Analingus, rimming, ass licking, eating ass—whatever you call it, it can be serious fun, whether you’re giving or receiving. Trust, consent, and communication are, naturally, non-negotiable for getting started, but once you’ve got those under your belt, rimming can be super pleasurable for everyone involved, regardless of sexual orientation, preference, or your anatomy.
So, why exactly does it feel so good? “The anal opening is clustered with nerves. It is a highly sensitive piece of anatomy,” says Gigi Engle, a certified sex and relationship psychotherapist and sex expert at the LGBTQIA+ dating app Taimi. “The same way having your partner insert a finger into your butt might feel good, so too could a mouth or tongue. Licking and penetration by a finger or toy are different sensations, but they are similar.”
Before you get started, Engle says getting cleaned up first is important, but you definitely do not need to do an enema before any kind of anal play. "Simply hopping in the shower and using a mild soap to wash your butt crack and some warm water to thoroughly rinse your anal opening is completely fine," says Engle. "Everything is about preference.”
If you're receiving, Engle recommends breathing into your body and letting your butt cheeks relax. If you’re the giving partner, encourage the receiver to relax and gently tease the anal opening. "You can try circular motions to start," says Engle. "Ask if your partner likes what you’re doing or if they want you to try a different technique. If you’re up for it, slip your tongue into their anus. It can be truly delightful." And remember: If you decide you're not into it, you can always stop or try something else!
So, how does it feel to receive analingus as a person with a vulva? Here, some folks share their reactions to eating ass (spanning love, hate, and indifference), while describing *exactly* what it feels like to receive.
What Does Rimming Feel Like?
1. “The feeling itself is whatever, but what turns me on is I know my boyfriend is losing his mind over my ass.” [via]
2. “Amazing! It’s not as mind blowing as vaginal oral, but it’s a completely different feeling.“ [via]
3. “My husband is not into it, so I last got it from a girlfriend’s boyfriend during a group thing years ago. That was a slithery feeling unlike anything else, and I fucking loved it. So good.” [via]
4. “I’ve only had one guy truly eat my ass, and he was absolutely ridiculously into it. It started as an ass massage (also highly recommended) and I guess he just wanted more and went for it. He was very, very good at it. I am almost afraid to try it with anyone else for fear they won’t be able to live up to the pleasure standard he set. He had a good mix of gentle licks and applying more pressure, never jamming it in there though. He also got right in there with his lips too for more sensual variety, plus fingering my clit/vulva at the same time. I think I enjoyed that he went to town on my ass without ever trying to get inside it, which I am not sure I am interested in. It felt very safe and oddly comfortable!” [via]
5. “Meh. Feels like a slug trying to crawl into your butthole. I don’t care for it.” [via]
6. “I felt paralyzed, couldn’t move a muscle, and just lay there quietly, feeling every stroke of his tongue on my bum. I’m sopping wet afterwards and nothing gets me more relaxed and ready for sex than that. It’s like muscles I don’t know I had get relaxed and I feel like I’m an overcooked spaghetti. I fucking love it.” [via]
7. “Such a turn on ! If you like oral, then it’s nice to have someone go down on you all the way and all over. Just make sure bacteria isn’t transferred from your ass to your vagina or urethra.” [via]
8. “My goodness, it is so good! I wish there were less awkward ways to bring it up with new partners... If you’ve never done it, at least give it a try!” [via]
9. “Tedious. I'm not sexually sensitive in that area, so it’s boring. I can’t see my partner enjoying himself, so I’m alienated by the whole process. The positioning is uncomfortable, and it would be outright rude to use the time to do my nails or read a book or get some work done or anything else that I have to do and want to do. And, on top of that, because of the dynamics of the situation it also sounds hideously unappreciative for me to complain about the tedium. So the additional emotional labour of that dynamic gives me a feeling of, Ugh, not this again.” [via]
10. “I’ve only had my ass eaten by one guy that I was involved with and I had no idea that was even a thing someone would want to do, but it was fan-fucking-tastic.” [via]
11. “It happened once, with a one night stand. I didn’t object, since I was curious and he seemed pretty enthusiastic about it, but it didn’t feel like much, and the concept of assholes in and of itself makes me uncomfortable, so even if it had felt amazing, I don’t think I would’ve been able to enjoy it without reservation. And it just felt like a warm, wet thing by my asshole.” [via]
12. “It was a mix of, Hmm this is kind of nice, and, Umm this is kind of weird. The poking with the tongue feels better when I’m really horny, but it’s okay otherwise too. The licking is certainly hot either way, actually. TBH, I prefer getting my toes sucked, but it’s still something I can enjoy. Neither toe-sucking nor ass-eating are on my list of the greatest turn ons, but there are still fairly pleasurable.” [via]
13. “It was unnecessary. I’d rather get eaten out. While he was doing it all I could think is, Why?” [via]
14. “A few dudes have asked to do it on me and it’s been meh every time. I think my butthole is less sensitive than other peoples'. Like the first time, my SO and I had this whole scene planned out and I was super horny and excited but the sensation was just... so little. We quickly moved on to other things.“ [via]
15. “Felt about as pleasurable as getting my elbow licked.” [via]
16. “Ticklish, in the least pleasant way imaginable. Not a fan.” [via]
17. “It really didn’t do anything for me. If it never happens again, I’ll be totally okay with that.” [via]
18. “For me, it’s legit the best way to get me ready to go as foreplay.” [via]
19. “Didn’t really care for the feeling, it was kind of kinky, though, which was hot.” [via]
