The Sex Position That Always Works, Even If You're Feeling Really Lazy

Spooning doesn’t get the credit it deserves: If you’re lazy and also want to get off relatively easily, no sex position compares.

“Spooning is a really sweet, intimate position,” said Vanessa Marin, a sex therapist and creator of an online sex therapy course. “You can stay close and cuddly without even breaking a sweat.”

“And for women, it’s also easy to reach down and touch your clitoris, have your partner touch your clitoris, or use a toy on it, so you can get that all-important clitoral stimulation during penetration,” she said. (Thirty-six percent of women need some sort of clitoral stimulation to achieve orgasm during sex, according to a recent Indiana University study conducted in partnership with OMGYes.)

Back to the “lazy” part of this pitch: Logistically, it’s relatively simple to spoon. You both simply lie on your sides, facing the same direction. The partner who’s going to be penetrated should be in the front.

Depending on the height differential between you and your partner, penetration may involve a little bit of finesse.

“Initial penetration can be a little tricky,” Marin said. “The penetrated partner may want to raise their top leg or bend forward at the waist while the penetrating partner guides their penis or dildo in with their hand.”

Once you’ve assumed the position, you should be off to the races.

Here’s a little visual aid (yep, you can also get a little boob play in there):

Outside of that little bit of maneuvering, the spooning position requires very little energy from either partner. And if you’re the big spoon, don’t feel obligated to do all the work.

“Either partner can do the gyrating and thrusting while the other stays still, said Sadie Allison, a sexologist and the author of Ride ’Em Cowgirl! Sex Position Secrets for Better Bucking.

“Whoever’s the most tired can simply hold still; she holds her back arched against him or he holds his pelvis tucked and stable,” she said. “The other can do the gyrating from the front or pushing from behind.”

Allison said it’s also a great position for exploring anal sex for the first time because the receiving partner can be “relaxed and in partial control of keeping the thrusting shallow.”

Spooning without having sex has its perks, too. When you embrace or spoon your partner after sex (or anytime, really), oxytocin (also known as “the cuddle hormone”) is released, making you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The chemical has also been linked to social bonding, so you’re bound to feel a little closer to your partner after a spoon sesh.

Another unsung perk of spooning? It’s great for morning sex because you don’t have face-to-face contact and probably can’t smell each other’s morning breath. Such a relief.