Whether you're spoiling an adventurous friend, a friend who needs a little guidance, or just looking to spoil yourself this holiday, there are ample ways to sprinkle spice into your bedroom recipe -- for the married, the actively looking and the happily single.
Massage Oil Candles
When it comes to getting in the mood, the right ambiance can be everything. Not to say that a spontaneous romp around all surfaces of the apartment -- throwing pillows to the ground, tripping over stray shoes and laundry to only then add to the problem -- isn't sexy. It sure as hell can be. But there are times when you need to start slow. Enter: the massage oil candle -- candlelight that truly heats up the moment.
Not only will these candles fill the air with an intoxicating aroma and illuminate the bedroom (or kitchen, or office, or dining room table ...) with a soft, flickering glow no dimming lamp can emulate, but they melt into a pool of massage oil. Blow out the flame, and you can drizzle nourishing warmth across your partner or your sensual self. It's something your favorite set of tealights just can't deliver!
Splurge:
JimmyJane's Ember candle.
It's sleek, has 72 hours of burn time and just as easily fits into a man's bedroom as it does a woman's.
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Boy Toys
He might be easier to arouse and please, but why not tickle his sexual fancy and give him the he's-screaming-your-name-so-loud-the-roommates-can-hear orgasm with something special? If he is at least curious and willing to try anything once, spoil him with something that'll get you both excited.
Harmony's Nexus Excel.
Helllloooo, G-spot.
JimmyJane's Iconic Ring.
Shower-friendly, hands-free and you both feel the good vibes.
Gal Pals
If you, your best friend or partner don't have a vibrator yet, it's about time you did. Start small, or go all out, but either way, they're a fun way to explore your body and your partner's body -- together or alone!
Back to Basics:
The Bullet. Discreet, quiet (despite its impressive speed), and fits in just about any purse pocket -- even a clutch. Orgasms-to-go!
Grand Master:
SaSi.
Winner of a Women's Health 2009 Best in Bed Award, this vibrator moves in customizable oscillations to simulate a human tongue. It even learns how you like it best!
Blindfold
Tie on your imagination, and let your sexual creativity go wild. A blindfold, which can second as an eyemask for those of you who, like me, need absolute darkness to fall asleep, adds just a taste of bedroom mystery, further arousing sexual fantasies or helping you create new ones from scratch.
Splurge:
It's sustainable (95% bamboo!), sexy and ooze's an adventurous, let's-role-play vibe.
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Any piece of long, rectangular fabric -- think sexy red or black satin -- that's long enough to securely tie around your partner's head will essentially do the trick.
Erotica
Curl up with your favorite vibrator or read aloud with your honey curled up in bed next to you. With a provocative read, expect nothing less than a pumping pulse and that tingling feeling in your lady region when something good's about to happen. Not sure at what titles to start? Try picking up:
#2 on Violet Blue's list of hottest sex books of 2009,she promises that the anthology "satisfies the hunger we've cultivated for vampire sex stories that go all the way. This primarily heterosexual short story collection has it all, and won't leave you high and dry (like "Twilight," ahem)."
Erotica anthology for women, by women.
Stocking Set
Spice up those boyshort undies and opaque tights all in one go! Stocking sets like this adorable one from Urban Fox will turn daily undergarments into a delectable surprise.
Whip
No feathers. No ribbons. Nothing frilly or dainty. Just robust, hand-worked leather for the "erotic consensual exchange of power," as the Heartwood whip connoisseurs would say. Well, I say, grab a hold of one of these, and spank with confidence!