If you’ve ever had shower sex that felt clumsy, uncomfy, or even super awkward, you’re not alone. Getting dirty in the place that gets you clean can be far more complicated than it seems and shower sex positions are definitely way more physically challenging than any porno or rom-com suggests (looking at you, How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days)!
For one, shower sex is slip-central (sleek tiles + water + bouncing bodies = potential danger zone). Second, water is not a lubricant — in fact, since it washes away your natural lube, water can actually make you feel more dry than wet and cause major friction (no, thanks). And last but not least, there is nothing sexy about accidentally getting water in your nose, soap in your eyes, or even in your mouth when you’re trying to get your O on.
That said, shower sex with a partner can still be super steamy (in more ways than one). “Shower sex can be really hot because it has a sense of urgency to it,” says Janet Brito. “Plus, hot water is relaxing and sensual, and seeing each other naked and wet can be a huge turn-on.”
Oh So Convenient
Additionally, shower sex can be especially convenient for parents and caregivers, Brito says, since it might be one of the few times they have enough privacy to indulge in a quickie. If you’re living with roommates or family members, hopping in the shower can give you an excuse for interruption-free, one-on-one time with your S.O.
It’s also the perfect activity for vacations, says Donna Oriowo, PhD, a certified sex therapist and owner of Annodright. “If you’re going to a resort, they tend to have larger showers available,” Oriowo adds. “It makes [shower sex] a lot easier.”
READ MORE: 5 Tips That’ll Help You To Do Steamy Shower Sex The RIGHT Way
With all that in mind, when you’re ready for a sensual splish splash, these expert-approved tips and positions will make shower sex hot and hassle-free…
Shower Sex Positions To Try
1. Stand And Deliver
This position gives you tons of clitoral and G-spot stimulation, so you can get in and out of the shower (read: reach orgasm) fast. You can either place your hands onto the shower wall for support — or if your partner has good traction (that grippy bath mat, people!), let them grip your wrists to up the ante.
How to do it: With both your and your partner’s feet planted firmly on the mat, turn away from your companion and lean into the wall, pressing your palms against it and tilting your butt upward and out. Your partner should enter you from behind, thrusting with their hands anchored on your hips, breasts, clit, whatever. Option to remove your hands once you find your balance.
Make it hotter: “Have your partner wrap their hand around to stimulate your clitoris,” says Katie Schubert. If you’re down to get kinky, this can also be a fun position for hair-pulling—just be sure to exercise consent and be extra careful, since things could get slippery.
2. The Chairman
Are you lucky/fancy enough to have one of those seat-shelves in your shower? If not, did you take my advice and buy one yet? Let this be your sign. This seated rear-entry position is the perfect shower choice if you like to be on top.
How to do it: Have your partner sit on the bench with feet on the floor. Facing away from them, sit on their lap, straddling them (you choose how wide to spread your legs based on your stability). As you pump up and down, your hands will be free to play with your clit or any other erogenous zones. You can even have your partner hold your wrists so you can lean forward and go at it at an angle. Fun!
Make it hotter: If you have a detachable shower head, remove it and use it to stimulate your genitals for some added pleasure, Schubert recommends. If you’re sitting on top, this is also a great opportunity to lean your head back onto your partner’s shoulder and enjoy some passionate neck kisses.
3. Face-Off
Here’s another position that’ll help you make good use of that shower seat.
How to do it: With your partner sitting down, straddle them, facing forward with your knees and/or shins on the bench for leverage. Grind against your partner, bracing the wall for balance if need be. The pressure of grinding back and forth should feel pretty darn stimulating—but if your knees or legs start to hurt, try pretzeling them behind your partner’s back.
Make it hotter: Amplify this intimate position with a fun sex toy. “Use a waterproof vibrating cock ring to make it spicier,” Schubert suggests. To heat things up even more, make eye contact with your partner to heighten the intensity. (Just make sure your soap and shampoo is washed off first!)
4. Upstanding Citizen
This position might also be easiest with a shower shelf seat, but it’s not completely necessary. That said, you may not want to start with this position, since it could get tricky—think of it more like your finale.
How to do it: With your back pressed against the wall, have your partner enter you from the front: You can wrap both your legs around their waist, or if that’s too slippery in the shower, try dropping one foot to the floor and leaving one lifted.
Make it hotter: This position already requires some next-level acrobatics, so exercise caution here—but to make it spicier, try moving from the position from the shower to the bathroom sink. The standing partner will get to show off their strength, and when you make it to the sink, the mirror will provide A+ views.
