Title: Beyond the G-Spot | Foria
URL: https://www.foriawellness.com/blogs/learn/erogenous-zones-beyond-the-g-spot
Meta Description: You are full of super sensitive erogenous zones. Find out how to bring out the best of the lesser-known erogenous zones when you’re feeling groovy.
Beyond the G-Spot
In case you missed the headlines: a group of sex researchers has announced that the “G-spot” is only one part of a whole network of connected pleasure systems in the vagina.
What difference does this news make in your life?
Well, if you’re looking to increase your capacity for pleasure — and the healing and vitality it brings — it's helpful to have an accurate map for vaginal exploration and therapeutic touch.
This got us thinking about other sources of pleasure and orgasm, so we delved a little deeper into exploring a few of the erogenous zones that often get overlooked.
What Is an Erogenous Zone?
Okay, before we get deep into our favorite underrated erogenous zones, let's cover the basics.
An erogenous zone is any part of the body that is super sensitive and able to elicit a sexual response. Basically, these hot spots that exist all over the body can drive you wild when they are touched just right.
Giving the erogenous zones some TLC during foreplay and beyond can help release feel-good hormones, increase blood flow, and build sexual arousal for elevated pleasure and better orgasms. Yes, please.
What Are the Most Erogenous Zones?
Our erogenous zones have a lot to do with nerve endings, how different sensory receptors throughout the body can play a role in sensitivity and how certain areas of the body respond to touch.
The clitoris — with over 8,000 nerve endings — is a well-known erogenous zone, as is the head of the penis or glans, which has over 4,000 nerve endings. But, there are plenty of less obvious erogenous zones scattered throughout the body, including the nape of the neck, the inner thighs, the lower back, the scalp, and the earlobe, for starters.
Because our bodies are all built slightly differently, one person's most sensitive erogenous zone may not be the same for someone else. This means you have a wonderful opportunity to explore your own body — alone or with a partner — to discover your personal favorite erogenous zone.
To help you get started, here are a few of the classic erogenous zones to explore, along with some of our favorite ways to stimulate them.
The Breasts
The nipples often get attention during foreplay and sexual intimacy, which is well deserved. After all, a 2011 study suggests that nipple stimulation activates the same feel-good part of the brain that clitoral stimulation does during intimacy. But let's not leave out the rest of the breast, too.
The breasts contain a vast network of nerve endings that can respond to various touches. Caressing and fondling the breasts can help set the mood, while light nibbling or tickling with the fingertips in a circular motion around the outer parts of the breasts and in towards the areolas can set those nerve endings ablaze in the best of ways.
Depending on the sensitivity of your nipples (which can change daily, depending on factors as simple as where you are in the menstrual cycle), you may prefer certain types of touches over others.
Some find the sensation of a light touch with the fingers or a gentle lick around the nipples out-of-this-world, while others respond more to rougher touching such as pinching, biting, twisting, or nipple clamps. Exploring your breasts and nipples during masturbation can help you feel more in tune with your body and find which types of touch get you going.
You can incorporate our Organic Intimacy Breast Oil into your wellness and self-care routine for added sensation and self-intimacy. Crafted with nourishing botanicals such as Yarrow, Frankincense, Violet, and Pine, you can massage your breasts with this nourishing oil to help build a deeper awareness of your breasts, increase circulation, and feel more connected to your overall well-being and pleasure points.
The Inside of the Arms
Remember that game where you would close your eyes as someone ran a finger along the inside of your arm, starting at the fingertips or inner wrist, and you’d guess when they reached the inner crook of the elbow?
If you ask us, the best part of that game was how dang soothing it felt to have a light touch graze along the inner arm.
As it turns out, that game works in the first place because some parts of the arm are more densely packed with nerve endings and so are more hyper-aware of touch. Other parts of the arm that contain fewer nerve endings and sensory receptors, such as the forearms, are less capable of differentiating sensations.
So, moving from a high sensory area to a lower one can create a tactile illusion where distinctly different sensations morph into one. This may also explain why having a partner run their fingertips up and down the inner arm can feel mesmerizing and powerful.
Unsurprisingly, the parts of the inner arm with more nerve endings are considered erogenous zones and include the palm, inner wrist, crook of the arm, and armpits. While these sensitive and thin-skinned zones may feel too ticklish for some, running a fingertip slowly and softly up and down the arm is a favorite sensation. Others prefer having the inner wrists kissed, or the palms and arms massaged.
