Mutual masturbation is a sexual act where two or more people stimulate one another sexually without having sexual intercourse. This is often done in situations where they do not feel able to have full sexual intercourse, but still wish to have a mutual sexual act. It is also done as part of the full repertoire of sexual intercourse, where it may be used as an interlude or as a form of foreplay.
The techniques of mutual masturbation resemble those of simple masturbation, with the exception that one is stimulating another person, rather than oneself. Common positions include either laying down next to one another, sitting down next to each other or standing: the essential aim being to reach another person's genitalia with one's hands.
Mutual masturbation may or may not result in one or more of the partners achieving orgasm. If no body fluids are transferred, mutual masturbation is a form of safer sex. As such it was encouraged among gay men by some safer sex organisations in the wake of the AIDS scare of the 1980s, as an alternative to anal or oral sex.
Mutual masturbation may also be carried out without removing clothes, for instance by rubbing against one another. This is also known as frottage.
Mutual masturbation can also be generalized to group masturbation scenarios such as a circle jerk, where a group of people either take turns to masturbate or all masturbate simultaneously.
In the modern era, with the popularity of webcams, it could be argued that two people watching each other masturbate via an Internet link is another form of mutual masturbation. It has been suggested that in the future, a more interactive form of mutual masturbation via Internet link may be possible using teledildonics.
