Watersports

Watersports, also known as urolagnia, urophilia, urine play, pee play, or piss play, refers to urine play, or acts that involve urinating on, in front of, or in another person—or any other erotic activity that involves urine.

Those who consent to watersports may enjoy being watched while urinating or watching a partner urinate. They may also enjoy being urinated on or urinating on another person's body, possibly including their face, breasts and/or genitals (also known as a “golden shower”). Watersports may also involve BDSM-associated acts like urinating in a partner’s vagina, rectum, or mouth, and may be symbolic of possession, punishment, domination and submission, and/or humiliation. Since watersports can be extreme—physically and/or psychologically—some also consider the act a form of edge play.

Watersports may also be present in vanilla sex, as some people simply enjoy the sensation of warm urine on their bodies, or are aroused by the sight and sound of their partner urinating. Indeed, watersports is practiced by fetishists and kinksters of many persuasions, as well as by couples who simply find it increases emotional intimacy and sexual satisfaction.

Why do people enjoy watersports?

Sexual excitement induced by the idea of or participation in watersports has both psychological and physical roots. The sensation of a full bladder can enhance sexual pleasure, and, for some women, urinating at the height of pleasure can trigger or enhance orgasm. Some women who experience squirting during orgasm report a similar sensation; there may at times be very small trace amounts of urine present in female ejaculate. Ultimately, many individuals find that the sensation of a warm urine stream on their genitals causes immediate orgasm. 

Additionally, engaging in watersports violates a social taboo establishing certain bodily fluids and excretions as unhygienic. The violation of this taboo can, in and of itself, trigger sexual arousal, sometimes paired with shame. Some find a balance of shame and sexual arousal to be the main appeal of watersports.

For those identifying as dominant or submissive, opportunities for erotic power exchange may include:

- The humiliation of public urination

- Urination in sexually stimulating positions or places

- The sensation of wetting oneself

- Drinking urine

- Holding in urine to the point of discomfort (within reason)

Are watersports safe?

While a healthy person’s urine is 95% water and is sterile, which means drinking it in small amounts is not a problem, if the person has an infection, then it's not advisable. To be on the safe side, it is good practice to start exposing a partner to urine mid-stream rather than at the very beginning. At the very least, this allows any lingering bacteria to be flushed out in the event of a urinary tract infection.

Retired sex therapist Russell Stambaugh reports that in a worst-case scenario, being urinated on can potentially cause hepatitis B and cytomegalovirus, a virus that causes flu-like symptoms, or more serious digestive tract issues in people with weakened immune systems. But in order to contract these viruses, it would be necessary to get contaminated pee in the face or in an open wound. Dr. Hunter Handsfield, the Chief Medical Advisor for the American Sexual Health Association, adds that watersports are unlikely to spread STIs because the liquid is incapable of carrying the “large amounts of causative bacteria and viruses needed.” BeSafeMeds states, “While we can test for gonorrhea and chlamydia by testing urine samples, there is no transmission of STDs through urine. So, while golden showers may sound gross and are not for everyone, the chance of getting an STD from a shower of urine is next to zero.”

Also worth considering is that any medication or supplement will be excreted in the urine, which might make drinking it undesirable. Staying extra hydrated is a good idea to keep the urine dilute, whether you’re taking medication or not.

How to try watersports

1. Make a plan and stick to the plan—this will involve strong communication between partners. Consider where you will try the act, whether in the shower, in a bed, or on the floor. If not in a shower or bath, where is the urine going, and how will you clean it up?

2. As watersports typically happen in the bathtub or shower with the water off, cleaning your tub and removing toiletries will make the experience more hygienic and give you enough space to act without worrying about knocking something over.

3. Drink a lot of water to get extra hydrated. Each partner should urinate at least once beforehand and continue to hydrate more after that as well. The idea is to cleanse the body and make the urine more dilute.

5. Depending on preferences, you might begin with foreplay, like kissing and mutual masturbation, to become aroused. Note: partners with penises may have a hard time urinating when fully erect, so you may want to factor this into your plan.

6. When both partners are ready, stick to the plan you've discussed, whatever that may be, but neither partner should feel hesitant to communicate a change of preference or a desire to stop.

7. When you’re done, the natural next step is having a hot, steamy shower together.

Watersports and consent

Consent is the most important part of any sexual engagement, watersports included, so be sure to discuss your terms and preferences in advance rather than in the heat of the moment. Are you avoiding the face, the mouth, or any other body part? Sticking to a set plan ensures all the conditions of consent are being met, and no one is surprised in a way they are unprepared for. Both partners need to consent fully and both partners need to know they can stop the act at any point, for any reason. For this reason, establishing a safeword in advance is a good idea.