HuffPost Love + Sex

In this week’s episode Noah & Carina chat about Ashley Madison's rebranding, as well as a new porn site that donates money every time you have an orgasm, and a Chinese artist who is hot water for filming a woman using her vagina to paint calligraphy. The episode also features an interview with Kate McCombs, a sex educator who explains why adults need sex ed as much as kids. Finally they answer listener questions – including one from a man who likes to watch peeping tom porn but wants to know if there’s a way to do it ethically. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jonesing for some oral sex with your caffeine? Soon you'll be able to satisfy both cravings at the same time – at least if you're a straight man living in Switzerland. A new cafe is set to open by the end of the year in Geneva, where sex work is legal and regulated, and will allow patrons to order a coffee drink and then use an iPad to choose a sex worker who will perform fellatio. In this episode of the HuffPost Love + Sex Podcast, Noah & Carina chat about this new cafe and ponder exactly how much money someone should charge – or pay – for a blow job. Later, Carina interviews Jillian Keenan, the author of Sex with Shakespeare: Here's Much to Do with Pain, but More with Love, which explores Keenan’s spanking fetish and how reading the great British playwright as erotica came to her rescue while she was learning to accept and explore her own sexuality. Finally they answer listener questions, including one from a man who wants to know why he hates cuddling with his girlfriend after sex. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A new store that caters to people with adult baby fetishes is drawing outrage in a Chicago suburb. How does what consenting adults choose to do in their own homes with items they purchased with their own money affect anyone else? And why does our culture still have so many issues when it comes to fetishes and kink? Those are just two of the questions co-hosts Carina Kolodny & Noah Michelson tackle on the latest episode of the HuffPost Love + Sex Podcast. Elsewhere in the show, they discuss Bobby Brown's claim that he had ghost sex, chat with feminist author Jessica Valenti about her new memoir, Sex Object, and answer more listener questions. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Imagine a sex party where one of the guests is HIV positive and no one knows who it is -- and no one is allowed to use protection. In this episode co-host Noah Michelson speaks with psychotherapist, sexologist and sex therapist Dr. Michael Aaron to find out more about these alleged sex roulette parties, how the story might have originated and the psychology behind people who get a thrill from sexual practices that many others might consider unorthodox or even dangerous. Elsewhere in the episode, Noah & Carina chat about some of the biggest sex headlines of the week -- including why you may never want to have sex in front your TV ever again -- and answer a few listener questions like "Is it OK to fantasize about rape?" See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this week's Love + Sex Podcast, Noah & Carina chat about the future of vehicular sex, as well as other exciting developments in the world of love and sex, like a new bluetooth tampon, a reality TV show that will crown America's next porn superstar, and America's first penis transplant. Later on, we’re joined by Shakina Nayfack, a trans actress and performance artist, who is headed to North Carolina where she promises to protest the recent anti-queer law that was passed, by "pissing in all of the wrong bathrooms." Finally, Carina and Noah tackle a few sex and love questions, including one from a listener who wants to know if coming cleaning about cheating is a good -- or an awful idea. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hosts Noah Michelson and Carina Kolodny are joined by special guest Dr. Zhana Vrangalova to answer listener's questions. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Can you find your match, based on smell alone? In this episode, host Noah Michelson tries the new Smell Dating service to find out if it can help him find love. Producer, Katelyn Bogucki joins him on his journey, and together they explore the power of smell and its effect on love. The episode features conversations with the Smell Dating founders, Tega Brain and Sam Levine; smell dating participant, Adam Simon and Dr. Charles Wysocki, Emeritus Member of the Monell Senses Center. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We recently received an email from a listener talking about his experiences with his chastity device, as there is a lack of information available on chastity devices. Intrigued, Noah set-out to explore the world of enforced chastity by speaking with his friend, Brian Moylan, who tried out a chastity device for a Vice article. He also speaks with the listener who wrote in and a couple who claim that a chastity device saved their marriage. