19 Cuddling Positions For Deeper Intimacy, Foreplay & Sleep

These 19 cuddling positions (illustrated!) show you how to get genuinely close to your partner, whether you're in bed, on the couch, or even on your feet.

As always on Love Curi, make sure your partner has given free, enthusiastic consent before you start snuggling up 🙂

Let's get into it and start cuddling!

1. Spooning

Spooning tops the list for good reason — it feels amazing and involves loads of skin-to-skin contact for maximum closeness.

To start, both partners lie on their sides facing the same direction, with the "big spoon" behind the "little spoon." The big spoon wraps their arms around the little spoon and pulls them in tight. There are plenty of ways the big spoon can position their arms:

• Grip their hips
• Wrap arms around the little spoon's waist
• Slide arms under the little spoon's armpits and hold their shoulders
• Use the bottom arm as a pillow for the little spoon's head while the top arm holds them close
• Intertwine legs with the little spoon's for extra closeness
• Drape a leg over their partner's hips

Common cuddling issue – One downside of Spooning is that the big spoon's bottom arm can get pinned under the little spoon's body, going numb or falling asleep.

Solution – The big spoon can tuck a pillow between their arm and the little spoon's body to relieve pressure, or slide their arm up under a pillow (cuddling pillows exist specifically for this!). If you're flexible enough, tucking your arm behind you can work too.

Tease your partner – If you're the little spoon, this is a great way to tease your partner before sex. Slowly grind back against their groin. Big spoons can reach around to play with their partner's breasts and nipples, breathe against their back, ear, or neck (all potential erogenous zones), and press their chest into their partner's back.

Go further – The big spoon can also reach down and start fingering their partner if they have a vulva, or give a hand job if they have a penis.

Beyond being a great sleeping position, Spooning also works wonderfully as a sex position.

2. Honeymoon Hug

The Honeymoon Hug is an extremely intimate way to cuddle someone you love.

Both partners lie on their sides facing one another, wrap their arms around each other's necks or upper bodies, and tangle their legs together.

You can pull in close enough to kiss while in this position.

Since both partners are hugging each other in the Honeymoon Hug, the bottom arm (closest to the bed) often ends up trapped under your partner's weight.

You can fix this by stretching that arm overhead or holding it against your chest, though it can feel a little awkward. Sliding an arm under your partner's neck can help too.

Read: Our guide to intimate sex

3. Smother

Ever used a weighted blanket? That heavy, grounding feeling it gives you can be incredible. There's something about gentle pressure that eases anxiety and just feels good.

That's basically what the Smother recreates. It's cuddling with a weighted blanket, except…

Your partner is the blanket!

Just lie face down. Your partner then lies on top of you, covering your body with theirs.

Naked – Skin-to-skin in the Smother position can get pretty sensual fast. Whoever's on top can easily whisper into the other's ear.

Cuddling tip – If there's a significant weight difference, the partner on top may need to support some of their weight with their arms or legs. Speak up if it starts feeling uncomfortable.

And…

Once you've felt what it's like underneath, swap so your partner gets the same experience.

The Smother also transitions perfectly into Prone Bone or the Jockey sex position if things start heating up!

4. Koala

The Koala is nearly identical to the Smother, except the bottom partner lies on their back instead of their stomach.

The top partner lies on top, facing them and covering as much of their body as possible.

Part of what makes this so intimate is that the top partner can rest their head on the bottom partner's chest and listen to their heartbeat, or trace fingers along their chest and breasts.

It's also an easy launch point into Cowgirl since the top partner is already in position.

5. Blanket Burrito

The Blanket Burrito is perfect for cold rooms and oversized blankets.

While Spooning, hold each other close and wrap yourselves together in the blanket like a human burrito.

This feels incredibly snug and warm in a genuinely cold room, but…

If your room already runs warm, things inside your Blanket Burrito will heat up fast!

If BDSM is part of your dynamic, the Blanket Burrito also works great for aftercare once a scene wraps up.

6. Half Spoon aka Cradling Your Sweetheart

If you're just getting the hang of how to cuddle, the Half Spoon (sometimes called Cradling Your Sweetheart) is worth learning. One partner lies flat on their back, facing the ceiling, while the other lies on their side, snuggled against them.

The partner on their side rests their head on the other's shoulder or armpit area, draping their top arm across the other's chest. They can also wrap a leg around the closest leg of their back-lying partner.

This position also sets up perfectly for massaging your partner's balls or giving some clitoral attention, and it's great for anyone who enjoys grinding against a thigh!

Speaking of thigh grinding, check out the Thigh Tide sex position!

One issue with the Half Spoon: the side-lying partner's bottom arm can get trapped under the other partner's body, going numb or sore.

As mentioned before, tucking a pillow between your arm and your partner's back can relieve the pressure, or the side-lying partner can shift their head down slightly to rest on the other partner's chest instead.

7. Bear Hug

Cuddling doesn't have to happen lying down. Some of the most meaningful cuddles happen standing up.

Feeling your partner's arms wrap around you tightly in the Bear Hug can feel amazing, especially on a rough day. There are two main standing cuddle variations…

Face-to-face Bear Hug – You're both facing each other, making it simple to wrap arms around one another.

