E255: The Sexiest Thing You're Not Doing in Bed…Mutual Masturbation
43 min
•Apr 9, 2026about 2 months agoSummary
Pillow Talks hosts Vanessa and Xander Marin discuss mutual masturbation as an underutilized sexual practice, exploring why only 36% of people have tried it, the benefits for couples, and providing practical techniques for initiating and enjoying it with a partner.
Insights
- Mutual masturbation serves as an educational tool allowing partners to observe and learn each other's preferred techniques and stimulation methods that are difficult to communicate verbally
- Shame and socialization around masturbation—particularly for women—creates barriers to trying mutual masturbation, but experiencing it with a partner can help overcome this shame and build sexual empowerment
- Mutual masturbation solves a common relationship problem: orgasmic timing mismatches, since each partner controls their own path to orgasm and can manage pacing independently
- The practice is highly adaptable and can serve multiple purposes: foreplay, quickie alternative, main event, or long-distance intimacy tool, making it versatile for different relationship contexts
- Partner reassurance about technique is critical; men consistently report that any female masturbation technique is arousing because the appeal lies in witnessing genuine pleasure, not specific performance
Trends
Growing normalization of sexual education content in mainstream podcasting as a relationship-building toolIncreased focus on female sexual agency and pleasure in couple's sexuality discussionsUse of podcast episodes as conversation starters for intimate topics between partnersEmphasis on communication and observation-based learning in sexual relationships over assumption-based approachesIntegration of shame-reduction frameworks into sexual wellness content for mainstream audiencesLong-distance relationship intimacy solutions gaining prominence in sexual health discussionsPractical, step-by-step sexual technique guidance becoming standard in relationship podcasts
Topics
Mutual masturbation techniques and initiation strategiesOvercoming shame and embarrassment around masturbationFemale sexual pleasure and masturbation techniquesPartner communication about sexual preferencesOrgasmic timing and synchronization in couplesQuickie alternatives for time-constrained couplesLong-distance relationship intimacySexual role-play and power dynamicsErotic media consumption as foreplayLighting and environmental factors in sexual comfortSexual empowerment and body confidenceObservation-based sexual learningTag-teaming sexual techniquesOrgasm control and edging practicesSexual novelty and relationship satisfaction
Companies
Remy
Sponsor offering custom FDA-cleared nightguards for teeth grinding prevention at 80% less cost than dentist options
Quince
Sponsor providing high-quality everyday essentials at 50-60% less cost by working directly with ethical factories
Cozy Earth
Sponsor offering luxury robes and home textiles made from organic materials like bamboo and cotton
Storyworth
Sponsor providing year-long storytelling experience that compiles family stories into keepsake books
Blissy
Sponsor offering silk pillowcases that reduce wrinkles, breakouts, and hair damage with 60-night risk-free trial
Birch
Sponsor providing organic fair-trade mattresses with natural latex and wool, offering 120-night trial
People
Vanessa Marin
Co-host with 20+ years of sex therapy experience discussing mutual masturbation techniques and relationship advice
Xander Marin
Co-host providing male perspective on female masturbation techniques and partner reassurance throughout episode
Quotes
"Have you ever thought that I was like rubbing my clit too fast? It's fucking hot. Like, I just like, I don't know."
Vanessa Marin•Opening segment
"I mean, man, I'm so sorry and so bummed that shit like that goes through your head."
Xander Marin•Mid-episode
"There is nothing more illuminating than watching your partner masturbate and seeing like, what is that technique that they're using?"
Xander Marin•Benefits section
"I want to see you enjoying yourself, the person that I love. And I think, you know, especially early on with mutual masturbation, a big part of the eroticism and the enjoyment is like getting to actually see how you really do it."
Xander Marin•Technique discussion
"Everyone does it differently. Everyone likes different things. Ultimately, like we, I, not I personally, but like men, your partner, regardless of gender, just wants to see you feeling good and enjoying yourself."
