Step away, anal penetration - three new sensual activities just walked into town! Have you heard of anal surfacing, shallowing & pairing? If not, strap yourselves in because we're taking you on a whirlwind tour of anal pleasure possibilities!
Anal Surfacing, Shallowing, Pairing
Let's start gently. People, let us introduce you to anal surfacing!
Anal surfacing is the word for any sexy activities done to the butt hole. With surfacing, nothing goes inside, so it's a good starter move.
Think of the anus as a flat erogenous zone rather than a hole for inserting something into. This flat zone has a bunch of nerve endings and reacts well to sensual stimulation. Stimulation could be with fingers, lips and mouth (aka rimming), a sex toy or a penis rubbing against it.
Anal surfacing with fingers
Fingers, babe. Use your finger or ask your partner to gently stroke and tease against the rim without dipping a fingertip inside. Apply some lube for enhanced sensations.
A 2022 anal pleasure survey found that 40% of the women taking part found anal surfacing pleasurable. 20% enjoyed exploring surfacing using their own finger, whereas 34% preferred a partner's finger.
For many, coming to enjoy surfacing was a gradual process - so not an instant hit. 25% said having enough time to become aroused beforehand made a big difference. 23% found that lube made touch feel better.
Sex toys for anal surfacing
A sex toy can be used for surfacing, especially if you enjoy thrilling vibrations against your butt.
The Wheel of Pleasure is perfect for anal surfacing. A lick of lube applied to the soft petals delivers tongue-like stimulation to the anus. Switching on the vibes gives a whole other layer of sensations, and you may find your entire pubic area starts thrumming with pleasure.
This petite wand massager is also a good choice for surfacing play. The vibrations are deep, and although the toy is stimulating externally, the vibrations wake up the pudendal nerve (located between the genitals and the anus). The dorsal nerve (third branch of the pudendal nerve) is critical to sexual function since it brings back sensations from the shaft and glans of the penis or clitoris.
Anal surfacing with a penis
A had-on is fun for anal surfacing. For this, your partner rubs their lubed-up and perhaps condom-clad dique against your booty hole. The rubbing feels so-close-but-not-going-all-the-way in a spicy way. The trick here is that you both know the penis isn't going to penetrate, which gives you a chance to relax into the pleasure.
Anal Shallowing
Anal shallowing may be enough, and you don't want to explore the inside of the ass. Perfectly fine. But - if you are curious, you could move on to anal shallowing.
Anal shallowing is what it sounds like - shallow entry into the butt. When people think of 'anal sex,' they often think of deep penetration, pain and mess. None of these has to be the case. Instead, a lubed-up fingertip can slip inside. If it feels good, insert the finger up to the knuckle. This way, you'll experience delicious sensations just inside the anus.
34.6% of the women in the survey said they enjoyed touches inside the anus. Just over 28% of those women enjoyed their partner touching them, and 15% found their own finger pleasurable.
For shallowing, a penis or sex toy can also feel sensual. Penetrating just inside the butt can often be enough - no need to go deeper unless you want to.
Anal shallowing with dildo or penis
Wirly 1 silicone dildo is a perfect shallowing buddy. This hand-poured dildo features a slim shaft with sensation-rich body-friendly contours. The wide, heart-shaped base ensures it's safe for anal penetration. All you need to do is add a generous amount of anal lube, get comfortable and insert the tip into your botty.
The same goes for anal shallowing with a penis. Ensure the tip and shaft are lubed up and find a comfortable position. The giver needs to be slow and gentle and have enough self-control to avoid whacking the dique deeper - that's not what anal shallowing is about.
Anal Pairing
In a world of tech, the term 'anal pairing' had us raising our eyebrows, imagining pairing our iPhones to our butts. Interesting.
But incorrect.
Anal pairing is double the fun - bum fun plus another body part fun! Clit and butt, penis and anus, nips and ass... Anal pairing is when you enjoy two erogenous zones simultaneously, as long as one is the anus.
For the anal bit, you can go for surfacing, shallowing, or deep penetration - whatever you fancy. You then pair it with hands, tongues or toys on another body part.
Pairing with anal sex toys
Anal pairing is sexy whether played solo or as a couple. We favour some butt toys for the pairing. A small butt plug is a less overwhelming way to try double penetration. A dildo, vibrator or penis can pleasure the vagina, while a butt plug offers filling sensations at the back.
Or how about a tongue on the clitoris and an anal dildo in the booty! Woohoo!! We're sure you can come up with many sexy ideas for the best anal pairing for yourself :)
Anal pleasure
For almost half of the women (44.6%), their first experience of pleasurable anal touch was a partner approaching it in a way that worked for them. The survey doesn't specify what approaches this might have been, and we expect it's different for everyone. However, our advice would be to communicate, go gently, stock up on lube, and start with anal surfacing and see how you feel about it.