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The way sex is depicted on camera and how people can experience it is changing. Emma Gray, Executive Editor of HuffPost's Women vertical, recently collaborated with the site's multimedia team to create a stunning look at the unexpectedly vibrant female-centered world of porn thriving on Tumblr. Inspired by Tumblr's radical shift, co-hosts Carina Kolodny and Noah Michelson investigate how the porn industry is rapidly changing in other arenas too. They speak with Cindy Gallop, the founder and CEO of Make Love Not Porn, a site that features real people having real sex, and Ela Darling, one of the co-founders of VRTube.xxx and a pioneer in the burgeoning world of virtual reality porn. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What it means to be celibate in 2016? What can people who aren't celibate can learn about their own sex lives from those who are? Co-hosts Noah Michelson and Carina Kolodny interview a woman who recently became celibate to heal after a divorce, a woman who became celibate to help her with self-control and become closer to God and author Eve Tushnet, who wrote “Gay and Catholic: Accepting My Sexuality, Finding Community, Living my Faith” and “Amends: A Novel.” She became Catholic in college and, in doing so, began a life of celibacy. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

You've heard of sleepwalking, night terrors and possibly even people who have sleep-related eating disorders, but you may have never heard of sexsomnia, a condition that causes people to engage in sexual activities -- ranging from making sexual noises to pelvic thrusting to masturbation to sexual intercourse -- while they’re asleep. The condition, which falls under the umbrella of parasomnia, or disorders that cause abnormal or unusual behavior of the nervous system during sleep, is still relatively unknown to the general public. Sexsomnia, in some cases for some people, can be experienced as an unusual or perhaps annoying event, but in rarer, more extreme cases, it can be the cause of sexual assault or molestation, which can make being diagnosed with the disorder -- or being in a relationship, whether romantic or familial -- troubling and even dangerous to all those affected. Co-hosts Carina Kolodny and Noah Michelson speak with Stephen Klinck, a man who has compellingly written several pieces about his... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Co-hosts Carina Kolodny and Noah Michelson are joined by Dr. Zhana Vrangalova, a sex expert and professor at New York University, to tackle listener questions that ranged from "Is it too soon to getting married if you've only known someone for three weeks?" to "are golden showers safe?" See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Overcoming an addiction comes with a variety of challenges but one aspect of sobriety that's often left undiscussed is how it can affect sex and relationships. Co-hosts Carina Kolodny and Noah Michelson speak with three recovering addicts to learn about how their sobriety has changed the way they look at and experience sex and intimacy: Scott, a gay man from Australia who was addicted to crystal methamphetamine for 15 years; Brian Rinker, a journalist who has written extensively about his addiction to heroin; and Sacha Zimmerman, formally Sacha Z. Scoblic, author of Unwasted: My Lush Sobriety and an editor at The Atlantic. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Some people aren't interested in sex. During this episode, Noah and Carina explore the spectrum of asexuality through the stories of ACE individuals and expertise of Anthony Bogaert. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hosts Noah and Carina share their favorite moments from 2015 and resolutions for 2016. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Your most pressing sex and relationship questions, answered. Each week, we receive lots of questions from our listeners and they keep getting better. We invited Kaitlin Prest and Samara Breger from Radiotopia's The Heart Podcast to help answer the latest round of inquiries. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The search for a relationship -- or just a decent date -- can be difficult for anyone. But for people who identify as overweight, the journey can be even more daunting. In the latest episode of the HuffPost Love+Sex Podcast, co-hosts Carina Kolodny and Noah Michelson explore how weight can affect relationships and sex. The episode was inspired by a young man named Daniel who is overweight and emailed asking for advice about finding a woman to date. Along with Daniel's very personal story, Kolodny and Michelson also talked to Kelly Shibari (pictured above), a model, adult entertainer, publicist and the first plus-size woman to appear on the cover of Penthouse Forum; Substantia Jones, who proudly embraces the term "fat" and launched the Adipositivity Project to help others discover their own beauty; and Sarah Varney, the author of "XL Love: How The Obesity Crisis Is Complicating America's Love Life" See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

