California is in the midst of a serious drought. The latest forecasts indicate that we will not be out of the woods in 2017.

It has been said that showering with a friend is a good way to save water, but not if you get too friendly. That actually winds up wasting water. Here, though, are some suggestions for both saving water and getting extremely friendly.

The key to saving water when showering is to not have it running constantly. A shower where you can easily turn off the flow of water and then back on again without losing your set temperature is a good idea. You also want do not want to be turning the water on and off if the room is too cold. You might want to get a portable heater and heat up the bathroom before your shower.

Obviously you want a low flow shower head, but when there are two of you, having one that can be handheld is even better. Your partner can very efficiently get you wet all over, pass it to you, and you can do the same to them. You want better than the standard 2.5 gallon per minute. You probably won’t notice the difference with 2.0 gpm, but 1.5 gpm can be quite the difference. If you go that low, you should look for products with some sort of pressure compensating technology . Since there are two of you, you will want a long hose on it. You will also want either a single fixture that allows you to set the water temperature and turn the water on and off, or a shower head that can turn the water flow off and on.

When done rinsing each other off, turn the water off. Here is where it gets even more fun. It is now time to soap up. Forget the old fashioned bar of soap. Bath gels are easier and quicker to apply. Even better, there are some bath gels that are very sensual when applied by a partner. They glide on smoothly, and provide a wonderful opportunity to rub your hands all over their body. The sensual bath gels tend to have wonderful scents to enhance the experience.

I really like the Kama Sutra Luxury Bathing Gels. My absolute favorite is the Clove, although not everyone likes it as much as I do (although most do- I just thought everyone would). They also Have Mint Tree and Blu Ocean scents. They are made from high quality ingredients and I really like the way they glide across the skin.

Coming in a close second are the Bath and Shower Gels from Shunga.  There are three scents, including Sensual Mint and Cherry. We tried the Tropical Fruits Bath and Shower Gel, and it was reminiscent of those amazingly scented hikes through the back country in Hawaii.

There are lots of waterproof vibrators that can be used in the shower, but there are also those that will assist in the application of bathing gel. I personally prefer using my bare hands, but there are a number of sponges with built-in waterproof vibrators. They come in mesh, round and flat. The problem is that mesh and sponge are not particularly good carriers of vibration. We were not all that thrilled with any of the ones we tested.

Once you are done rubbing the bath gel in, you get to rinse it off, exploring every nook and cranny of your partner’s body. Do make sure you respect the areas of your partner’s body that they might not feel comfortable with you washing.

If you are going to have sex in the shower, you need to turn the water off or you have defeated the water savings of showering together. One item that can be very useful for sex in the shower is called a Locking Suction Handle. You can easily find them on Amazon in single and double grip. Sportsheets also sells them. It is basically a handle or bar that you can attach via suction to any surface in the shower. They work amazingly well (even in swimming pools), and grip like they were bolted on. They give your partner something secure to grab onto. They even make a single locking foot rest.

The bottom of bathtub showers can get a little slippery, especially once the soap starts flowing. This is something you don’t want going on if you are trying to have sex, so putting down a non-slip bath mat or some non-slip bath tub treads is a good idea. Concussions and sex do not go well together.

With a little careful planning, you can both shower with a friend and save water. Its a serious drought here in California. Everyone needs to pitch in.