5. Corkscrew
When in doubt, lying down and bracing yourself against a surface is a safe strategy for shower sex—if you have plenty of room, of course. You need to have a thicker-rimmed shower/bathtub situation for this position to work, but you could also bring in a temporary bench.
How to do it: Rest on your hip and forearm on one side of the tub, shower shelf, or bench, and press your thighs together. Have your partner stand behind you and enter, keeping your legs closed for a tighter hold as they thrust.
Make it hotter: To heat up this position, try bringing in a sex toy, suggests Lisa Lawless, PhD, a clinical psychotherapist specializing in relationships and sexual health and CEO of Holistic Wisdom. “Using waterproof sex toys in the shower can add to the fun and allow for easier positioning and effective stimulation,” she says.
6. Ballet Dancer
For another fun front-facing position (that requires a little less balance on your partner’s end), this is a great option.
How to do it: With your partner standing and positioned to enter you from the front, bring one leg up to brace against the edge of the tub or your shower wall for extra support and thrusting leverage. The change in angle adds a stimulating twist to a shower standard, and the added sensation of warm water on your back definitely doesn’t hurt.
Make it hotter: “This is a good one,” Schubert says. “If you’re using lube, try oil-based lube—it’ll last a bit longer in the shower and enhance the slippery fun.” If there’s a rail in the shower, you can also grip it for extra leverage and stability.
7. Champagne Room
So this move might look a little blah, but trust—it isn’t. You get some deep thrusting action (go ahead and touch your clit, or have them reach one hand around to get involved), and you both get to rest a bit by sitting instead of standing.
How to do it: Have your partner sit on the edge of the tub or your handy bench, then sit on top of them, facing away. Simple!
Make it hotter: If you’re on top, try bending your torso to rest on top of your thighs, which can help deepen the penetration, recommends Schubert. For extra spice, try reaching back and holding your partner’s hands or arms while you’re grinding back and forth. Intimate and sexy!
8. The Caboose
You probably don’t want to have sex lying down in the shower, but there’s no reason you can’t have sex while sitting down on the shower floor. In fact, there’s every reason TO go for it: You can’t fall if you’re already on flat ground.
How to do it: Position the shower head so it will hit your bodies (not faces), then have your partner sit on the shower floor with their hands behind them to prop you both up. Then sit in front of them, and scooch your hips until you’re sitting on top. Note: The receiving partner will be the one doing most of the riding here, since their tush hitting the hard tile over and over won’t feel so good.
Make it hotter: If you’re in front, try reaching down between your legs and teasing your partner’s genitals, recommends Schubert. This can be a fun way to take control and enhance their pleasure, and you can play with each other at the same time for added fun.
9. Table Top
One thing that makes shower sex (and standing sex in general, TBH) harder? A big height difference. So to make up for any gaps, this should be your go-to.
How to do it: Prop yourself onto the tub ledge or bench and have your partner enter you while you hold onto the closest surface. If you’re completely stable, place your feet on their chest, in front of their shoulders, to better control the tempo and depth of thrusts.
Make it hotter: “This position is another great candidate for a vibrating cock ring,” Schubert says. And no, cock rings aren’t just for people with penises—the pleasure is meant for every party! Vibrators that stimulate the clit are sexy, too, so choose something you’ll both be excited about (the more, the merrier).
10. Wheelbarrow
If you’re feeling a little more ambitious, consider the wheelbarrow position. Word of caution, though: You definitely want that non-slip bath mat and to point the water away from your head. (So you can breathe…okay, pant.)
How to do it: Get on your hands and feet, and have your partner pick you up by the pelvis. Then, wrap your thighs around their waist for support as your partner thrusts. This position allows for some super-deep penetration, and the warm water hitting your body at the same time will feel amazing. Be sure to keep your head away from the wall to avoid injury and move slowly to ease into it.
Make it hotter: Here, Lawless recommends practising the hottest sex tip of all: communication. “The wheelbarrow position, while adventurous, relies heavily on trust, balance, and communication,” she says. Try discussing the logistics of the position ahead of time, so you don’t have to interrupt the mood with questions and concerns about planning, she advises. “Also, check in with one another by incorporating gentle whispers of affirmation or letting your partner know if adjustments should be made.”
