Top 12 Foreplay Ideas to Add Some Zest to Your Sex Life

If your sex life feels a little tame, bland, or ordinary, it's time to get creative and add some zest between you and your partner.

Whether you're in the first few months of a new relationship or 25 years into marriage, there's no reason why your sex life should fall to the waist side.

Foreplay Ideas

Let's sort through our list of foreplay ideas to help reinvigorate your sex life.

Foreplay Idea #1

Talk Dirty to Each Other

Dirty talk can be a big turn-on. Much like sex and foreplay, it must be done in a way your partner finds sexy.

The first step to talking dirty is recognizing your "audience" and their sexual desires.

When in doubt, start slowly by saying things like "you look so sexy right now" or "it feels so good when you touch me like that".

Eventually, you can work your way up to more descriptive language by saying something like, "I want you deep inside of me" or "The way you're stroking me is going to give me an orgasm".

Remember, it's not just about what you say but how you say it.

Rather than simply asking your partner what they want, bring your body close to theirs, brush your lips against their ear and whisper the words gently. When combining your body language with dirty talk, this foreplay can stimulate the senses, build arousal, and be a huge turn-on for your partner.

Foreplay Idea #2

Try Out a New Sex Toy

Sex toys can add a ton of excitement to your sex life, not to mention more orgasms. Experimenting with different sex toys on your partner can help stimulate their erogenous zones in ways your hands and bodies can't — and that's a good thing!

The versatility of these contrasting sensations can be an incredibly pleasurable experience for both of you.

A vibrator is a popular sex toy that many couples prefer using during foreplay. When used on a woman, you can tease the vibrator along their inner thighs as you work your way up to their clitoral hood.

Remember that the sensations of a vibrator can be pretty powerful. It's helpful to work your way up to direct stimulation by running the vibrator down their labia and grazing it over their clit to build pleasure and arousal. Examine your partner's body language as you push forward.

Toys are not just for women to enjoy! Vibrators can also be thrilling tools for men, helping you stimulate their scrotum, the tip of their penis, and even their prostate.

No matter how you use vibrators and other toys, remember to communicate your boundaries and express what feels the best!

Foreplay Idea #3

Give an Erotic Massage

One of the top foreplay ideas to help prepare your body for penetrative sex is through an erotic massage.

According to certified sex therapist Laurie Watson [1], the simple act of touch during a sensual massage can cause the desire to emerge naturally, opening the doors to more exploration.

Start by setting the mood with light, relaxing music and a bottle of scented massage oil. From here, you can use your hands to warm up the skin as you massage your partner's back, arms, and legs. Add pressure to the massage as you tease your hands closer to their most intimate body parts.

Some of these oh-so-stimulating erogenous areas include:

• neck
• breasts
• lower abdomen
• buttocks
• inner thighs

As you explore their entire body, direct more attention to their genitals as you massage. Doing this can help you eventually move into more intimate forms of foreplay, such as oral sex or manual stimulation.

Foreplay Idea #4

Sext Throughout the Day

Like dirty talking, sexting can be one of the best foreplay techniques to help build sexual tension.

With sexting, the purpose is to express your deepest, most sexual desires causing your partner's mind to race with dirty thoughts while you're away from one another.

Whether your partner is at work or out with a friend, a spicy text that says, "I wish you could join me in the shower right now" can instantly shift their mood, flooding their mind with sexy images of you in the shower.

If you're a sexting pro, you can even consider taking things up a notch with a sexy nude photo.

If you're uncomfortable sending a nude photo, start teasing them with a mirror shot of you in a pair of sexy underwear. No matter what picture you send, these texts can ignite the fire before you even have a chance to lay your hands on one another.

Foreplay Idea #5

Play Around With Different Temperatures

Our touch sensation is incredibly vulnerable to different temperatures. Incorporating more temperature play into your bedroom routine is an exciting way to add some sizzle to your love life by touching your nerve endings in a new and exciting way.

Get Chilly

On one side, you've got the cold sensations. Use an ice cube to drip cold water onto your partner's naked body before slowly lowering it to touch their bare skin.

Another way to do this is by holding an ice cube between your teeth and drawing it onto your partner's nipples, neck, lower abdomen, or thighs.

Add Heat

Add a candle or warming lubricant to the mix for some extra heat. With a lit candle, you can drip the wax onto your partner's body and massage it gently into their skin.

Always be mindful of their pain threshold and continue checking in on what your partner likes and how they feel about the sensual experience.

Foreplay Idea #6

Use a Blindfold

Sensory play is a dominant expression of foreplay that can excite the senses and may even lead to more powerful, toe-curling orgasms.

One of the best ways to heighten one sense is by taking away another. Initiating foreplay with a blindfold can help spike your partner's senses and keep them curious about what's to come.