Vanessa Marin•Reassurance section
Full Transcript
Have you ever thought that I was like rubbing my clit too fast? It's fucking hot. Like, I just like, I don't know. I don't even know how to answer that question. Like, I mean, man, I'm so sorry and so bummed that shit like that goes through your head. Hello and welcome to the Pillow Talks podcast. We're your hosts, Vanessa and Xander Marin. I'm a sex therapist with over 20 years of experience. And I'm just a regular dude. We share the ups and downs in our relationship while giving you step-by-step techniques for improving yours. Make sure you subscribe for your weekly double date full of totally doable sex tips, practical relationship advice, hilarious and honest stories of what really goes on behind closed bedroom doors, and so much more. It's the sex education you wish you'd had. Greetings from the past. We are recording this episode ahead of time because we are heading out of town to celebrate my birthday. We actually delayed my birthday trip by about over a month because my, our niece Poppy was being born. We wanted to have plenty of time with her before we took off for a little trip. But we are on a birthday trip celebrating my big 4-2. And so we decided to go back into the archives and re-release one of our most popular episodes ever. We have done 255 episodes at this point, which is crazy to think about. But there are so many episodes that we recorded earlier in the history of pillow talks that most people never listened to. You know, maybe you didn't start listening until recently. Maybe you missed an episode. Also though, we've really found that re-listening to episodes helps you see things in a different way. Like you might have been in a very different place in your relationship when you first heard this and maybe hearing it the second time. You're like, oh, oh, I didn't really think about that before. Like I wasn't really so open to it before, but now I'm more curious about it. Or you just like hear something different. I mean, this is a topic where you very much, we very well may have. If it was towards the beginning of you listening to this podcast and not really being used to talking about this topic where you might have heard this and been like, oh, that's great for other people, but maybe not for me. Yes. And maybe, maybe today, maybe today is your day to crack something open. That sounds weird to find something new and exciting in your sex life. So this episode is all about mutual masturbation. Why you should try it and exactly how to do it. And I will confess, I did not think when we originally recorded this episode, I did not think it was going to be anywhere near as popular as it ended up being. Like it, this is one of our all time top episodes. Yeah, I think people are, people are interested, cautiously intrigued, intrigued, curious. They want to know more. They want to know more. They aren't sure if they want to try it yet, but hey, let me just tell you, just give it a try. Give it a try. So we're super excited for you to listen to this, whether it's the first time or you're listening to it again. But let's talk about mutual masturbation. Today, we are talking about one of the sexiest things you can do in the bedroom that you are probably not doing right now, which is drum roll, please. That's your drum roll. As a former drummer, I would think you would have this better. How do you do it? I feel like you're doing drumming a real dessert. You have things you can like slap right now. That's going to sound weird. I think that sounds way better than. Okay, now that we've built this up so much. It is the answer is mutual masturbation. Mutual masturbation. So we pulled our audience and we found that only 36% of people say that they have ever done this. This is not even regularly, occasionally. This is ever. It's not enough. 36%. Not enough people. You're all missing out. But we think this is one of the most fun, the sexiest, erotic, and also kind of educational. We'll get into that. Things that you can do in the bedroom. So today we are breaking it all down for you. We know that mutual masturbation can sound like an intimidating thing, but it really does not have to be. So we're going to talk about how to do it. If you've never done it before, how to get over the awkwardness and some really exciting ways to take it to the next level. Okay, so first let's get clear on what the heck we're talking about because of only 36% of people have ever done it. I'm betting there's a fair number of people out there who are like, we. What is this? I mean, the name is like kind of obvious, but if you haven't ever heard of it before, you might not be familiar. So mutual masturbation is when you and your partner are masturbating together. But separately. Yeah, separately. Like you're not, it's not me masturbating Xander and him masturbating me. It's like I'm masturbating side by side with him masturbating. Question, can I even masturbate somebody else? I feel like that is incongruous with the term. Yeah, I would like, I would use it like say that's a hand job or fingering, but some people do say masturbating. Okay. But yeah, I would argue if you want to be like grammatically correct, I think masturbating is