Creating the Perfect Ambience: Setting the Mood for Solo or Partnered Play

Masturbation May is well and truly upon us, and that means it’s time to get in the mood! Of course, setting up the mood for sex, foreplay, or masturbation will ensure this process goes a lot more seamlessly — after all, it’s a lot easier to relax and ~feel yourself~ when you have the comfortable, sensual environment you deserve 😘

Why is it Important to Set Your Mood Before Sex?

Like all good things in life, sexual experiences that feel pleasurable and are mutually satisfying for everyone involved are worth investing a bit of time and effort into in order to get them right. Making a conscious decision to create an intimate ambience is a great way to practise sexual mindfulness as well, which can help to alleviate anxiety, sexual inhibitions, negative emotions, low self-esteem, and other stress factors that can get in the way of you enjoying yourself. It’s also a great way to exercise self-care and spoil yourself (as well as any lucky lovers) with a romantic setup that enhances the mood, and who among us doesn’t crave a little pampering these days?

How can I create a comfortable atmosphere for sex?

1. Ensure your play area is clean beforehand — if anything is going to ruin a sexually stimulating ambience, it’s a messy space. Not only is it just nice to be on top of your chores so they don’t pop into your head and distract you during the action, nobody wants to get down to business when there’s a heap of clothes strewn all over the bed or a funky aroma wafting around…
   
   
2. Speaking of aroma, scented oils and romantic candles can do wonders to enhance the mood! Fragrant essences like decadent vanilla, earthy sandalwoods, and refreshing florals are great for elevating sexual experiences, and lit candles also cast a beautiful, soft glow around the room, creating effortless mood lighting.
   
   To get even more bang for your buck out of your candles, try picking up some romantic varieties that melt into skin-safe massage oil so you can indulge in tactile play with some sensual massage. One of Sexyland’s favourite massage candles to enhance erotic touch is the Earthly Body 3-In-1 Massage Candle in the Dreamsicle scent, which perfumes the air with the reinvigorating fruity aroma of tangerine and plum. The candle melts into a luscious massage oil and leaves skin super soft thanks to the vegan-friendly combo of natural scented oils, which provide a silky slip during sensual massage and nourish skin for deep moisturisation too!
   
   
3. While you don’t need to have a whole DJ booth set up in your room, a little music can help you ease into physical intimacy. In fact, there’s a surprising amount of science behind music and sex, including how the brain registers sexual-sounding music as a trigger for one’s own arousal.
   
   So, what kind of music helps set the mood for sex? That depends on you and your partner, and your mood — are you down for slow, romantic lovemaking, or would you prefer a more wild, animalistic ride? Do you want the extra helping hand from the crooning voice of a talented singer and lusty lyrics, or are you keen on instrumental-only tracks with fewer distractions? While smooth R&B is a pretty safe bet, some people prefer getting lost in the moment with ambient house music in the background, or even upbeat rock where the strong riffs convey passion and desire!

Don’t underestimate the power of touch

Tactile play is an easy method that can lead to creative yet natural-feeling physical intimacy, whether you’re alone or with a partner. Sensual textures and irresistible fabrics can play a role in setting the mood by inviting long, sweeping glides of the hand that flow into erotic touch like lingering caresses. Some touch-friendly elements you can add to your scene include silk bedsheets, lace lingerie, and luxurious velvet throws — there are even sex blankets that offer all the cosiness of a blanket, coupled with the functionality of a furniture cover sheet! Sexyland’s Fun Specialists are big fans of the Sportsheets® Pivot™ Protector, which is a triple-layered waterproof blanket that has a plush upper that you’ll love feeling against your skin and is also machine-washable for easy cleanup post-play.

What toys and accessories can elevate sexual experiences?

The best adult toys for enhancing sex, foreplay, and masturbation are the ones that you can just whip out and start the party with that don’t require a whole lot of fiddling, and the same goes for accessories. If you know in advance that you’d like certain items to make an appearance, you can prepare as much as possible beforehand or move everything to strategic areas around your play space that are easy to reach if you don’t want to leave anything out in the open. (We find that the latter approach is best for those cases where your date doesn’t know ahead of time that they’ll be coming home with you and you don’t want to overwhelm them with an array of sex toys lying in wait, or worse, make them think you were being presumptuous.)

For maximum versatility, Sexyland recommends all things massage because it’s perfect for self-care or pampering a partner, so check out our collection of full-body wand vibrators and massage oils, as well as this vibration-enhancing lubricant to turn things up a notch. For sex toy beginners, we love finger vibrators due to their ergonomic, easy-to-use designs that anyone can just slip over their finger, then point wherever they want to direct the pleasure! If the two of you are a couple of kinky characters, your bedroom roleplay ideas and sexy scenarios will go further with bondage cuffs, impact play toys like paddles and floggers, and sensory deprivation-ready blindfolds at your disposal…

It’s also a good idea to charge or replace the batteries in your toys so they don’t run out of juice in the heat of the moment, and have any fluid-based additions like massage oils, lubricants, and sexual enhancers close by while keeping them out of direct sunlight.