Not everybody feels comfortable with the thought of kissing or licking their lover's anus, or with having it done to them. But the fact is, many lovers are curious about oral-anal contact -- known as analingus and casually called "rimming" -- and often feel surprised by their interest, but when they try it, some become enthusiastic about it.
Many lovers have an accidental introduction to analingus during cunnilingus, since the bottom of the vaginal entrance is quite close to the anus. Sometimes a little lick meant for the lower vagina slips further south than intended, and the recipient experiences unexpected delight -- and sometimes a surprisingly powerful urge to explore analingus further.
For other lovers, interest in rimming develops from anal play. The most popular anal activities are sphincter massage and fingering, and many people also enjoy butt plugs and penis-anus intercourse. But as people explore other forms of anal eroticism, many warm up to the idea of analingus.
Another Way to Play
There is absolutely nothing wrong with or abnormal about rimming. If you feel tempted to condemn it, remember that, not too long ago, oral sex was considered a disgusting perversion and was outlawed in many states. Now oral sex is so widely accepted that about three-quarters of Americans say they have performed it on a lover and had it performed on them. In fact, many couples don't make love without it.
Rimming may not ever become as popular as oral sex, but in recent years Americans have become somewhat more sexually experimental. In fact, surveys suggest that around fifteen percent of American adults -- more than twenty million people -- have experienced some form of anal sex play. There are no statistics specifically on rimming, but as people become more comfortable with sexual experimentation in general, and anal play in particular, it should come as no surprise that many heterosexuals and homosexuals alike are expressing curiosity about analingus.
Why Analingus Feels Erotic
The anus and surrounding tissue are richly endowed with nerves that are highly sensitive to gentle, playful, loving touch. The same is true for the lips and tongue, and when you put these areas together, the combination can be powerfully erotic.
Another reason anal stimulation feels erotic is the pelvic floor muscles, which lie beneath the surface of the anal area. These muscles play an important role in sex and are the ones that contract during orgasm. Using a sex toy, finger or tongue to massage or insert into the anus stimulates the pelvic floor muscles and heightens overall erotic sensations.
Finally, sex draws a good deal of its emotional power from lovers' wholehearted acceptance of each other. Analingus involves acceptance of an area that's often not accepted -- in fact, one that's usually rejected. Analingus becomes a way for the giver to say: " I love all of you. No part of your wonderful body turns me off." And it's a way for the receiver to say:" I'm totally yours. No part of me is off limits to you." This level of mutual acceptance can be a powerful turn- on.
Five tips:
Clean up
Cleanliness is even more of a issue with analingus than with traditional oral sex. Taking a sexy bath or shower together is a relaxing form of foreplay and will allow your partner to get squeaky clean. You or your partner should soap their butt and asshole, inserting a finger into the rectum, and rinse thoroughly with warm water. An enema usually isn't necessary if you wash well.
Ease in
Let you partner relax and get comfortable with you exploring their
posterior before you bury your tongue in their ass. Massage their back
and buttocks, kiss and caress their thighs and ass cheeks. Spread their
cheeks and blow warm breaths over their hole. Lick, suck, and nibble
their butt, perineum (the area of skin between the asshole and
genitals), and the skin around their pucker. Get everything warm, wet,
and lubricated with saliva. Assholes usually contract when stimulated,
and then expand. Lick gently or tap the tip of your tongue against their
asshole, and wait for a response. After a bit of gentle probing, the
sphincter muscles should start to relax and welcome deeper exploration.
Work your tongue
The anal region is full of sensitive nerve endings just begging for your
tongue's caress. Keep your mouth moist and supple as you work their
hole over. Keep your tongue loose and paint wide circle around their
pucker. Make it tight, long and pointed to probe and penetrate. Work it
in and out, around and around, till your partner begs for more.
Use your hands
In some ass-eating positions, your hands may be full keeping your partner's butt cheeks spread to allow you better access to their hole. But it's worthwhile to convince them to either sit on your face or reach back and clamp their ass open wide themselves. That way you can put your own paws to work massaging your partner's clit, or stroking off his cock, or tweaking his or her nipples.