If you prefer a gentle touch, you can try experimenting with lightly running a fingernail back and forth or in a circular motion around the armpit — a certified erogenous zone with a bit of a stigma that it’s high time we break. While it may seem a little silly at first, you may be surprised how much you or your partner enjoys this sensation (make sure there is consent first!).
And, if you’re looking for something a little rougher in the inner-arms arena, you may enjoy having your partner grab your wrists or pin them above your head or behind your back during a good makeout sesh.
The Buttocks
The butt and butt cheeks are chock-full of sensitive nerves that make this body part so fun to play with during sexy time. The pudendal nerve plays quite a role here.
This major nerve stems through most of the pelvic region, including the buttocks and the front wall of the vagina. Research suggests that 80 percent of the pudendal nerve is reserved for sensation, meaning when you experience touch down there, you experience it — with a capital “E.”
With so many erotic areas connected through a single, sensory-filled nerve, it’s no wonder that the booty makes the list of favorite erogenous zones for so many. You can experiment with what kind of touch you respond to by asking your partner to caress, massage, squeeze, or spank your butt as you get it on — or, heck, even when you’re not.
There are also many nerve endings in the anus that you can explore through penetration or pressure. Sex toys can also come in handy as you discover what works best for you.
But whether you’re having anal sex with a partner, using a sex toy, or even a finger for lighter penetration, make sure you use lube or suppository melts to keep things moving smoothly and reduce unwanted friction as you hit these deeply pleasurable erogenous zones.
The A-Spot
Also known as the “Anterior Fornix Erogenous zone,” this spot is located much deeper in the vagina, tucked up against the front of the cervix and resting just above the bladder.
Research suggests that stroking the A-spot can stimulate increased vaginal lubrication. This zone is harder to reach, but is usually easy to find with a toy like a gently-curved glass wand.
The Cervix
While each body is different, some women experience pleasure, and even orgasm, from pressure against the cervix. Cervical orgasms are often described as having an entirely different feeling than clitoral, G-spot, or vaginal orgasms.
If you’ve never felt your own cervix before, you can usually reach it with a single finger by feeling for the firm circular or oval-shaped tissue.
Word to the wise: when you are highly aroused, the blood flow can increase cervical sensitivity. As usual, go slow and gentle; if you encounter any pain, slow down or take a break.
Combining Sensations
Every part of the vagina is a potential erogenous zone — including the vulva, labia, vaginal opening, clitoris, and A-spot — and every experience can reveal a new combination: a symphony of pleasure.
It's best to approach these explorations with curiosity, playfulness, and compassion. Think of them as a remembering or re-discovering of your body’s own pleasure signature — the mix of mood, touch, and imagination that gets your juices flowing.
For more guidance, check out our series on the best way to approach therapeutic vaginal massage.
Are There Different Kinds of Orgasms?
While all orgasms are considered pleasurable releases of sexual tension, orgasms can range in length, intensity, and quality.
There is no one way to reach an orgasm, and the path to get there will look different for everyone. You may find you mainly only orgasm through a specific type of stimulation on a specific erogenous zone, or you may experience orgasms that feel slightly different based on what part of the body is being stimulated, such as clitoral orgasms versus nipple orgasms.
Taking time to explore your body from head to toe using a variety of types of touches and toys can help you better understand your own turn-ons and most sensitive areas, as well as what method of touch where helps you reach the most intense and satisfying orgasms.
The Bottom Line
At Foria, we are all about experiencing sex in ways that feel best for you. If your finding yourself in a bit of a rut or the sex you’ve been having hasn’t felt satisfying, seeking out your erogenous zones that may not be receiving enough attention can help spice up your sex life and lead to more intense sexual pleasure.
Whether you’re using massage oil to heighten sensitivity, trying a vibrator or wand to stimulate the pubic mound, rubbing an ice cube along the inner thigh, or grazing a finger along your scalp and nape of your neck, let your body guide you as you seek out new satisfying sensations and dive into pleasure like never before.
Sources:
Women's clitoris, vagina and cervix mapped on the sensory cortex: fMRI evidence | PMC
Finger-To-Elbow | Science World
Pudendal Nerve: Function, Anatomy and Branches | Cleveland Clinic
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