Posts by Joan Price
The New, Rechargeable Magic Wand!
2/7/25 update:
I’m updating this 2015 post because the Magic Wand Rechargeable is in the news again for two reasons:
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Several of us (see comments) are among the 1,000 participants in the Magic Wand Study this month.
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The New York Times Wirecutter declared the Magic Wand Rechargeable “the best vibrator.” I’m delighted that this article referenced me, Naked at Our Age, and my post “Vibrators for Seniors – especially for first-timers“! (Thank you, Bianca Alba!)
Original review published 4/13/15:
If you read my reviews, you know that I love the Magic Wand. For decades (yes, decades, with a couple of improvements along the way), it has been the King of Vibrators.
Now there’s a new king in town: the Magic Wand Rechargeable. It has everything we loved about the Original Magic Wand (reviewed here) plus 4 new attributes that make it the ideal sex tool for those of us who need really strong vibrations:
- It’s rechargeable! No need to look for an outlet near the bed or get tangled in cords — just charge it ahead of time, and it’s usable cord-free.
- Silicone head! The silicone covering of the head is not only more body-safe than the previous wand, it’s softer, a little cushy, which feels really good.
- Four speeds! Instead of the previous two speeds (high and turbo high), we have four choices. The lowest speed is rumbly and great for warm-up (for most of us), or if you don’t need super-strong, the first two speeds might be all you need. Turbo users can turn it up from level 1 to higher, extra high, or unbelievably high. According to Good Vibrations, here’s a comparison of intensity levels:
- Original Magic Wand: 1- 5000 rpms (vibrations/ minute); 2- 6000 rpms
- Rechargeable Magic Wand: 1- 2,700 rpms; 2- 3,800 rpms; 3- 5,400 rpms; 4- 6,300 rpms
- Patterns. I don’t really care about patterns — just give me strong, steady vibrations, thank you. But for those of you who like to experiment with patterns, there are four of them.
Being so strong, it has to be large to house the motor. Like previous iterations, this Magic Wand is big (13″ long with a tennis-ball sized head) and heavy — caution if you have arthritic wrists. On the other hand, it works so well that you’ll likely reach your goal in a very short time, compared to other sex toys!
The silicone head cover is not removable, so you have to be careful cleaning it — just wipe it clean.
The Magic Wand Rechargeable is priced in line with other rechargeable vibrators and well worth the money. (Please don’t be duped into buying it cheaper on Amazon. The cheap ones may be labeled Magic Wand, but they might not be — they might be knock-offs with inferior materials and design, and just try to get a refund when they overheat or stop working. Don’t risk it, seriously.)
I’m shouting, I’m singing, I’m dancing, I’m loving this new Magic Wand! Thank you, Good Vibrations, for gifting me the Magic Wand Rechargeable in exchange for an honest review.
(Originally published 4/13/15)
Private Gym: Kegels for men — with penis weights!
I’ve stressed the importance of pelvic floor (AKA Kegel) exercises for both male and female anatomies, but I admit that I haven’t given as much focus to male bodies. Now there’s a complete exercise program for male pelvic muscle training — Private Gym — including weight training for the penis!Stronger pelvic muscles give you more blood flow to the penis, stronger and more rigid erections, better urinary and rectal control, and stronger orgasms and ejaculatory force. Like any other muscles, they respond to strength training. Private Gym offers both a “basic” and a “complete” training program.
Both include a DVD, an instruction manual, and a book, Male Pelvic Fitness: Optimizing Sexual & Urinary Health. The book presents a ton of anatomical and sexual function information, plus cool factoids that you can throw out at a sex-positive dinner party, such as what “phallocarps” are and which animal ejaculates 4-5 gallons of semen.
This program lets you learn and practice the step-by-stem program with a follow-along DVD. It’s very well done, with clear illustrations and explanations. (I would have preferred it without the background music, though, which I found repetitive and distracting.)
The difference between the programs? The basic gives you a 4-week, progressive, step-by-step program. It’s good, especially for pelvic floor training beginners.
However, I recommend the complete program, which includes the basic plus additional exercises and 4 weeks of resistance training, which you do with the included weights. (Only the complete program includes the weights.)
