A Guide to 69, According to Experts and People Who Love It

For all the talk of six-seven, its older sibling, 69, is still the reigning number in our world of popular culture. When it comes to sex positions, it represents the ultimate equal exchange of pleasure: Visually, it's yin and yang. Energetically, it's a continuous loop of giving and receiving. At its best, 69 promises something few other positions can: the chance for both partners to experience peak pleasure at the same time.But like most sex, the reality of 69ing is often more complicated than how it’s often portrayed. This can be one of the trickiest sex positions to pull off simply because our bodies rarely fit together so neatly. If you've ever found yourself twisting into awkward angles, craning your neck, or stopping mid-session because of a cramp, you're not alone. Sometimes, the logistics get so complicated that they can get in the way of experiencing peak pleasure. That’s why we’re creating this guide to 69ing, including how to make it as pleasurable as possible, according to experts and self-proclaimed 69 enthusiasts. (If you’re specifically looking for how to give a good blow job or eat someone out while 69ing, we’ve created useful guides for that as well).1. Start on your side.A classic mistake people make while getting into 69ing is they try to recreate the angles they see in porn, most commonly the 69 position in which one person gets on their hands and knees on top of the other. Although aesthetically pleasing, this position can lead to uncomfortable body bending and onset of cramps pretty quickly.The best place to start is on your side. If both partners lay on their sides, this “reduces pressure on the neck, jaw, chest, and face,” says Casey Tanner, an AASECT-certified sex therapist. To further reduce strain on the neck, “use the inside of the leg to prop [the other person’s] head up,” suggests Kiki Maree, an Australian sexologist. Side 69-ing is also likely to lead to a longer session. “No one's holding their weight up, so this