Chairs, Benches and Lounges Galore: Sex Furniture 101
By ASTROGLIDE Team
Sex Tips
Sex + furniture = a match made in heaven. If you’re getting the itch to mix it up with different positions in the bedroom, this is your sign to invest in some pieces of sex furniture (also known as erotic furniture). Sure, sex in bed is fun, but have you ever had sex on a piece of furniture designed for pleasure? There are plenty of options in the wide world of sex furniture (more than you’d probably suspect), and there’s no one-size-fits-all piece. Think chairs, benches, swings, pillows, and lounges – and that’s just the beginning! The beauty of using the best sex furniture is that you can move from the bedroom to the living room and every other nook and cranny of your house and still have top-tier orgasms – what’s better than that? Now, we know everyone’s on the edge of their seat, so let’s enter the naughty world of sex furniture. You might want to sit down (on a sex chair, perhaps) for this.
So, What’s the (Sex Furniture) 411?
The best part about erotic furniture is that it’s literally designed for pleasure. The whole point is to allow users to experience pleasure and orgasms in new, dynamic ways. It’s no wonder people have been making it for centuries. For anyone curious about the background of erotic furniture, welcome to the club. Without getting too into the weeds, what you need to know is that people have been finding new, creative ways to have sex since the 13th century. Back then, the experience was a bit different; it wasn’t uncommon to see furniture decorated with erotic relics. Moving into the 18th century, Catherine the Great was collecting penis and vulva relics and erotic furniture galore. Fast forward to now: these items are widely available to the public, and companies produce them in bulk. With more sophisticated ideas than the original erotic paintings of the 13th century, there is no shortage of items to choose from.
Sex Bench
Our favorite resident sexologist, Dr. Jess O’Reilly, shares that “sex benches come in a range of models, shapes, and sizes. Some include adjustable rests for your feet, head, hands, and more and others include restraints. You can buy a one-piece sex bench with various curves or a modular unit with several moving parts. You might use sex benches to restrain your partner or simply to try new positions with additional physical support.”
Sex Chairs
Again from Dr. Jess, “A [sex] chair is the perfect prop, as it allows you to experiment with different angles, positions, views, and more. You can more easily use the floor for support on a chair, as your legs can wrap around, drape over top, or open up into a squat position.”
Sex Stool
From BuzzFeed, a sex stool (like this one from MISSTU) “offers a little stability for you to find your rhythm and do away with all of those (very legitimate) fears of suffocating them during oral or breaking them in reverse cowgirl. This is a judgment-free zone, and so is this stool. But on a more serious note, explore different positions and put a little pep in your play with this convenient stool.”
Want more ideas of what exactly is out there? Check out these articles from Glamour, Women’s Health Magazine, and SELF.
Broaching the Topic with a Partner
We want everyone to feel empowered during sex, and part of that is finding what works best for you. New pieces pop up on the market constantly, so we suggest researching the type of furniture that will work best for your sex life. Use researching the best sex furniture as an opportunity to connect with your partner and buy a piece together. After all, this will benefit both of you. Don’t know how to start the conversation? Whenever you’re talking to your partner about your sex life, it’s always important to preface the chat with why you’re bringing the topic to the table. In this instance, consider telling your partner about what you enjoy about your sex life as it stands. That way, you can bring a new, exciting element to the table, and neither person will feel defensive. You might find more success broaching the topic from the angle of wanting to have even better sex and feeling empowered to try something new. Here are a few ideas for how to open the conversation:
How would you feel if we introduced a new sexual experience into our sex life? Would you feel comfortable buying a piece of sex furniture? If not, why? Do you fear potential harm to your sexual health? Are there ways that you want to change up our sex life?
By approaching the topic with sensitivity and love, your partner will be more willing to experiment in and out of the bedroom.