something that only you can do to yourself. So I can't say I'm a masturbate you girl. No, you can please don't. Here come the masturbation. What? Why does it have to be like that? I don't know. Here comes the masturbation. Yeah, because we always say that to each other like here comes the blow job. Watch out girl, I'm going to masturbate you. It's like when you're feeding a kid like here comes the airplane. Here comes my finger. It's coming. No, no, I really don't like it at all. Please don't repeat that. Okay, so that's how you don't do it. Yeah, don't do that. Ladies and gentlemen, that is how you don't do it. Now just do it any other way and boom, we're done with this episode. Okay, so let's first talk about why is mutual masturbation great? Because I think a lot of people are nervous about it. They think it's kind of awkward or weird or even just like, I don't know. I've never really heard about it before. I didn't know it was an option. So Xander, tell us some reasons why someone should consider mutual masturbation. Well, first of all, it can be really like unexpected and kind of novel way to shake things up in the bedroom. Look, it can be incredibly arousing watching your partner, knowing that you're doing something. Because also I think we have some, you know, in general, we have some societal hangups around masturbation, but we can use those hangups to our advantage because it can kind of eroticize the idea of masturbation. So if you already feel a little bit like, ooh, there's maybe something a little wrong with masturbating, then like, ooh, like maybe it's hot that we shouldn't be masturbating in front of each other, right? So it can kind of be arousing in that sort of way, feeling like you're doing something, you're sexualizing something that you're maybe not supposed to do or it's a little naughty. Another benefit is that it really helps you learn what your partner likes. I mean, there is nothing more illuminating than watching your partner masturbate and seeing like, what is that technique that they're using? Because obviously, like when we masturbate, we really hone in on our technique. We get to know our bodies, figure out what works the best for us. And so if you're watching your partner do the things that they have been doing for years, for decades, like you're going to get a really honed in version of the technique that works best for them. Yeah, because I think that, you know, if I'm thinking about it, like, it's hard to even explain with words to you how I do it. Or like, I don't know, I wouldn't know how to explain, oh, well, what's the pressure that I use or what the strokes are. It's like, you just know what to do because, one, you have the experience of doing it a lot yourself. But two, you have that kind of feedback loop of you touch yourself, you know what that feels like. You know, in your brain, they're like, oh, okay, yeah, that's good. I want it harder. I want to saw you faster, slower, etc. And you don't have to like talk through what it is. You just do it. And so of course you hone in on what you want really quickly. And that can be a really challenging thing to explain. Like if I was explaining it to Vanessa, I'd be like, okay, yeah, well, like I stroke it. And if I feel like I want more simulation, I squeeze it harder, or I go a little faster. And if I need a little less, then I'll slow down or I won't squeeze quite as hard. But like that's worthless information for Vanessa because she doesn't know what it feels like for me. If she's touching me, right, like she wouldn't know when to squeeze it harder or go faster unless I tell her. So watching you get to see all this stuff. And so it can be a lot easier to be like, oh, okay, that's what he means when he's talking about like how fast he usually goes. Or like, oh, I can kind of see like, you know, the difference in speed or stroke or how much tightly he's holding it. Or, you know, if I'm watching Vanessa, like, you know, what type of pressure she's using or what type of stroke. Also, I think the element of being on display can be incredibly sexy. Like obviously, if you've never done it before, it's going to be a little anxiety inducing at first a little like, oh my God, somebody's watching me do this thing that I've only ever done by myself. And again, we'll get over get into some tips in a minute about like how to get over that awkwardness or embarrassment. But once you are over that, like, there's something very thrilling about your partner watching you because it is this thing that we've, you know, we've only ever done by ourselves. Throwing in, I think also eventually like empowering. Absolutely. And yeah, speaking of empowering, doing this in front of each other can also help you overcome shame. Like that's where the empowerment comes from is working through that that bit of shame that, let's be honest, most people have when it comes to masturbation. There's some element of I'm not supposed to be doing this. I need to be doing this in private or in secret. People aren't supposed to know that I'm doing it even though we all kind of know that we all do it. Yeah. But yeah, so it's like working through that. Not only are you going to, you know, much more quickly overcome that