Couples Are Ditching Date Night for Pole Dancing and Swear It's Saving Their Relationships

Forget dinner and a movie. A growing number of couples are choosing pole dancing as their go-to shared hobby, and they say it’s doing way more than just getting them in shape. From a Los Angeles couple who spent $1,800 on a 10-foot stainless steel pole and performed at their wedding, to a New Jersey pair married 22 years, partners across the country and even in Italy are embracing the sport as a way to build trust, confidence, and intimacy.

The trend is backed by more than just good vibes. Sex therapist Cyndi Darnell says physical activities like pole dancing foster“attunement”between partners, which is essentially a fancy way of saying you learn to read each other’s timing and movement without words. Pew Research supports the idea too, with over 60% of married adults saying shared interests and a satisfying sex life are the keys to a successful marriage.

Sure, there’s still stigma attached to pole dancing, with some people linking it to stripping. But the couples doing it say it’s fitness, it’s fun, and it’s a literal metaphor for marriage. As one participant put it, holding your partner’s entire body weight during a move requires a level of trust that carries over into everything else. So would you give it a try, or is this one trend you’re sitting out? Let us know in the comments.