Start by gently tying a piece of clothing around your partner's face, such as a shirt or tie, ensuring they are both comfortable and unable to see what will happen next. Start kissing their lips and neck as you work your way down their body.

Use light, sporadic touches to keep them wondering as you kiss, touch, and caress their body. This sensual foreplay technique is more pleasurable and can make for more sensational sex too!

Foreplay Idea #7

Test Out New Positions

Among the many foreplay tips we have to share, one of the best ways to intensify your next sexual encounter is by testing out new positions.

With oral sex, lying on your back as your partner pleasures you is undoubtedly satisfying, but this position can become stale over time. Next time you and your partner feel frisky, try lying perpendicular to their body and change up the movement of your tongue to give them an entirely new experience.

Most women prefer this, especially when it comes to clitoral stimulation.

From here, you can also change up the rhythm and movement of your tongue, giving them more pressure and a whole new sensation for the clitoris and the labia region.

Foreplay Idea #8

Get Out of the Bedroom

Don't reserve your favorite foreplay activities exclusively for the bedroom. If your house is empty, try moving your next sexual experience to the living room, guest bedroom, bathroom, or home office.

There's something incredibly desirable about bringing sexual passion to an entirely new location — even if it's still inside the privacy of your own home.

One of the best locations for this is in a steamy shower. Although sex can sometimes be tricky while submerged in water, the shower offers enough space, warmth, and excitement to play around. Start by lathering their body with soap and rinsing it with a slow stream of warm water as you caress their skin.

The kitchen is an exciting yet incredibly underrated location for frisky foreplay. Mix things up one night by getting handsy with your partner under the dining room table. Or, lift her on top of the kitchen counter, pulling her body close to you as you passionately kiss one another.

Foreplay Idea #9

Build Up Tension With Teasing

Teasing is a sexy and fun way to initiate foreplay and heat things up inside and outside the bedroom.

Since foreplay is more like a slow marathon than a sprint, teasing is a great technique to help raise sexual energy and build anticipation. Many women prefer to be teased to get them in the mood and prepare their minds and bodies for penetrative sex.

Some captivating ways to tease your partner include:

• Flirtatious body language: use your body to seduce your partner by biting your lip, touching your skin, or moaning lightly when they feel you
• Playful banter: teasing your partner with witty remarks or flirtatious comments can keep the conversation light, fun, and sexual
• Slow movements: rather than stripping down for a quickie after work, start with an intentional kiss as you slowly undress your partner, one piece of clothing at a time
• Sensual kissing: plant soft, lingering kisses on your partner, teasing them with your lips and breath while also leaving them wanting more
• Build anticipation: most notably, tension can be amplified by creating a sense of longing by pulling away when things start to get heated, leaving your partner craving more of you

Foreplay Idea #10

Try Mutual Masturbation

Mutual masturbation is a seductive and playful way to explore yourselves and your partner's bodies without diving head-first into sex.

How it works is that you and your partner will pleasure yourselves in each other's presence to build arousal. Certified sex therapist Vanessa Marin [2] has dubbed this "one of the most underrated partnered sexual discovery tools."

Maintaining prolonged eye contact during mutual foreplay can create sexual arousal and serve as an ideal method for nurturing intimacy and bonding. Not to mention, it will help prepare the body for the "main event".

Foreplay Idea #11

Use Flavored Lubricant

Flavored lubricants can be an excellent addition to foreplay as it enhances sensations, adds variety, and makes oral more delicious.

Not only do most flavors of lubricants taste delicious, but they also have a delightful scent that creates a more sensual atmosphere during foreplay.

Though other food products like whipped cream or melted chocolate are great for licking off each other's bodies, flavored lubricant is the best option for internal pleasure. It can be used on both men and women to increase slipperiness, making fingering, cunnilingus, and blowjobs more exciting.

Start by dropping some lube over your partner's chest and stomach to lick off before moving down towards their pelvic region.

Bonus Foreplay Idea

Things are about to get a bit spicier with our bonus foreplay tip!

Act out a fantasy

Acting out a sexual fantasy can be a naughty foreplay trick to add more excitement and passion to your relationship.

Start by opening the conversation by sharing your desires, taking examples from a scene from your favorite sexy movie to gauge their comfort levels and set the mood for exploration.

Trying out different fantasies can help encourage both emotional and physical connections. For example, many people, like a sexy nurse or a naughty school teacher, enjoy pretending to be someone they're not.

Another familiar sexual fantasy couples enjoy exploring is BDSM. This sexual activity is fun to indulge in dominant and submissive roles in the bedroom.

Whether you enjoy getting spanked, choked, or whipped, it's important to have an honest conversation about your sexual preferences ahead of time.