shame because it's like, oh, yeah, I'm doing this with my partner and we are sexual with each other. So it's totally okay to do this. We are both doing it known as judging each other known as telling the other that we can't do it. In fact, we're enjoying this. And then boom, all of a sudden, like that shame goes away and it gets replaced with this very empowering. Like, oh, yeah, like it's super hot to be able to do this with each other and, you know, kind of have our bodies and our sexuality on display with each other. It's also very practical to like mutual masturbation can be one of the best ways to ensure that you and your partner both have orgasms. Yeah, because you are you two, you are each your own boss of like knowing how to get it done quickest. Yeah, so a lot of people struggle to orgasm, you know, with their partner, there's orgasmic timing, there's all kinds of stuff. So mutual masturbation is just a great way to ensure that both of you end up having an orgasm. I cannot tell you how desperately I wish that we had known about Remy years ago. Remy makes custom nightguards that are clinically tested and FDA cleared to prevent teeth grinding, reduce jaw tension and facial muscle strain and improve sleep quality. And the reason I wish we had known about them is because Xander is one of the 30% of Americans who grind their teeth at night and he caused serious damage to his teeth and his gums that he has been trying to repair for years with so many painful, inexpensive procedures. All of which could have been prevented with a nightguard. And the best thing about Remy is you get the same professional quality and comfort as a nightguard from the dentist, but Remy costs you 80% less and is so much more convenient. They send you the impression kits straight to your door. You don't have to go to an appointment. 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I think that is one of the big concerns that comes up like, I don't like I didn't even know this was an option. Now how do I suggest it to my partner? Like, what do we do? Maybe the name doesn't sound super sexy, Mutual Masturbation Mutual kind of almost feels like a weird like business or like corporate work. Mutual funds. Like a mutual fund or. Mutual arrangement. Yeah, I don't know if this isn't corporate at all, but I don't know Mutual Assured Destruction. What? Trying to think of other words that have Mutual in it. Yeah, it's the opposite of Mutually Assured Destruction. Okay, so the easiest way to suggest this to your partner is use this podcast. We try to design so many of our episodes to help open up conversations between you and your partner. So literally send them this episode and say something like, I'm a little intrigued. What about you? Want to do this tonight? Yeah. Winky face. Yeah, I mean, it's just such a great easy way to bring something up. You don't have to say to your partner like, okay, so I've been thinking about this thing and I'm not sure if you're going to like it or not. But maybe we could try it and I don't know. It's like just use this podcast as a conversation opener. Just send it over to them. You can, you know, if you're even really embarrassed about it, you can say like, I'd never thought about this before. You know, I didn't even realize this was an option, but listening to this has me a little bit intrigued. So that's a great way to introduce it. If you're feeling a little bit bolder, we have a couple of scripts for you. You could say or text. Also texting is another just like great way to ask this from your partner because you don't have to like be face to face. You give them a little bit of time to respond. But you could say something like, you know what I think would be really sexy. I'd love to watch you touch yourself. I mean, that just sounds hot. And you can add in there as well. Like, and I'll touch myself too. So it doesn't feel like you're just saying like, I just want to watch you because I could imagine how depending on who your partner is that that could maybe get them feeling like, a little self conscious of like, oh, wait, you just want me to put on a show for you. I mean, hey, that might go over great for some people. Some people might be like, ooh, wait, but like, what about you? So it could be good to clarify like, you know, hey, I'll do the same for you. Or you don't get left out a different way of saying it could be, do you want to watch me while I touch myself? I want to show you what I like to do when I'm thinking about you. That's pretty hot too. Yeah. I mean, then you're just taking full control. So you're not really putting them on the spot quite as much as in the other way. But you know, that way you could be like, okay, yeah, I'm I want to go and give you a little bit of a show. And then you could also as you start to do that, then you could invite your partner to, oh, hey, like, why don't you, why don't you do the same thing? Yeah, I mean, I think doing it this way is great if you know your partner is really shy. Like you're kind of putting the onus on yourself of like, okay, I'm going to do this. And then yeah, it feels a little easier to like invite your partner to join afterwards. If you're nervous about talking about it ahead of