Are you thinking of a daring activity to spice up a stagnant love life and rekindle passion between the sheets?
Well, put away the blindfold and the edible underwear. An afternoon in an escape room could be just the ticket to get couples lacking intimacy back in the mood.
At least, that’s according to Los Angeles-based sex coach Michaela d’Artois.
For the uninitiated, an escape room is an immersive game where a group of people are locked in a room and have to work together to solve a series of puzzles in a limited period of time to find a hidden key and “escape.” “.
And according to d’Artois, getting into one with your other half could be the key to rekindling the passion.
An escape room could simply be a ticket to get couples lacking intimacy back in the mood, according to Los Angeles sex coach Michaela d’Artois.
D’Artois, who runs her private Inner Eros intimacy coaching practice in California, said working together could be the antidote to the sexual drought.
“When couples solve problems together, it gives them skills to overcome the trials they will face in their relationship,” he told Financial times.
Experts have suggested that making an escape room can help improve communication skills, help couples learn to manage stress together, and celebrate each other’s successes.
Described by some as “the ultimate test of relationship compatibility,” the intense activity could also help build trust in each other.
D’Artois, who describes her work as helping to “reconnect people with the eroticism and romance of their own lives,” also had some suggestions for when not having enough sex was a more one-sided problem, including journaling and drawing .
Doing so could help a person defend themselves to their partner about what they might want or seek in terms of sex.
His comments come amid concerns about a global sexual crisis, or rather, the lack of a sexual crisis.
A survey last year revealed that more than a quarter (27 per cent) of Britons now have less sex than before.
Additionally, one in six (15 per cent) admitted they hadn’t gotten frisky all year.
According to a Royal College of Occupational Therapists survey of 2,000 adults earlier this year, men and women typically frolic 46 times a year, once every eight days.
But some have much less frequent romantic activities: a tenth reported having sex less than once a year.
Britain is not the only one suffering from a sexodus.
In the United States, surveys have shown that the number of Californians between 18 and 30 without a sexual partner in the past year reached a decade high: 38 percent.
And while not all sex is intended for procreation, several commentators, including celebrities like Elon Musk, have expressed concern about declining birth rates, particularly in developed countries like Europe.
Even France, a nation so famous for its lovers that it has a kiss named after it, has been caught up in the crisis.
This has led President Emmanuel Macron to announce a series of measures earlier this year to tackle the “scourge” of infertility in the nation.
However, when it comes to how much sex we should have, D’Artois is clear that the right amount is whatever a couple mutually desires.
He said one of the critical aspects of establishing what this should be is for each person in a relationship to establish how important sex is to them individually.
From there d’Artois described the process as ‘a journey’, until both parties are satisfied.
“If we can create dynamics in which the couple who wants less sex has more reasons or more incentives, they will be able to find their way towards eroticism more quickly,” he said.
And this isn’t necessarily limited to sexual acts, but can be as simple as hugging and breathing together, or a sensual massage, she added.
Sex, and intimacy in general, has been linked to a number of health benefits, including improving heart condition, reducing stress, and even improving mental health.
Research, recently highlighted by MailOnline, found that nationally only 55 per cent of Brits reported having sex at least once a week – 59 per cent of men and 51 per cent of women.
Nationally, 55 percent of Britons reported having sex at least once a week, this figure rose to 59 percent of men and fell to 51 percent of women.
Londoners were well above the national average, with 67 per cent saying they enjoy a romantic encounter at least once a week.
They were followed by those from the North West (57 per cent) and lovers from the East Midlands (56 per cent).
Northern Ireland was at the opposite end of the spectrum, with less than half (44 per cent) of people reporting having sex weekly.
It was followed by Wales and the east of England, where residents came second from bottom at just 49 per cent.
However, the survey also revealed that Brits suspect many more of us are having sex than we actually are.
Respondents were asked what proportion of Britons thought they had sex at least once a week and the average was 81 per cent, 26 percentage points higher than reality.