Intimacy is best described as the closeness between individuals at a physical or an emotional level. For example, an intimate act might be the physical contact that comes about when cleaning someone or even gently brushing their hair. At a physical level, intimacy also includes sexual contact, although, for something to be intimate, it does not necessarily need to be sexual. At the emotional level, intimacy means a certain closeness of spirit. Again, this could be platonic, such as the intimacy and trust shared between friends, or the sort of intimacy that comes from a sexual partnership.