Shop ‘Til You Drop
When shopping for your first piece of erotic furniture, Dr. Jess suggests that “you may start with a simple wedge before moving on to a bench. The wedge is often a firm, triangular cushion that you use on the bed to prop up your head, ankles, hips, butt, or other body parts in various sexual positions. If you want to purchase sex furniture for the first time, you can try a simple bench with no moving parts. You have many options ranging from stools to benches to contoured chaise lounges. (Even furniture shops like Wayfair now sell sex benches!). If, however, you have specific desires, you can also find models with suction and strap-on surfaces so you can attach your own adult toys and dildos. Some are made specifically for spanking, and some can support heavier weights (e.g., up to 400 pounds). Some come with a frame for bondage and attachments, and many can be adjusted (much like a workout weight bench) to accommodate your height and preferences. Spreader bars allow for kinkier play, and you can use them with or without a bench.” Since no piece of furniture is a universal fit, you might try a few options and see which works best for you. Also, there is no shame in having multiple pieces! You might even consider a dedicated sex room (think Christian Gray).
Putting the Furniture to Good Use
Below are a few ideas for how you can utilize your new purchase (or refurbished) furniture.
Sex Bench
Dr. Jess suggests “using furniture to support your body multiplies the new positions with which you can experiment — for all types of sex from playful teasing to oral, to anal and everything in between. Benches with feet stirrups can help you to hold potentially uncomfortable sex positions for longer. Some people find that the stirrups also allow them to enjoy deeper penetration as they spread their legs wide open, making space for their partner to slide in between.” If you’re new to face-sitting, a sex bench can provide the perfect angle to enjoy your partner on top, but with less weight and pressure as they straddle you with their feet on the floor. Sexual partners who are in the early stages of exploring BDSM and dom-sub roles found that a bench provided a visual and geographical division that helped them to define how they played their roles. In bed, they played their day-to-day vanilla roles (no power exchange), and on the bench, they experimented with D/S play. If they need a break to regroup, they’d step away from the bench.
Sex Chairs
Director’s Chair (Perfect sex position to help you experiment with D/S dynamics and role play):
You sit in the chair and play with your dominant side.
Ask your partner to kneel at your feet on a cushion and tell them what to do with their hands, lips, tongue, etc.
When you’re ready, you can ask them to climb on and “audition” for you.
As always, talk about your roles, boundaries, concerns, and desires in advance.
Rear Bonded (Ideal for exploring light bondage and limiting movement) – One partner sits in a chair with armrests (the kind with an opening below them as opposed to one solid piece). The other uses silk ties or scarves to gently tie their wrists to the armrests of the chair. Leave space for fingers to easily slide between their skin and the ties to ensure adequate circulation. Sit on their lap facing away from them and ride away (if they don’t have a penis, they can use a strap on, or you can rub and grind).
Wrap Around (this one is great for eye contact, full-body contact, and rubbing and grinding for the top partner) -One partner sits in an armless chair. The other sits on their lap, facing them with their legs straddled on either side. They can ride to their heart’s content while the seated partner uses their hands, lips, and tongue to kiss, explore, suck, lick, etc. The upper partner can wrap their legs right around the chair for a tighter grip.
Sex Swing
Not for the faint of heart, using a sex swing can (quite literally) take your orgasm to new heights. From AskMen, Dr. Jess suggests testing out these sex positions:
On Your Knees: “One partner lies on their back in the swing, and the other kneels on the floor with their face in the suspended partner’s crotch. Because many swings have open slats on the bottom, you have even more access to their nether regions in this position.”
Push Me: Similar to doggy style, “it’s kind of like aerial aerobics, but while you’re having sex. One partner sits in the swing with their feet hanging pendulous and leans forward (holding onto straps with their hands if available). The other stands behind them and holds onto their hips as they slide inside.”
Swinging Cowgirl: “Your classic cowgirl but elevated off the ground. One partner sits back in the swing. The other climbs atop straddling them with their feet on the floor. If the supine partner takes their feet off of the floor, it allows the partner on top to take control.” For more heightened positions, keep reading in AskMen!
With this knowledge of sex furniture, it’s time to pull out that dusty chair or cobwebbed-covered couch and put it to good use. We promise you’ll never look at your living room furniture in the same way again.