If a man is having sex with other men, he must be gay or bi or somewhere on the queer spectrum, right? Not necessarily. At least not according to some men who feel their sexual activities and their sexual identities don't have to -- and do not -- align. In this episode of The HuffPost Love+Sex Podcast co-hosts Carina Kolodny and Noah Michelson speak with two of these men: Mike, 36, and Christopher, 20, both of whom identify as straight even though they have sex with other men. Kolodny and Michelson also chat with Chelsea Reynolds, a doctoral candidate at the University of Minnesota, whose investigations of online identities was partly inspired by her discovery of straight men cruising Craiglist to find male sexual partners. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sex tourism can mean many different things depending on who you are and what you're looking to find. For some people, booking a vacation that will center around a sexual event, like San Francisco's Folsom Street Fair, allows them to meet other people who have similar sexual interests. For others, traveling for sex means not having to worry about running into someone they know while in an intimate position. And some people just want the thrill of visiting a place like Amsterdam's Red Light District that welcomes and encourages sexual exploration. In this episode of HuffPost's Love+Sex Podcast, co-hosts Carina Kolodny and Noah Michelson take a virtual trip around the world to learn more about sex tourism and what motivates people to hit the road in search of sexual adventures. They speak with Matt, a DJ from Australia who travels halfway around the world each year to attend the world's biggest leather event; Jody Hanson, an academic and author who has written extensively about sex tourism; and Elard Tissot... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Where do teens turn when they aren't getting the information they want and need from their schools (or often parents)? For many, it's their local bookstore or library. In this episode of The Huffington Post's Love+Sex Podcast, co-hosts Carina Kolodny and Noah Michelson explore how young adult (YA) literature -- from classics like Clan of the Cave Bear to more recent favorites like Twilight -- is providing many teens with information about sex and sexuality they aren't getting anywhere else. Kolodny and Michelson chatted with Emily M. Danforth, the author of The Misadventures of Cameron Post, Megan McCafferty, the author of the New York Times-bestselling Jessica Darling series which includes Sloppy Firsts and Amy Lang, the founder of Birds And Bees And Kids, which helps parents figure out how to approach that important -- and often intimidating -- talk about sex with their kids. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In 2015, is it still a big deal to lose your virginity? Inspired by several emails from listeners who are still virgins, hosts Carina Kolodny and Noah Michelson decided to investigate the concept of virginity and whether or not it's still considered a major event in ones love life. They're joined by Dr. Zoe Peterson, an Associate Professor of Psychological Sciences at the University of Missouri St. Louis. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the latest episode of HuffPost's Love+Sex Podcast, co-hosts Carina Kolodny and Noah Michelson tackle the following question from a listener: "Is 'pig play' something only gay men engage in? Or do straight people like 'pig play' too?" To help answer this question -- and a slew of others sent in by Lov e + Sex listeners like "Do I need to have a dick pic if I'm going to try dating on Grindr?" and "How do lesbians have sex?" -- Kolodny and Michelson welcomed Dr. Zhana Vrangalova, a sex expert and professor at New York University, to their "Ask Us Anything" episode of the podcast: See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What happens when you keep a secret from someone you love? What if that secret is that your fetish is adult diapers? In this episode, hosts Carina Kolodny and Noah Michelson talk with Brian who's had a diaper fetish his whole life. Then, they sit down with Dr. Zhana Vrangalova to get her expert opinion on what Brian is going through. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Some call it chemistry, some call it luck, some call it fate or serendipity -- but whichever word you choose to employ, one thing is certain: while science can give us a lot of the answers about why people are drawn to each other, there remains an unqualified x-factor. Co-hosts Carina Kolodny and Noah Michelson chat with astrologer Deb McBride and Stacy Rapp, the owner of Enchantments, New York City's oldest occult store, to delve into the worlds of astrology, magic and alchemy. Together, they explore the possibilities of using the universe's unseen forces to increase your chances of finding love, strengthening existing relationships or just sussing out if you're compatible with that cute guy you met in the frozen foods aisle. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Imagine being sexually active for your entire adult life and never having an orgasm. For Loly, a woman in her mid-twenties living in France, that scenario was a reality. Even though she was healthy, sex-positive and actively looking for ways to achieve orgasm, she didn't find a way to do it until she came across an exercise that changed her life forever. Of course Loly isn't the only person -- female or male -- who has trouble with orgasming. Even though almost all of us are physically capable of having them, that doesn't mean we are having them. And for those of us who can orgasm, all too often they can still be hard to come by, show up too soon or take forever to achieve. So, for the latest HuffPost Love+Sex Podcast, host Noah Michelson (helming the show by himself this week due to co-host Carina Kolodny being out of the studio) went in search of tips, tricks and -- ultimately -- the truth about how everyone can achieve orgasms. And not just any orgasm but the very best orgasms possible. To help... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Anal sex is not a new thing. What is new is what appears to be an uptick in those of us who are willing to talk about anal sex -- and enjoying it -- especially those who don't identify as gay men. But if you've never tried it before, the thought of giving it a go can be daunting. With worries about pain to stressing about a potential mess, anal sex virgins have lots of questions. Luckily, HuffPost Love+Sex Podcast co-hosts Carina Kolodny and Noah Michelson, along with special guests Dr. Zhana Vrangalova, a sex expert and professor at New York University, and Claire Cavanah, co-owner of the beloved sex toy shop Babeland, have dedicated their latest episode to all things anal. From a discussion with a woman who recently experienced an anal orgasm (but can't seem to have another one) to the ins and outs of trying anal sex for the first time to the mechanics of "pegging," find out what you need to know before someone starts knocking on your backdoor (or before you start knocking on someone else's backdoor). See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Searching for intimacy in the 21st century -- especially intimacy that isn't tethered to a sexual encounter -- can seem like an impossible task. So what do you do if you're looking for some affection or tenderness and maybe a community to call your own? In this episode, hosts Carina Kolodny and Noah Michelson explore two options. They chat with Paul, the head of Rain City Jacks, a masturbation party for men in Seattle, and Marcia Baczynski, the co-founder of Cuddle Party, which is... well... exactly what it sounds like. Together, they explore exactly what happens at these parties, what is -- and isn't -- allowed and the whys and hows that motivate attendees to get up close and personal with a roomful of strangers minus the goal of going all the way. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

How does it feel to get it on in zero gravity? Inspired by PornHub's recent campaign to crowd fund a space mission and make the first porn film in space, hosts Carina Kolodny and Noah Michelson set out to figure out the benefits, challenges and dangers of sex in space. Carina and Noah speak with astrophysicist, Dr. John Millis; cell biologist, Dr. Anja Geitmann and science author, Mary Roach to answer this question. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

When it comes to the size of a man's penis, is bigger really better? Can a man be too big? And what about men who have small penises or micropenises? What's life like for them? And why is our culture so obsessed with what's in a man's pants anyway? In the latest episode of The HuffPost Love+Sex Podcast, co-hosts Carina Kolodny and Noah Michelson go in search of answers to all of these questions and more. Kolodny and Michelson chat with a man with a micropenis, which he described to them as "inverted" when flaccid and "about two inches" when erect; a man who wields an eight-inch penis; and Ian Kerner, sex therapist and author of She Comes First: The Thinking Man's Guide To Pleasuring A Woman, who helps put everything into perspective. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What in the world is a "dry orgasm"? Why is MILF porn so unbelievably popular? What should you do when anal sex unexpectedly gets messy (and what can you do to help make sure it doesn't)? These are just a few of the questions that host Noah Michelson will tackle in this episode. He's joined by Dr. Zhana Vrangalova, Professor of Human Sexuality at NYU, and Karley Sciortino, author of the Slutever blog and a columnist for Vogue. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dossie Easton, Dr. Zhana Vrangalova, Dr. Stephen Snyder and a couple who are in an open relationship join hosts Carina Kolodny and Noah Michelson to address this question. The couple, Ruth and Alejandro wrote to Carina and Noah and their email inspired this episode. Ruth and Alejandro share their questions and feelings about being open and Carina and Noah loop in experts to examine the relationship and find out if it's possible to make an open relationship work. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dossie Easton, Dr. Zhana Vrangalova, Dr. Stephen Snyder and a couple who are in an open relationship join hosts Carina Kolodny and Noah Michelson to address this question. The couple, Ruth and Alejandro wrote to Carina and Noah and their email inspired this episode. Ruth and Alejandro share their questions and feelings about being open and Carina and Noah loop in experts to examine the relationship and find out if it's possible to make an open relationship work. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Internet has made it easier than ever for young women (sugar babies) to make arrangements with older, wealthier men (sugar daddies. Why is this arrangement on the rise and what’s the line between escort and sugar baby? To find out, hosts Noah Michelson and Carina Kolodny speak with Christian Grov, a sociologist; Karley Sciortino and Parinda Wanitwat who are documenting the sugar dating lifestyle; Brandon Wade, the founder and ceo of multiple websites that cater to sugar babies and daddies and Tess Wood, who's an actual sugar baby. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In an article for Good Magazine, writer Mark Hay gave readers a rich glimpse into The Other World Kingdom: a femdom -- or female dominant -- micronation formally situated in The Czech Republic where dominatrixes and their slaves created a thriving community. Inspired by Hay's piece, co-hosts Carina Kolodny and Noah Michelson explore the topic and speak with a femdom couple, Lady Femina and her husband Tony, who traveled to The Other World Kingdom and then returned home with more than a few stories to show for it. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

If you're lucky enough to get to that "certain age," do you retire from your sex life at the same time you retire from your career? Probably (hopefully!) not -- but popular culture doesn't give us much of an indication otherwise. Sure, there are subtle hints of things that might go wrong with our bodies as we age, but seniors having awesome sex is rarely something we see or talk about. So what's the real deal when it comes to getting it on in the golden years? In an attempt to answer this question, co-hosts Carina Kolodny and Noah Michelson spoke to sex and aging experts and real seniors who were willing to open up and get candid about their sex lives, including: Joan Price, author of The Ultimate Guide To Sex After Fifty; author and activist Angus Whyte; Dr. Madeline Castellano AKA 'The Sex MD' and a New Orleans grandma named Prissy. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

From the emergence of the professional pick-up artist to the resurgence of old school matchmakers, an entire industry has developed to handle something human beings used to be able to navigate on their own: the dating scene. Has the rise of the Internet and the dominance of online dating changed -- and challenged -- our ability to meet people and find love in real life? In this week's episode of The HuffPost Love+Sex Podcast, hosts Carina Kolodny and Noah Michelson search for the answer. To do that, they spoke to self-proclaimed seduction siren and pick-up artist Arden Leigh, LoveSystems President and dating coach Nick Savoy, matchmaker and founder of The Modern Love Club, Amy Van Doran, and founder of The Matchmatching Institute, Lisa Clampitt. So come discover some of the struggles and secrets to locating love wherever you might (or might not) be looking. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This episode takes place at a sex party called Chemistry in New York. During the podcast, hosts Carina Kolodny and Noah Michelson chat with Chemistry's co-founder, Kenny Blunt, and then go behind Chemistry's velvet rope to meet the people who attend this sex party and find out why they do and what it means for their relationships. They also chat with Diana Adams, an attorney and family mediator supporting nontraditional family structures including many polyamorous families, and who is currently working on a film, Monogamish, to learn about the potential legal concerns of producing and attending a party like Chemistry. Find out what happens at a sex party without having to leave your own home! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This episode is all about the most powerful and least talked about sex organ: The clitoris. Hosts Noah Michelson and Carina Kolodny are joined by Sophia Wallace who's the creator of the Cliteracy art project; Jenny Block, the author of Open: Love, Sex, and Life in an Open Marriage; and Ian Kerner, Sex Therapist and the author of She Comes First. Together, the group discusses why the clitoris has been shunned by popular culture and what can be done to unleash its power. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Fifty Shades of Grey, the book and movie about Christian and Anastasia is not exactly an accurate portrayal of the world of bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, sadism and masochism (or BDSM for short). With the film adaptation out in theaters this week, HuffPost's Love+Sex team wanted to know: what do BDSM relationships and dalliances look like in the real world? How does kink play out in the land of non-fiction? And how much of what goes on in the best-selling book and much talked-about film is actually true? To find out, Love+Sex hosts Carina Kolodny and Noah Michelson talked to two dominatrixes, Mona Rogers and Nina Payne of Domi DollZ, Dr. Zhana Vrangalova, a sex researcher and professor of human sexuality, and even descended into New York City's only public BDSM dungeon, which is owned by Michael Aulito. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What is the future of sex? Will sex get better? Will we have sex with robots? Hosts Noah Michelson and Carina Kolodny explore the future of sex toys, what sex with robots will be like and all of the implications of forging relationships with AIs. This episode features Jincy Lumpkin, the CEO of Juicy Pink Box; Suki and Brian Dunham, the creators of OhMiBod, Claire Cavanah, the owner of Babeland; and George Zarkadakis, an AI professor and author. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.