time, we also have a kind of sneaky way to like try it out in the moment. So as the two of you are starting to get intimate, you could start touching your partner's penis or clitoris with your hands and then pull away and say something like, why don't you take over for a minute? So it's like you're already in the middle of things. You're already being intimate with each other. You're already touching them. So it feels more natural like in that moment to say like, yeah, why don't you take over here? Yeah, or at the very least, like things are already starting to feel a little exciting because I think, you know, the thing is, especially if one person or both of you in a partnership are responsive sex drive is that hearing a suggestion like this when you're not in a sexy situation at all, might feel a little like, oh, that feels like a lot. Like I'm not even thinking about sex. And now we're asking, we're talking about doing a very specific thing that I don't feel up for right now. And it could feel very different in the moment once, you know, kind of like the feel good juices are flowing and you're like, oh, okay, yeah, this is fun. This is sexy rather than like, I'm not turned on, but my partner wants to do something that feels very risque or feels like I'd be on the spot. Another option is to use toys. So you can grab a toy and ask your partner, like, do you want to watch me use this on myself? Or if it's your partner's toy, like, I want to watch you use this on yourself. Like it's just, it's a nice way to like intro the topic too. Okay, now if you're still feeling really shy in the moment trying it out, here are a couple of things you can do to make it feel a lot easier. Keep the lights off. Like it doesn't need to be, you know, full lights on display, like watch me every single thing that I'm doing. It's like, just turn the lights off. It can even be pitch dark the first time you guys try it. So you're not really seeing anything, but you like know what's going on. That can be super, super sexy. And it'll feel easier for you too. If you're like, oh my God, I like don't want my partner to fully watch what it is that I'm doing. I don't want them to know I'm doing it even though we're definitely about doing it. Or you could close your eyes. Like, you know, that's another way if you have a really light bedroom, even with a light soft or whatever. Put it blind. Yeah, put it blind. Both of you could blindfold each other and like even just having your eyes closed or being blindfolded and just listening to each other. Like the sounds could be very, very sexy. You could also have dim lighting. So if you have like a dimmer switch, turn that low. You could have just lighting a candle. If you have like a very small bedside lamp, something like that, like just a little bit of light can be a nice way to not feel it quite so on display. But ultimately, I think it's women who are more often uncomfortable about masturbating in front of their partner. And I think a lot of that comes down to the socialization that we get around masturbation. And masturbation in general is a pretty taboo topic. But for men, it's much more like much more accepted, much more talked about. Yeah, I mean, it's not like men have more practice masturbating in front of people than women. But I think there's more practice masturbating in general. Yes. Yeah, that's what I was going to say is that they have more one, more practice with it. And two, they are more generally like of the opinion that, okay, well, guys masturbate. And that is an accepted thing. It's not, you know, it's not like, oh, yeah, by you just walked in on the masturbating. Cool. But you know, it's like, okay, everybody knows that we do it. Yeah. The breaking through that barrier of like, okay, cool. Let's whip it out and do it in front of each other is the barrier is not so great. Actually, when you just said whip it out and do it, that made me think of another tip. If you have a vulva, you could also just like it out. No, you keep some of your clothes on. So you're not like fully on display. Oh, yeah. Like a lot of all the owners masturbate over clothing anyway. So yeah, or like, you're under wear or you know, some yoga pants or something like that, like keep some clothes on so it doesn't feel quite as on display. Oh, yeah. Okay. But what I was going to ask you is I was saying, you know, a lot of women feel very self conscious about masturbating because we are socialized to believe it's more embarrassing. A lot of us don't masturbate or like don't masturbate until we're much, much older. So we just like don't have this level of comfortability with it. So yeah, like, oh, good, good girls. Don't do that. Yeah. So one thing that I hear from women all the time is I'm embarrassed of the technique that I use to masturbate. And by the way, I've heard this about literally every single technique, but every woman seems to think like the way I masturbate is wrong or bad or it's not sexy or like in particular, like a guy wouldn't like watching it. So I want to come over to you to get your male opinion of female masturbation technique. I mean, I want to, I want to know how you do it. And I want to see how you do it. I can't think of any way where