This year’s Valentine’s Day is going to look a lot different to normal, with the traditional date venues – and subsequently, that sense of the unfamiliar and exciting – currently closed for business.
With spas, hotels, restaurants and bars all off limits, couples across the UK are going to need to get creative and curious if this year’s Valentine’s Day is going to be a romantic, racy affair.
Fortunately, there are things you can do from home to make the day as special as ever. In fact, steering clear of the usual cliches of candlelit restaurant meals and a quick hotel room fumble in favour of something more inventive and experimental might just lead to fireworks. With that in mind, here are 5 IDEAL ways to up your Valentine’s Day game this year.
BRING THE RESTAURANT TO YOU
There is something about eating in a fancy restaurant on Valentine’s Day that makes you feel like you’ve entered a competitive canoodling event with the tables next to you. The thought of all that PDA and a restaurant full of loved up couples would usually make us cringe. However, what we wouldn’t give to have the option of taking our lover out for a romantic meal this February 14th, after months spent indoors, at home, and without stimulation.
The next best thing you can do is to bring the restaurant to you. Fortunately, many of the finest restaurants up and down the country are putting together special boxes for V-day, perfect for welcoming that sense of occasion into the domestic setting. Give yourself a break from cooking and washing up, and enjoy the romance instead by ordering in. It’s been a while since you took a load off, don’t you think?
THINK WEEKEND STAYCATION AT HOME
Since romantic weekends away are off, bring the hotel experience to you, instead. We hate to say; there’s some effort involved here, but the payoff is worth it. Start by getting all your chores, like laundry, cleaning the kitchen, hoovering and dusting surfaces, out of the way. A sink full of dirty dishes can be a romance killer, that’s for sure.
Next, transform your bedroom for Valentine’s Day. Think a fresh new shade evocative of passion (that’s red, then) for your bedsheets, candles with an aroma which promotes sensuality, such as sage or cinnamon, and lighting which sets the mood just right. Finally, to really capture the hotel room experience at home, make sure you’re breaking the routine; no pyjamas, cocoa in bed or an episode of Question Time to put you to sleep. Save the room for romance on this very special day.
SEX TOYS FOR HIM & HER
Speaking of which, if you’ve never included toys in your love-making, make this Valentine’s Day the time you start. Try experimenting with a surprise gift for your partner to really spice things up, and if you’re celebrating from a distance, then why not consider some camera-to-camera fun?
Better yet, if you and your partner can’t be physically (and physical) together this Valentine’s, worry not. Many sex toy brands have toys that can be controlled remotely via apps, enabling your partner to control pressure, speed and intensity of the toy.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that all the toy-play is reserved for the women. There are loads of male sex toys available, too, like cock rings, butt plugs and prostate massagers, which can enhance solo, couple and throuple encounters and help to enhance the experience.
If you’re not sure where to begin when it comes to choosing sex toys for men, a sex writer for Men’s Health tells nymag “My advice would be to definitely start with a vibrating cock ring… no matter how good you are at sex with your partner, you can’t vibrate”. The magazine also points out that cock rings are like two toys in one;”while the wearer gets the benefits of blood-flow restriction, “your partner will feel that vibration on their body during intercourse”.
So why not use this unique, one-of-a-kind Valentine’s Day as an excuse to get experimental?
VIRTUAL TANTRA CLASSES
Tantric sex can be a way to reconnect with your partner and find a new passion for lovemaking if things have got a little stale lately. If you’re curious about the most popular positions and effective breathing techniques used in the practice, then why not take a virtual online class?
Communication, understanding and practice are key, and since we’re all locked down right now, there are some great couple’s workshops and events currently being hosted virtually to instruct you on the amazing world of tantric sex. Get involved!
Read: 6 IDEAL ways to transform your bedroom this Valentine’s Day.
MAKE SOME COCKTAILS
Or, if you’re looking for something a little different, then there are also some fantastic cocktail making classes currently available online for those looking to end Dry January with a bang.
So, why not see who’s the better mixologist between the two of you (with only you as the judge, admittedly) by hosting a cocktail making competition? A marvellous way to lubricate the fun of Valantine’s Day, there are events companies currently curating such evenings, complete with expert tasting notes and professional tips; Design My Night have detailed an extensive rundown of the best virtual cocktail making events available in the next few months; do check it out.
Or, if you’re keen to host the event yourself, then check out our guide on how to make the best Valentine’s day cocktails.