Yes, weights. You put the weighted ring on your penis and perform the squeeze-release exercises (both slow and rapid) along with the DVD. As your pelvic muscles strengthen, you can add the additional weight which attaches magnetically. You’ll need a rigid erection (with or without medication) in order to use the weights. (You don’t need a rigid erection for the basic program.)
I know, penis weights may seem like a gimmick. But they’re not, I assure you. Don’t take my word for it — here’s what my 57-year-old male tester had to say:
It’s great. It takes you through the things you can do to build up those muscles. This program with your choice of a male or female voice tells you exactly how, when, and for how long, and gives you a signal that makes it so much easier. It’s like the reason you hire a fitness trainer – sure, you can lift weights on your own, but a trainer helps you.
The book is great because it talks about why you’re doing this and gives background information, in easy to understand terms.
When you get more advanced, you can use the weight system. The weights are comfortable, easy to slip on, and they work.
The whole program is well thought out, and very easy and comfortable to use. It’s a great system. I think it would benefit just about anybody.
I was having trouble with getting erections. Using this program, my erections became as firm on their own as when I was using Viagra!
Thank you, Private Gym, for sending me this program for my tester and me to review. This is a powerful tool, especially the complete program, because the weights can make a huge difference.
Womanizer Clitoral Stimulator: Clitoral suction!
2021 update: This first version of the Womanizer is no longer available (mine should go in a museum), but later versions without the garish decoration and thumb-stabbing jewel are sure to delight! I’m keeping this review (after removing the dead links) because it’s fun to see this original version. Check out LoveHoney’s newest Womanizers.
The Womanizer from LoveHoney.com is a sex toy that sucks your clitoris — and that’s a rock-your-world sensation!
Let’s get this part out of the way first, though — this is the ugliest, tackiest looking sex toy that has ever graced my nightstand. It looks like a design by sixth graders assigned to figure out what a girly ear thermometer might look like. It’s a garish shade of fuschia, with animal print decoration. The “+” button is a fake jewel.
And the name — Womanizer. Seriously?
And yet… it’s wonderful! This magical sex toy isn’t quite a vibrator, although it does vibrate. The essence of its power is suction. Position it so that the silicone attachment surrounds the nub of the clitoris, turn it on, and waves of gentle suction tug around the clitoris. It’s an exquisite feeling. And yes, the rhythmic suction does lead to orgasm. Oh yes, it does.
This might be a deal breaker for you: it’s very expensive, about $200. (Yes, it should be less ugly for that price.) But if the idea of having your clitoris gently and rhythmically sucked for as long as you want makes you squirm, save up for it. It’s worth it.
The Womanizer charges via USB, so there are no cords to wrestle with while you’re using it. It comes in a hard case in an unattractive shade of bubble gum pink.
The silicone part that nibbles and sucks your clitoris comes off for easy cleaning, and there’s an extra in the case in case you need it. One caveat — the manual says that you can use silicone lubricant, but you cannot. The tip, which is the part you need lubed, is silicone, so use water-based lubricant with it.
Bottom line — Give me that clitoral suction sensation — I love it. I can get past ugly by closing my eyes.
Thank you, LoveHoney.com, for sending me the Womanizer.
Daring to Date Again by Ann Anderson Evans
3/11/15 update: This Sunday, March 15, I’ll have the pleasure of being on a panel with Ann Anderson Evans called “Never Too Late to Date” at the Tucson Festival of Books. I’m moving this post, originally published 11/13/14, to the top so that you all know about Ann’s book and our discussion of safer sex:
When a sixty-year-old, twice-divorced woman starts to date again, she’s not pinning her hopes on an invitation to the prom. She is financially stable and professionally creditialed. She is a matriarch, a pillar of her church, a member of a choir. She has children and neighbors who might disapprove. She has a lot at stake.
So begins Daring to Date Again, a lusty memoir by Ann Anderson Evans about looking for romp-in-the-hay partners after 12 years of celibacy.