I'd be like, oh, that's gross. It's just the act of doing it, of making yourself feel good and bringing yourself to orgasm. That's what's sexy. Like the technique is kind of meaningless. So like I said, I have heard this about literally every technique even just like, I think so I think a lot of women have this idea that like the right way to masturbate is like lying on their backs and very like daintily and slowly touching their clitoris. Or like finger blasting themselves. What? Well, I mean, because there's this idea that penetration is the be all and all, I think that a lot of like sex toys get made by men thinking that like women want to penetrate themselves. I was just kind of joking being like, you know, oh, you know, a woman might think, oh, well, like a guy wants to see me like fingering my vagina, even though that's not actually going to bring most women to orgasm. I don't know if I'd say that, but do you think that that's how guys think we masturbate? Well, I think I can't get over the use of finger blasting. That's tripping me up a little bit. Yes, like a lot of a lot of people do think that women masturbate like using a dildo type of toy where she's just penetrating. Yeah. I mean, think about how a lot of men try to finger a woman. Most men think that they need to stick their fingers inside and blast away. Can we stop saying finger blasting? It's horrible. Finger bang. Wait, do you think that if like, if a man says to a woman, let me watch you masturbate, do you think that he's thinking she's going to start shoving her fingers in and out of herself? I don't think so. I mean, I, but. Okay. So you just took us on this weird fingering side for no reason. I just wanted to say finger blasting. I'm sorry. Can you really fault me for that? I got to say finger blasting over and over and finger bang. Okay. Jesus. I'm trying to ask you one freaking question. Well, I think I answered it pretty clearly. No, no, no. Okay. So a lot of women think that the right way to masturbate is lying on her back, daintily, slowly stroking her clitoris. Which is hot. So I do hear a lot from women who do like grinding techniques. That sounds really hot. Like masturbating on their stomach. That sounds pretty hot. Like, yeah, I'd like to see that. Like, I, like, however it is that you like it. Like what I am looking for is the enjoyment that I am seeing like in your face or in your body. So you can't imagine a technique that a woman would use that you would think like, oh, that's kind of weird that that's what she does. What about like, like balling up a towel and grinding against it? That sounds pretty hot. Like, yeah, I'd like to see that. Like, why not? Okay. I want to see, like, I think what is sexy is seeing how you do it. I mean, yeah, I mean, I... Is your brain short-circuiting trying to think about why this would not seem hot? Well, no, no, I mean, I think that it's like, if you want to see it done in a very specific way, there are places on the internet where you can find just about anything. It's like, what you want is I want to see you. I want to see you enjoying yourself, the person that I love. And I think, you know, especially early on with mutual masturbation, a big part of the eroticism and the enjoyment is like getting to actually see how you really do it, like when you're on your own. It's the sort of like the not knowing part of it. Like, oh, like, how does she actually do it if I wasn't here? It's kind of like, it's almost like voyeurism in a, like a mild form of voyeurism. Like, at first, the exciting part is like, ooh, I'm going to get to see behind the curtain. Yeah, it is so funny that we have these ideas in our heads of like, oh, no, that wouldn't be sexy for him to see me in that way. Like, I know for myself, I've had times where I felt like, ooh, I'm going like really fast or like really aggressive. Like, is that not sexy? And I'm trying to think like, where did I get that idea that it's supposed to be like so slow and dainty, you know, or that like you would think like, I don't know. Have you ever thought that I was like rubbing my clit too fast? It's fucking hot. Like, I just like, I don't know. I don't even know how to answer that question. Like, I mean, man, I'm so sorry and so bummed that shit like that goes through your head. Um, because that's, yeah, it's sad. It's sad that like that's getting in the way. She's rubbing it too fast. What is she doing? Yeah, I mean, it's like, it's hot. It's like, ooh, like she can't get enough of this. Okay. Like, see, I mean, I'm like, you know, that like that example of like going fast or something like, I mean, that's super sexy. The idea of like, ooh, like you can't like you can't control yourself. Like it's so good. Like you want it so bad. Good reframe. Yeah. I mean, or the opposite of like really select. Ooh, man, like that's hot. Like she's really drawn this out and enjoying herself. I'm glad you said that because yeah, I was going to be some woman out there who's like, oh my God, I go too slow. I know. I could hear. Oh, wait, so Xander saying I actually, I'll read between the lines. What he's saying is it actually, I got to go really, really fast. It's amazing how good we women are at, I mean, people, this