland, Oregon. Stella’s first book, Tongue Tied: Untangling Communication in Sex, Kink, and Relationships was published by Cleis Press in September 2018. You can also find Stella’s sex column in Portland’s Willamette Week.

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