Why Do The Strange Kinky Sex Scenes of Saltburn Turn Us On?

Recently, a dear friend of mine pulled me aside as we hiked through the redwoods to talk about what was on her mind. Namely, kinky sex scenes. 

“I finally watched Saltburn,” she said conspiratorially. “And…it really turned me on. But I don’t really understand why! It was so gross!”

After years of working as a pro-dom, pornographer, kink writer, and relationship coach, I usually have some sense of why a fictional character might be into perverted cinematic sex acts… such as the period cunnilingus and grave humping on display in Saltburn. 

I also understand why the viewer might respond with a combination of repulsion and attraction to viewing these kinky sex scenes. And as the host of a fetish podcast called Why Are People Into That?!, I often play the role of desire explainer for friends and strangers alike. I’m happy to hear the gory details of people’s intimate lives, but I find it’s even more fun to unpack sexuality in pop culture. Especially when it’s a movie as provocative as Saltburn.

The Attraction of Saltburn

Emerald Fennel’s sophomore effort oozes with kinky sex scenes, lust, and bodily fluids — though the controversial cult hit offers a decidedly unusual take on sex. Yes, there are plenty of orgasms, palpable desire, and kinky power play throughout the film, but there’s also zero heterosexual intercourse. For that reason alone, Saltburn has a lot to teach audiences about the current state of what turns us on. Especially for those viewers who, like my friend, were shocked to find themselves so titillated by it.

If you haven’t seen Saltburn, the bulk of the film and it kinky sex scenes takes place on a hedonistic summer holiday at the titular manor, where Oliver Quick, played by a perfectly creepy Barry Keoghan, is doing some class interloping with his uber-wealthy friend Felix Catton, played by very tall Hollywood It boy Jacob Elordi. During the visit, Ollie’s exploits get increasingly kinky: we see period sex, a D/s fueled handjob scene, and eventually Ollie fucking the loose dirt of a freshly dug grave. But the scene that grabbed my friend’s attention is set in the boys’ shared bathroom. 

That Bathwater Scene, Though…

In an unbridled act of voyeurism, Ollie gazes through a door as Felix masturbates in a steamy hot bath. Enter the kinky sex scenes. The moment Felix goes to bed, Ollie climbs into the draining tub. Beads of sweat from the hot water glisten on his face. Despite the danger of being caught, he’s unable to resist his urges, falling to his knees and slurping up the dirty bathwater. Drawing his mouth closer to the drain, he makes a sucking noise, as if the drain is a butthole and he’s rimming it. His repressed perviness is unleashed. 

A Simple Truth

“Is drinking bathwater really a thing?” my friend asked, fascinated. 

Yes, readers, it’s definitely a thing.  In some circles, “She’s so sexy, I would drink her bathwater!” is sort of like saying, “He’s so hot he can hit me with a truck!”  It’s ultimately a way of saying that someone is so hot, they’ve utterly short circuited our better judgement.

In Saltburn that casual figure of speech becomes very literal. The bathwater is infused with Felix’s essence, his sweat, flakes of his skin and hair. Post masturbation, it’s strongly implied that Felix is also the type to ejaculate before pulling the plug. So Ollie is worshiping not only Felix’s bathwater but taking the opportunity to slurp up his cum. 

Another Form of Kink

Which brings me to another aspect of Saltburn’s kinky thrills: bodily fluids. Though humans are wired to find cum and sweat and blood and other excreta disgusting, that disgust tends to vanish when those fluids  belong to a person you’re hot for (perhaps because arousal seems to mute our disgust response). 

In sex work, this has created a sideline industry of where selling everything from used panties to sweaty socks, and yup, even jars of bathwater, helps workers bring in extra income. But in one’s personal sexual exploration, it can be a way of enhancing the intimacy between yourself and the object of your desire. 

In Saltburn, these taboo kinky sex scenes seem to be a form of erotic claiming. By drinking Felix’s cum, Oliver possesses him… and not just as a sexual object. Because as much as Oliver wants to fuck Felix, he also wants to become him, to gain access to the world and the privilege that Felix was born into.

The bathtub scene is a perfect illustration of the relationship between attraction and repulsion. Disgust and arousal make strange but common bedfellows. Smells, behavior, and language we find repulsive in regular life can be fantasy fuel when we’re turned on. 

Photo: StockSnap via Pixabay

Use Saltburn as Inspiration for Kinky Sex Scenes 

Want to bring Saltburn’s boundary pushing eroticism into your own bedroom? Here are a few kinky ideas for bringing those filthy fantasies to life. 

If you “ship” Ollie and Felix, you can make your own living fan-fiction where you play Ollie, and your partner plays Felix. Play with the ideas of humiliation and control, domination and devotion. 

Maybe Felix catches and punishes Ollie by forcing him to drink his bathwater, telling him to “suck up every last drop.” Or imagine a version of this scene where instead of being mad about the spying, Felix invites Ollie in. 

In this scenario, Felix says he loves the way Ollie stares at him longingly. He wants to make him his little pet. Ollie responds that he wants to be in service. Felix makes Ollie scrub the bathtub clean while he praises him. 

“You didn’t have to sneak around and lick my drain,” you might purr if you’re playing Felix in this fantasy. “If you wanted my cum, all you had to do was beg for it.”

But Remember Boundaries…

Feeling inspired to do a full-on Saltburn role play? Do a boundary check first. Does your partner really want to risk consuming bacteria from a moldy drain — or would they be just as happy being handed a glass of coconut water and told it’s from a beloved’s bath?

Speaking of body fluids: Arousal from the thought of drinking cum-infused bathwater may be a sign that you’re into body fluids of all kinds. Some people enjoy guzzling saliva, g-spot squirt, breast milk, even blood. Those interested in kinky fluid worship will want to check out the video “Piss Cocktails, CumCakes, and other filthy recipes with Vivienne Vai” on the professional dominatrix run education site 7 Days of Domination. 

And remember: body fluids take on a new level of fetish intrigue once they leave the body. So if your partner cums in a glass or mug and asks you to drink it at dinner or in a water bottle on a hike, it might feel quite a bit naughtier than drinking it directly from the source.

You can lap up cum as a sign of submission, to show you’re game to pig out on a sign of your partner’s pleasure. That’s what cum is at the end of the day: concentrated, potent pleasure. 

In The Mood For More?

If you were titillated by the kinky sex scenes in Saltburn, and you’re looking for more cinematic inspiration, you might enjoy the many BDSM scenarios of the erotic classic 9½ Weeks. If you fell for the themes of queer-coded longing and fatal obsession with absorbing someone else’s life, check out The Talented Mr Ripley (which also has a hot bathtub scene featuring Jude Law’s naked butt!). And if you like your sex scenes with a side of bloody suspense, check out Gone Girl.