is people of all genders, but I think women in particular, we can take like, you say anything and like, oh, so does that mean that this one is not as good? Like we can really twist things around. Yeah. You know, sorry ladies, there is no one answer behind all of this that we're just tiptoeing around. There is not. If there was, if there was, we'd just tell you because like we're not gatekeeping, but the reason we're not is because there is no answer. Everyone does it differently. Everyone likes different things. Ultimately, like we, I, not I personally, but like men, your partner, regardless of gender, just wants to see you feeling good and enjoying yourself. However, it is that you do that. If I think about it the other way, like I'm trying to think, is there a way that a guy could masturbate that I would think was not sexy and you're right that I'm like, I'm not really picturing any specific technique. It's more about like a guy really feeling pleasure and feeling good. I'm not, I'm not really even like picturing like, oh, it would be like this or like this or anything like that. Yeah. I mean, I can think of, I can think of one when it comes to men and that is just purely because we know what this is and we talk about how harmful it can be, but like the death grip. Like I feel like if, if I was just like, just going like full on death. I don't know, it might be hard for you to see how hard I was thinking about that. And I was like, I know that that's a problematic way to masturbate. So I might talk to you about that at a different time, but, but I think it's still like hot to watch it. Yeah, it probably would be. So that is a good example is flip the, flip the genders, flip it around. If I was discovering how they like to do it when they're on their own, like would I be grossed out by a certain thing? Well, I guess it's a little dangerous because if you were to be grossed out by something, then you might be like, oh God, I'm disgusting and I could never do this. But I think that for most people, they'd be like, well, yeah, no, I kind of want to see how they do it. It sounds hot. It's the finding out what it is that's hot, not the actual act of what it is. Okay. So we all want better skin and better hair, right? And a lot of us are doing some pretty crazy things to try to get that. But did you know that something as simple as a pillowcase could actually make a huge difference? 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Do you stop doing any other kind of sex and just mutually masturbate? Well, that part of it is up to you. But the actual like flow of things is, I hate to bring it to you. You can really do whatever you want in here. I mean, I think that our suggestion, if this is something that you don't regularly do or that you've never done is that that yeah, you would probably be a good idea to experiment with like doing this together and doing it till each of you have an orgasm. Because like we said, it can be a great way to ensure that both parties have an orgasm and probably have an orgasm as efficiently as possible. But that being said, you absolutely don't have to do that. If you want, you know, this can just be a really exciting way to get both people warmed up and ready for something else, whether that's oral manual on each other or intercourse or anal sex or whatever. The thing is, it can be a great, you know, getting excited slash warm up. It can be something that you guys finish yourselves off with. So it's really, it's really up to you. There are no hard and fast rules. There's no like, you know, people ask this with like blowjobs or hand jobs, like, oh, well, does it count as a blowjob if, you know, he doesn't come or like we only start out doing that and move on. Hell yeah, it counts like whatever you want to do counts. So I think that the key here is just like, this is another tool in your tool about for how to how to have an orgasm, how to get warmed up, how to get excited, how to, you know, tick off the box of like trying something new. So however you want to do it is great. There are lots of options. One thing you can do is use mutual masturbation when you want to have a quickie. So we get asked all the time, like, I want to have a quickie, but I can't figure out how to get myself to orgasm that quickly or like my partner can orgasm really quickly, but I can't. So mutual masturbation can actually be a great quickie alternative because again, typically most of us have figured out for ourselves like the fastest path to orgasm. So if you know that your partner knows that for themselves, it can be a whole hell of a lot easier to have a quickie when you're doing mutual masturbation. I mean, in general, it's like, if you're wanting to be intimate, you're wanting to have a release, you're wanting to have some time together, but like you're tired, you're short on time, like it's just a great, like quick go to. Yeah. And I think like a way to deal with orgasmic timing there is that if you know that one partner can get themselves off quicker than the other, then ask that faster partner to slow themselves down a little bit in the beginning stages. Because pretty quickly you'll be able to identify like, oh, okay, cool. Like, you