Pig out
Once you've got your face in your partner's butt, don't hold back. Worship your partner's ass. Get lost in it, make love to it. Eating out someone's ass is one of the most intimate of all sexual acts. If both partners approach it with openness and enthusiasm, they will be rewarded with unparalleled enjoyment, whether eating ass is a main course, a spicy side dish, or appetizer for anal sex.
Health Risks?
Let's face it: no matter how pink, puckered, squeaky clean, and appealing your partner's asshole is, you know what comes out of it. And you're putting your tongue up there. How healthy can that be? It's natural to be concerned about contracting an infection or disease through oral-to-anal contact. For answers about the risks associated with analingus (also called eating ass, rimming, or tossing salad), we went straight to the horse's mouth — the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
STDs and More
The intestinal tract is filled with bacteria that are part of the digestive process; these do not pose any health threat. However, eating ass will expose you to any bad germs or infections harbored in your partner's intestinal tract or anal area. The CDC warns that "rimming carries a risk of transmission of STDs including hepatitis A. There is also risk of intestinal parasites, like cryptosporidiosis."
In addition, the CDC cautions that "immunocompromised persons are suggested to avoid performing this activity." So if you aren't in good health and have an immune deficiency (say from AIDS or chemotherapy), eating ass could put you at serious risk.
Here's a rundown of some of the diseases you could be exposed to when eating ass: Hepatitis A: Hepatitis A is a virus spread through oral contact with the fecal matter of an infected person. It affects the liver and causes symptoms such as jaundice, fatigue, and nausea. It is not a chronic infection, unlike hepatitis C. Hepatitis A can be prevented with a vaccine given before or shortly after exposure.
E. coli: This is a bacterial infection spread through oral contact with the fecal matter of an infected person. Its symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, and intestinal bleeding.
Intestinal parasites: These are microbial organisms that cause intestinal diseases including cryptosporidiosis, dysentery, and giardiasis. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, and stomach pain. Again, these are spread through oral contact with the fecal matter of an infected person.
Bacterial infections: If a person contracts food poisoning, the bacteria that causes it, say salmonella for example, will be shed in their feces and could be transmitted through oral-anal contact. Symptoms include diarrhea and vomiting.
Other STDs: If the receiving partner has a rectal gonorrhea infection, it could be contracted by the active partner; gonorrhea can infect the mouth and throat. This means that theoretically a person with an oral gonorrhea infection could transmit it to the ass that they're eating. Other STDs that can be transmitted through oral-anal contact include syphilis and herpes, if either partner has an active lesion in their mouth or anal area.
HIV Risk?
Finally some good news: your chances of being infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, are pretty low while eating ass. The CDC reports that the HIV virus is not found in feces itself. And the amount of HIV that can be present in saliva is too small to infect another person, making mouth-to-ass infection unlikely. According to the CDC, "There would not be a risk of HIV transmission unless blood was also transmitted between partners (such as if the performing partner was infected and had blood in his mouth)." Or if the recipient was bleeding from the ass and the active partner had an open cut or sore in his or her mouth.
Playing It Safe
You can protect against transmission of diseases by using a barrier during analingus. You can use a latex dental dam, or make a barrier by cutting the end off an unlubricated condom and then slitting it lengthwise. Many people also use plastic wrap; although it hasn't been scientifically tested as a disease barrier, it does prevent the transmission of body fluids. For extra sensation, place a dab of lubricant on the side of the barrier that will go against your partner's ass. Hold the barrier in place firmly, and place your tongue against it to lick and probe their asshole.
The Bottom Line
If both you and your partner are healthy, your risk of contracting a disease through analingus is probably pretty low. However, there is always some risk in oral-anal contact, and there are a number of diseases that can be transmitted through this route. You can make the act of eating ass safer by using a barrier between your mouth and your partner's asshole.