From-behind Bear Hug – Your partner stands behind you and wraps their arms around you, drawing you close. This one flows easily into the Bodyguard sex position.

8. Lounge Chair

The Lounge Chair is a great seated cuddle position for watching TV together.

Typically the larger partner sits at the back for support, starting on the floor or a cushion with legs spread wide.

The smaller partner then sits in the same spot, in front of them, both facing the same direction. The big spoon wraps their arms around the little spoon in a hug.

This position works best if the big spoon can lean their back against a wall for support.

It's also a solid lead-in to sex, since the back partner has easy access to use foreplay techniques to get their partner aroused and turned on.

9. Tetris Cuddle, aka The Perfect Couch Cuddling Position

The Tetris cuddle is ideal for couples cuddling on a couch — intimate and genuinely comfortable.

Larger partner first – This works best when the larger partner lies on their back on the couch, head propped up slightly at one end, positioned close to the front edge so there's room behind them for the smaller partner.

The larger partner then raises their legs, opening up space on the couch for the smaller partner's legs.

Then the smaller partner – They lie on their side between the larger partner and the back of the couch.

The smaller partner bends their knees, resting both legs in the space the larger partner just created. The larger partner then lowers their legs down over the smaller partner's legs.

Finally, the smaller partner adjusts to comfortably rest their head on the larger partner's chest.

This setup is ideal for watching TV together while cuddled up.

Like all cuddling positions, this one has a catch: the smaller partner's bottom arm (closest to the couch) can get trapped underneath the larger partner, and if your couch isn't deep enough, the whole thing might not work well.

More couch positions: Check out 14 hot couch sex positions, illustrated.

10. Lotus

The Lotus position is perfect when all you want is closeness with your partner — it's nearly impossible to do much else in it. It's also great for kissing.

There's a sexual variant of this cuddle rooted in tantric sex called Lotus or Yab-Yum.

Cuddling tip – Ideally, the larger or stronger partner sits down first.

11. Straddle

A close variation on Lotus is the Straddle position, where you literally straddle your partner as they sit on the couch.

They sit normally, and you climb into their lap facing them, legs outside theirs.

Both partners can wrap arms around each other for extra closeness. This one also transitions well into sex using the Mastery position.

12. Human Pillow

The Human Pillow is exactly what it sounds like — using your partner's arm as your pillow. Just rest your head on their arm and drift off.

The only downside is that your partner's "pillow" arm will eventually go numb from the pressure, so it's not usually great for the whole night. Snuggling in closer so your head rests on their shoulder instead helps reduce that risk.

13. Head on Lap

The Head on Lap position is exactly what it sounds like:

Rest your head in your partner's lap. Works best on a couch and is great for TV time while staying physically close.

Your partner sits normally on the couch while you lie on your side with your head in their lap. This one's especially good if you enjoy having your head or hair played with.

While one of their hands rubs your head, the other hand is free to rub your crotch and get you hard.

That said…

If kinkier play interests you, this position also works for breastfeeding play.

14. Head on Belly

The Head on Belly position works well on a large bed or a blanket on the floor. One partner lies on their back, and the second partner also lies on their back, resting their head on the first partner's hips or belly.

Warning: If the partner acting as the "pillow" has body-image concerns about their stomach, check in before resting your head there.

15. Leg Lattice

The Leg Lattice is another low-effort sleeping cuddle. Instead of a full embrace, you simply rest your legs across theirs (or vice versa) while you sleep.

This works especially well when one partner sleeps on their stomach and the other on their back.

16. Hand in Hand

Similar to Courting below, Hand in Hand suits couples who both prefer sleeping on their backs.

Simply lie side by side on your backs while holding hands. It's not the sexiest cuddle and doesn't involve much body contact, but it also means you're less likely to disturb each other overnight.

It also keeps things cooler while you sleep next to each other.

You can dial up the contact by resting a leg over your partner's.

17. Courting

Courting is another sleep-friendly cuddle that isn't especially intimate, but it's practical since neither partner risks a trapped arm.

Face each other lying on your sides, holding hands. That's the whole position. Bend your legs if you want to adjust the distance between you when you're too hot or cold.

18. Butt to Butt

Butt to Butt involves even less physical contact.

You and your partner sleep back-to-back, legs bent slightly, with your backs touching but not necessarily anything else.

This works well if your partner's movements tend to wake you up, if you're a light sleeper, or if you run hot in most cuddling positions.

Related: How to have pain-free anal sex.

19. Face to Face

Some people find any physical contact too stimulating for falling asleep — it's simply too distracting to relax.

If that's you, try the Face to Face "cuddling" sleep position, where both partners lie on their sides facing each other without touching.

It's still somewhat intimate since you can see one another, but there's no actual physical cuddling involved.

The Perfect Cuddling Position

Finding your ideal cuddling position (or positions) is deeply personal and depends on you and your partner's individual preferences — much like finding the perfect sex position…

It really comes down to what works for you both.

Our suggestion: try out all the styles covered above and keep track of which ones you both love most.

July 4, 2023 </content>