know, I know when I'm about 30 seconds away from orgasm and I can tell my partner and they can catch up or whatever the case may be. So that can be a good way. You know, if you're trying to key in on like, oh, how can we use this for quickies in a way, you know, we're not because I think that a lot of people can get self conscious of, oh, well, like if we're just like trying to get it done as quick as possible, what if like my partner comes and then I'm like not close and I have to go for like five more minutes, like then that feels a little weird. So, you know, you can just talk about like, okay, so the faster partner maybe slows down a little bit until the other partner catches up. You could also be a little bit liberal with your usage of mutual and mutual masturbation and instead take turns where you have one partner masturbate at a time and the other person's watching. So you can still do like trade off in one session. So you're being mutual in the single session, but you're like getting that experience more of like one person getting to fully watch each other instead of being distracted by your own masturbation. You could also have one partner be the boss or be in control of the other partner. So for example, maybe just one partner is touching themselves and the other partner is being in control, like telling them you can or can't touch yourself or you can or you can't orgasm like playing around with a little orgasm control or a little Simon says, Simon says masturbate, Simon says stop. I actually saw a video on Instagram the other day of like insane Simon says it was like an elite competition. Wow. Yeah, and it was pretty crazy. I feel like I personally might strip out the Simon says words because to me that doesn't feel very sexy. Xander says, Xander says masturbate Xander says stop. That's also weird. Master. So anyways, play around with a little bit of orgasm control or like one partner is telling the other partner like, okay, now touch your thigh. Now you can touch your just the shaft or, you know, just the base. Now play with your balls like whatever it is, like you're kind of instructing them what they are and aren't allowed to do. And again, you can like play out, take turns playing different roles in one session if you really want to honor the mutual aspect. Another thing you can do is tag team each other's bodies so you can use like both of you use your hands on one partner at the same time. This can also be like a nice thing to do if you're feeling a little bit nervous about your partner watching you. So like if you're a woman, maybe you stroke your clitoris while your partner fingers you internally. Oh, finger blast. Oh my God. I was like, why did he just give me that big smile over here? Oh, damn it. Or if you're a man moving on, maybe like he's stroking his shaft, but you're playing with his balls or like he's focusing on the top of his peanuts and you're more at the base of the penis. So it's like you're kind of tag teaming together. Another thing that you can do is role play pretending to catch your partner in the act of masturbation. Oh, so this is like really eroticizing. Yeah. Yeah. What's the word for it? Like the almost like the shame or the thing that you are trying to avoid like as a teenager or young adult. But you're, yeah, you're playing around with it. So this could also be an interesting way to like ease into it. Like you can kind of have the scene set up where you're role playing it and like, oh, you caught me and then your partner like gets so turned on that they have to lay down and bed next to you and masturbate by themselves too. Or maybe they like sit, you know, in a chair across the room or whatever and they start masturbating. Or maybe they just need to lend a hand kind of like going back to the tag teaming the bodies. Lots of different ways to play here. Or if you don't want to do an actual role play scene, you could call your partner into the bedroom and surprise them with you being on the bed masturbating. Or in the chair or on the floor or anywhere. I don't know. I said bad, but because I just sort of assumed, but you know, it could be anywhere. You could watch erotic movies or read erotica out loud to each other while you both masturbate. That can be another nice thing to do if you're feeling nervous because there's like an additional level of stimulation. So there's an additional level of stimulation and there's something that's kind of like distracting you a little bit too. Like you're watching something or reading something at the same time. And this can also be a really great option to do if you're in a long distance relationship because you can do this over the phone. You can do it over video chat. Even if you're not in a long distance relationship and you want to kind of play with that energy, you could just go to different rooms in the house and do it like over a video or something. All right. Well, that wraps up our exploration of mutual masturbation. Hopefully we have convinced you to give it a try and inspired you with at least one or two ideas from some ways to take it to the next level. Thanks so much for listening. Join us again next week. We release new episodes every Thursday. We'll see you next time.