Evans is smart, sassy, articulate, and a darned good writer, pulling you right into her adventures. You’ll laugh, empathize, and sometimes worry as she jumps into bed with her Mr. Right-for-the-Moment parade. She wears her heart on her sleeve—or she wears nothing at all—and we share her adventures, her thoughts, her desires, and her evolution from repressed and unhappy to evolved, sexy, and joyful.
Evans finds many men who are interested in having no-strings sex with her, but towards the end of the book, she wonders whether true love even exists — and if so, where is it hiding? I’m not ruining the book by telling you that she meets Terry — a fellow professor and a bachelor at 63. They fall in love and marry. But that’s not until the last chapter!
I enjoyed this well-written book, and I recommend it to you, whether you’re exploring sexual possibilities yourself or you just want to share her escapades vicariously.
However! As a safer-sex advocate, I was concerned because there was no mention of safer sex or any discussions of condom use with the men Evans bedded. I questioned her — no, they never used protection. Then I challenged her to explain her decision(s). She wrote this to me:
Joan chided me for not mentioning safe sex in Daring to Date Again. Logic suggests that simply interrogating a man regarding his sexual health is not sufficient protection, but that is what I relied upon. Why was I more concerned about cleaning the chopping block after cutting up chicken than about having unprotected sex? Why would I maintain the prophylactic habits of regular dental visits and colonoscopies, and yet have unprotected sex? Good question, Joan.
Indulgence was part of it. Pregnancy had been such a persistent worry when I was a young woman that having sex spontaneously was a joy. It was like winning the lottery.
Growing up in the 50s and 60s, I was taught either nothing or nonsense about sex. The bogus teachings were embedded in religion. “Chastity is the cement of civilization,” I read in the Christian Science scriptural companion, the Science & Health, when I was a student in a Christian Science college. I closed that book and have never reopened it.
The nonsense of the times I grew up in was also embedded in school. My only sex education was a couple of gender-divided classes in 7th grade that explained menstruation twinned with the unforgettable fact that when we brushed our teeth we should also be careful to brush our tongues. I was stunned when I got pregnant at 18. I thought I had to want to become pregnant in order to be so.
Between the church and school, I felt manipulated, demeaned, and endangered. Many of those who matured in the 60s rose up in mighty defiance of the bullying traditions of ignorance. In answering Joan’s challenge, I am surprised at my resurgence of anger when I think back.
Perhaps unconsciously, I placed barrier protection during sex in the basket which also included the bogus virtues of chastity, heterosexuality, sitting primly with your legs crossed, wearing a girdle, avoiding nudity, and virginity upon marriage. These virtues are so often ignored that they can only be seen as vacuous wishes. My failure to protect myself was a visceral, instinctive, and senseless act of defiance.
I take responsibility for my own actions, but it would have been helpful if the doctors (including gynecologists) had asked me if I was sexually active during that time. One general practitioner did ask me, and when I told him I had had sex with four men within the last two years he sidestepped the issue, saying, “I think you should talk to your gynecologist about that.”
I sympathize with the doctors. Discussions of sex with patients are probably minefields of religion, politics, family tradition, and personal history. But the medical profession has obviously given up the fight. How often do you see an ad for condoms displayed in your doctor’s office alongside the latest drug for depression or high blood pressure?
I felt embattled during my three years of promiscuity. Not one of the men I was involved with ever mentioned using a condom. If any of them had one in their pocket, they didn’t mention it. Joan might be better equipped to say whether men are just as likely as women to insist on condom use. In my experience, this has not been the case.
The problem of unprotected sex is far more pervasive than that of a single American raised before the Enlightenment. Our failure to identify and rectify the sociological, psychological, historical, and political reasons why people do not use condoms or other barriers has guaranteed that AIDS and other STDs continue worldwide. Saying the answer is education is simplistic. Why we don’t use them is baffling. The reason begins in the outside world of church, school, family, and government policy and all of these play themselves out in the bedroom.
Thank you, Ann, for your eloquent explanation. I can’t help hoisting my 4’10” self up onto my soapbox again to remind my readers: Have all the fun you want, but please have it safely!
Listen to Evans read an excerpt from Daring to Date Again here.