Don’t let the summer heat cool down your desire

At what point did heat stop being an aphrodisiac to become a killer of desire? A few days ago I saw Body Heat (1981) again, the classic movie starring Kathleen Turner, William Hurt and the high Florida summer temperatures. Heat is essential for the story; it is the stylist responsible for the protagonist’s low-cut, flowing blouses, it oozes at night in the form of desire and prevents people from sleeping, so they devote their time to more cinematographic pursuits. The midsummer heat is also the main character in many Tennessee Williams novels that became movies, such as A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) and Suddenly, Last Summer (1959). If, as Blanche DuBois says in the first of the aforementioned films, “the opposite of death is desire,” I would bet that even with all the inconveniences of high temperatures, the sun, the sea, the sweat, the scantily clad bodies and the hot nights make up the best recipe for lust.

But air conditioning has spoiled us, making us hypersensitive to hot environments. Climate change has made us dread the arrival of good weather. Comfort — the couch, the remote and Netfilx — has aged us prematurely, so we prefer having pizza in front of the television than a sweaty romp with the window open. There is a clear sign of aging, and that is that one stops liking the summer, that season in which nature and animals are at their peak, and now prefers the winter.

The male gender is particularly sensitive to heat and, therefore, tends to avoid close encounters during the summer months — at least when the individual is past his first youth and his testosterone has succumbed to laziness. Fights over whether or not to sleep with the air conditioning on are a daily occurrence for couples in the summer. But there are affordable solutions to cool down — not freeze — for those who do not have air conditioning.

‘Be water, my friend’

Nothing comes to the rescue of a couple’s sexuality during the summer like the shower. However, it can also increase the level of risk of the activity. According to a study with more than 2,000 interviews carried out by the firm End of Tenancy Cleaning London, the bathroom is the place in the house where more sex-related accidents occur. The solution, then, to tackle this risky sport in as safe a space as possible, is to get hold of some accessories.

First of all, it is absolutely mandatory to have a non-slip mat. If you do not have one, or if you are not in your house, you can always place a towel on the shower floor. Another desirable item would be a sturdy chair or stool; just make sure that whatever furniture you use is solid.

The smooth walls and the rods that hold the shower curtains are as unstable as the economy. However, there are accessories created to help seniors that can be used for more stimulating purposes. I’m talking about those grab bars that are fixed to the wall with powerful suction cups and which can support up to 130 pounds, or even handcuffs that fulfill the same function and can be bought in some sex shops. A little music, dim lighting and some candles, and a place of cleanliness can become a place of naughtiness.

Water and condoms are not the best of friends, but for the sake of safe sex, you cannot do without the latter. You should also avoid water-based lubricants (they dilute with H2O) and oil-based ones (they can damage the latex), and opt for silicone-based ones, instead.

An energy-efficient Kama Sutra

It will be necessary to choose the positions that involve less physical contact and less energy expenditure. In this department, the hits of the summer are the spoon, the doggy or the Amazon position, in which the penetrator rests seated while the penetrated sits on top and moves, either face to face or face to back.

Fans of the missionary position can still do it and reduce body contact if the woman lies on a table and the man remains standing, or through coital alignment, lifting the woman’s pelvis with some pillows as she keeps her legs more closed than usual. The man gets on top, but supports his weight with his elbows as he keeps his hips in line with hers. If even this is too draining, lying next to each other under the fan and listening to music while you work on each other’s body with your hands can still be a nice treat for those hot summer nights.

‘Ice, ice, baby’

Some of the most memorable erotic scenes ever created by Hollywood would not have been the same without a little cube of ice. You can use one to produce all kinds of sensations by rubbing it all over the other person’s skin — but carefully and in short intervals, as they can cause burns. They can be put inside the mouth and then brought up to the lips to kiss or suck; one can even keep them in there for a while before practicing oral sex. Or you can put them in the tub and pretend you are a bottle of champagne.

Finally, just like Marilyn Monroe kept her underwear in the fridge in The Seven Year Itch (1955) — another cinematographic ode to heat — we can also keep sex toys or lubricant in it, so they stay cool.

Make peace with sweat and nature

Sweat seems to bother most people enormously. In many cases, sweating feels like a personal flaw that should be hidden, more than the body’s natural cooling mechanism that it is. If yours is not overly excessive, it is best to just accept that in the summer it is normal to have a few drops of moisture on your forehead and do as the Cubans do: carry a handkerchief to dry your brow (or whatever else needs drying).

Summer is also a good time for open-air sex: in the countryside, a lonely beach, a terrace inaccessible to the neighbors’ eyes, a convertible or the deck of a boat are much more literary and eco-sustainable options than a cold, unoriginal air-conditioned room.

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