11) Bullseye
Another way to tackle the shower is by trying out new ways to give oral, or as Brito calls it, the “bullseye.” (Get it? The bullseye here is the clitoris.) Basically, this position takes face-sitting to a whole new level, so if you have a clit, you’re going to be obsessed.
How to do it: “If you have a tub to sit on or a shower chair, and a shower mat to reduce falls, have your partner lay on the edge and then gently sit on your partner’s face in an angle where your clitoris rests on their lips,” Brito says. You’ll be sitting pretty upright, so you can move your hips and direct your partner’s tongue where you need.
Make it hotter: To make this position hotter, Lawless recommends experimenting with water flow to enhance your pleasure. “A detachable shower head with different settings can introduce varying pressure and temperature on erogenous zones,” she explains.
However, you should avoid shooting water directly up the vagina or into the urethra—which can be painful, force air inside, and even cause severe medical conditions. “If you’re concerned that water may shoot into the vaginal opening during sex play, [you can] use a waterproof vibrator or a clitoral suction sex toy [instead],” says Lawless.
12. Stand Up Shower
Want to make shower sex less slip-prone? Join the club. The key here is to try out more standing-based positions. But hey, standing doesn’t mean just a wet version of penetration from behind. Instead, get creative by incorporating parts of the shower itself for some major clit-stimulating action.
How to do it:“In this position, one of you leans against one of the shower walls, while the other comes from behind and provides clitoral stimulation with their hands or the shower head,” Brito explains. Want to face each other so you can see your beautiful faces? You can also use the shower head to stimulate each other while facing each other, too.
Make it hotter: When trying this position, try starting with a shower massage beforehand. “Warm up your bodies and your connection by touching each other passionately,” Schubert says. And while you can definitely wash each other’s bodies during this massage, remember to always keep soap away from the vaginal canal, advises Schubert.
13. Doggy Style
You’ve probably tried this position in the bedroom before, but why not give it a steamy makeover? Plus, if you’re dealing with a significant height difference, this is a great alternative to standing positions.
How to do it: Make sure your shower head is either angled straight down or in an arc over both your backs. Then, have both of you get on all fours, ideally on a mat with some cushion (your knees don’t need that kind of stress!). Have your partner enter you from behind, making sure to start slow and work up to a pace that’s comfortable for both of you. Communication here is key.
Make it hotter: Doggy style in the shower provides the perfect opportunity to tease erogenous zones like the neck, behind the ears, and of course, it provides a steamy angle to tease the clit, anus, and breasts. Make this position hotter by teasing each other’s hot spots at the same time, or have the receiving partner masturbate while the other simply enjoys deep penetration.
14. Go Wide
“We don’t always explore what you can do on the shower floor— when we think shower, we’re often thinking vertical,” says Oriowo. Switch things up, I mean, down with this version of oral. But first, Oriowo advises, “Make sure you have a very clean and well-draining tub.” (Which we always do, right? Right…)
How to do it: Have the receiving partner sit down and lay their back against the end of the tub or shower wall, and spread their legs as wide as they can. (If you’re feeling flexible and secure enough, they can even prop their ankles on the edges of the tub.) Then, make sure the water is at a good angle, and get in there for some oral action.
Make it hotter: For a subtle yet sexy move, the receiving partner can hold their partner’s hair while they go down on them—and to make it extra dirty, exchange some hot kisses in between.
15. To The Wall
Another great variation on oral, this position is great for partners who like to receive and are also more visually stimulated.
How to do it: Have your partner stand and put their back to the wall of the shower, so the water is hitting them on an angle. Then, kneel down and provide oral stimulation, while letting the water hit you shoulders-down. You can even dip your hands into the running water while touching your partner for sensation overload.
Make it hotter: For some extra oomph, the giving partner can use the water to their advantage and give their partner a sexy, wet massage, feeling around the thighs and rear while giving oral. “Using the shower to bathe, massage, and caress one another can provide an added layer of creativity and fun,” says Lawless.
Meet the Experts
- Janet Brito, PhD is a clinical psychologist and certified sex therapist based in Honolulu, Hawaii.
- Donna Oriowo, PhD is a certified sex therapist and owner of Annodright.
- Katie Schubert, PhD is a licensed mental health counsellor, certified sex therapist, and owner of Cypress Wellness Center in St. Petersburg, Florida.
- Lisa Lawless, PhD is a clinical psychotherapist and CEO of sex toy retailer Holistic Wisdom.
This article was first published by Marissa Gainsburg & Tianna Soto on womenshealthmag.com.
