After two weeks of no sex due to a relentless heatwave, a sex columnist found a creative solution in a paddling pool. Sydney Summers, Metro's sex columnist, detailed how the scorching temperatures had made intimacy impossible until she and her partner Sebastian discovered the benefits of a garden paddling pool.
Heatwave Disrupts Sex Life
The heatwave had made everyday activities exhausting, and sex was no exception. Summers described how fans were placed in every room, and even the cat sought shade under the coffee table. Despite a usually frequent sex life, she and Sebastian had not been intimate for two weeks because it was simply too hot. The frustration was mounting.
An attempt to initiate sex earlier in the week went terribly wrong. Summers put on lingerie, but the heat made everything uncomfortable. The sheets stuck to her skin, and the ribbons on her outfit became irritating. When Sebastian entered the bedroom, she was pulling at the ribbons in frustration. They attempted sex, but as soon as their bodies touched, sweat piled up between them, and they became exhausted before anything could happen. Sebastian eventually pushed her away, saying, 'No, I can’t', before taking a freezing-cold shower.
Inspiration from a Cult Film
Everything changed the next evening. While watching the cult classic film Showgirls, known for its swimming pool sex scene, Summers had an idea. As they started making out, she spotted the scene on TV and said, 'Babe – we have a paddling pool.' Sebastian’s eyes widened, and they agreed to try it the next day.
The following morning, Sebastian set up the paddling pool, which is about 2 metres long, in the garden. They put up a cheap gazebo for shade. Summers jumped in, and they pressed their bodies together. 'After a week of not being able to even hug without getting too hot, we were finally able to touch each other,' she wrote.
Intimacy Without Intercourse
While they did not have sex in the pool—due to respect for neighbors and safety concerns about pool sex—they satisfied their need for intimacy. 'Sebastian was wrapped around me, and I could feel our excited bodies rub against each other. It was more than I needed and I finally felt all my pent-up sexual frustration leave me,' Summers said.
She emphasized that intimacy is often more satisfying than sex itself. 'While sex is incredibly important to me, I feel a big part of that need is met if my partner and I simply make out. When he holds my hand, I smile. When he gives me a random hug, my shoulders relax.'
The paddling pool now sits proudly in their garden and is, as Summers puts it, 'awfully overused.'
