Lotion Play: When Slipping and Sliding Turns Sexy

The goal is to generously cover your body in lubricating gel to change the way it interacts as once it comes into contact with your partner’s. Less grip, more fluid movements and a whole new dimension to each touch.

Behind a fairly simple practice hides a world of unique textures.

Lotion play is part of the ‘Wet and Messy’ (WAM) scene, which encompasses practices centred on the sensations provided by wet, slippery or viscous substances.

The word ‘lotion’ may be a little misleading, as you don’t necessarily have to use body lotion to enjoy lotion play. Despite the term being in English, it actually comes from Japanese culture, in which ‘lotion’ refers to particularly slippery liquids used in massages and skin to skin contact.

It is not, therefore, simply a question of using lube to facilitate penetration. Slippery substances are applied to a much larger area of the body, and as a matter of fact, penetration isn’t necessarily central to play.

If you’ve already experimented with massage oil, you may be aware of the effects it has on sensations: your hands don’t move across your partner’s skin in the same way.

Lotion play simply takes this feeling one step further.

If you put your hand on your partner’s hip, you should normally be able to grip onto it with relative ease. However with enough lube, it’s going to slip. Your torsos can slide against each other with almost no resistance. Your upper arms, thighs, stomach or even your torso can replace the hands in certain situations.

Not everyone is looking for maximum slippage. Some people want to conserve a bit of resistance, and others enjoy the idea of no longer being able to grab onto their partner as they normally would.

There’s no ‘right’ amount of lube when it comes to lotion play, it’s a question of finding the right amount of slip that works for you and your partner.

Not all products react the same way over wide patches of skin.

Liquid lube spreads easily, whereas a thicker gel is more likely to remain where you place it. Some options stay slippy over a longer period of time, others get tacky as they dry.

This is why many people opt for water-based lube during lotion play. It’s practical as it’s easy to clean, but you may need to reapply throughout your session. Silicone-based lube generally provides more long-lasting slip, but you have to be careful about what toys and accessories you use with this one.

If you’re just starting out in the WAM community, the Love Team recommends water-based lube as it’s the simpler option. Unlike other intimate things, size matters here… so anyone regularly dabbling in lotion play want to get themselves a big bottle of lube. The LOVE AND VIBES Sensation 1 litre format, for example, means you can enjoy all the slippery play you’d like, without having to skimp on the lube.

A quick tip from the Love Team: test the product on your inner arm for a few minutes before coating your body in it. You’ll soon be able to see if the texture is too sticky or even too slippery for what you have planned.

These two practices share some similarities, which explains why the two terms often get mixed up.

A Nuru massage also requires a lot of gel to perform skin-to-skin movements. However, lotion play is much less strict in its end goal. Partners’ can give a massage, or it can be more focussed on rubbing, touching or make up part of a sexual encounter.

If you want to explore a Nuru massage, don’t immediately cover your partner’s body in lube. It’s better to start simple, with the thighs, bum or back, then gradually increase lube quantity as you see fit. This way you can take some time exploring the differences between a classic massage and that true slippery feeling.

Not all slippy substances are adapted to lotion play.

For external use, some massage oils, body lotions or specially designed massage gels will do the job, as long as they agree with your skin. However, if you think that your slippery substance will be coming into contact with the genital area, or you were looking to use it for penetration as well, then lube is the way to go.

You also need to take care when using condoms, oils and other greasy substances can damage latex. For this reason, water-based lube is the safest option alongside condom use.

If you’re using a lot of lube, you can pretty much guarantee that it won’t remain solely on your body.

Put a big towel or a washable blanket over your bed to prevent it from becoming one big mess. Another thing we love about water-based lubes is that they’re easy to clean, off the body and off textiles.

Make sure to pay special attention to the floor. Lubed up feet, tiles or wood can become extremely slippy, extremely quickly.

It may seem quite boring to talk about the cleaning process, but it’s important to keep this in mind if you want to guarantee a safe, pleasant experience.

Lotion play is great because it doesn’t require super specific equipment or advanced physical capabilities.

Its appeal stems mainly from the fact that it alters an extremely familiar sensation: skin-to-skin contact. A hand no longer grasps the same way, bodies move differently against one another, and gestures you’re already familiar with can suddenly produce new sensations.

Sometimes, changing the texture is enough to completely change the game.