Posts Tagged ‘solo sex’
LELO’s GIGI: slim, smooth, sensual
This review was originally written in 2009. I updated it November2012. GIGI has become a favorite sex buddy, one I reach for
regularly even though I have many dozen to choose from after reviewing
sex toys from a senior perspective for four years! Sex-toy designers are catching on to the notion that sexual enhancement products (okay, vibrators) that work best for women’s anatomy might not be in the shape of a penis (or dolphin, rabbit, and so on) but rather a design that actually fits the way we’re shaped and makes contact with our hot spots most effectively. As we age, our bed buddy also needs to be pleasant to hold for an extended time without inflaming arthritic wrists or burning out before we do.
I’ve had the pleasure of testing the lovely GIGI “sensual pleasure object” from LELO. The rechargeable GIGI specializes in G-spot stimulation, and indeed the flared shape at the tip easily locates, stimulates, and hugs my G-spot. Great design!
It’s also dandy for clitoral stimulation. If you like both, just alternate placement, or use a clitoral vibrator while the GIGI is vaginally inserted — which is what I do. The curved shape makes it easy to keep GIGI inserted and out of the way when you’re using another vibrator on your clitoris.
I love the shape and size — not girthy (so helpful for post-menopausal vaginas), shaped for easy insertion, flared for the best sensation. The velvety silicone surface “tugs” a little when you move it in and out, a most pleasurable sensation.
Choose from five intensities/modes, or vary as your arousal
increases. I would have liked just one more, extremely intense setting,
but for the size, it’s amazing.
It’s also quiet, in case the grandkids are in the next room. The part that
does its magic is available in rose (pictured, though it’s not as
shocking a color as my point-and-shoot camera thinks), turquoise, or
“petal pink” to match the decor or your lingerie, or make it easy to find in the toy box. A lovely product!
Use a water-based lubricant. Don’t use a silicone-based lubricant with silicone toys — it can degrade the toy and make it tacky.
As you’ll see from other recent sex-toy reviews, we now have a swell selection to choose from or alternate, if you like variety. Thank you, designers, and enjoy, dear readers!
Tenga Egg reviewed by David Pittle
Tenga Egg Male Masturbation Sleeve
reviewed by David M. Pittle, Ph.D.
The Egg is a complete kit for a single use. Packaged within an egg-shaped shell is a very stretchable elastomer “stimulator” with ribbing designs to give a variety of sensations. To make this a complete, one-use kit, it includes a packet of lubricant, as well as the “stimulator” itself. The stimulator expands to fit almost any normal penis length and diameter to give a very good sensation. While sold as a one-use device, it will actually last up to about 10 uses. You can flip it inside out for cleaning and then add your own lubricant to
use it again. At about $8.50 each, that makes the Tenga Egg a real bargain.
If there was one weakness in the egg that I tried, it was the lack of instructions in English. The only instructions were printed in Japanese on the lubricant package. One would think that instructions were not needed for such a simple device, but applying the lubricant to the inside of the stimulator is done with an included funnel device and the method of doing all this preparation is not self-evident.
However, aside from the lack of instructions, this is an excellent product. It provides marvelous sensations, comes in a wide variety of interior ribbing designs and as a bonus, is usable even by men suffering from erectile dysfunction. The penis does not have to be hard to get the benefit of the Egg. I certainly could feel that there was ridging, but I doubt I would feel the differences between the different egg designs. Maybe someone who has a more sensitive penis might. I really liked this Egg and will probably buy them in the future.
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| Tenga Egg inside out to show texture |
Notes from Joan:
The Tenga Egg comes in a variety of textures and designs. Dr. Pittle reviewed the “Wavy” design, pictured here inside out so you can see the texture.
The Tenga Eggs are available from our friends at Good Vibrations .
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| David Pittle |
David M. Pittle, Ph.D., is a therapist in San Rafael, CA, who has been helping people with sexual issues for over thirty years. Many of his clients are age 50-80, when good sex is important, and dissatisfaction may lead to loss of shared intimacy that can threaten the total relationship. David
specializes in helping women who are not experiencing sexual satisfaction and men with non-medical and medically-related erectile dysfunction or other issues. Visit his website here. Please see Dr. Pittle’s review of the Hitachi Magic Wand here.
(I am sad to tell you that my friend, sex therapist David Pittle died December 2017. We value his sex toy reviews. Read his other reviews here.)
Note from Joan: Please see my other vibrator reviews by clicking here. Keep scrolling down — there are many! I love to hear from you and welcome your comments about any sex toys reviewed here, because our experiences are all different, and your experience will help other readers decide which toy is right for them. (However, if you’re a sex toy retailer, I don’t permit links that compete with the retailers I endorse — spammy, highjacking comments and links won’t see the light of day.)
We-Wibe Touch, Tango, and Salsa: Small and Sweet!
We-Wibe doesn’t just make vibrators for couples, I’ve discovered. I’m really enjoying the three new We-Wibe vibrators for solo play that Kama Sutra Closet sent me:
- The We-Vibe Tango is a tiny (3″x 5/8″) lipstick-shaped vibrator, fine for clitoral or vaginal pleasure.
- The We-Vibe Salsa is a tiny (3″x 5/8″) rocket-shaped vibrator, fine for clitoral or vaginal pleasure.
- The We-Vibe Touch is a palm-sized (4″ x 1.8″ x 1.2″) clitoral vibrator, shaped to cup the vulva.
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| We-Vibe Tango |
The difference between the Tango and the Salsa is the shape — would you rather have a flat area against your clitoris, or a narrow tip?
Though I liked the lipstick shape better, I found that it was hard to keep it from rolling around (thus moving the flat part away), especially when it and my fingers were coated with lube.
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| We-Wibe Salsa |
Internally, they act similar to a bullet vibrator, though slim and longer than the usual bullet. There’s no pull-string, but as long as the vibrations are still going, it will shoot right out if you stop clenching and push a little. (In fact, it will shoot right out if you’re not careful to clench or push with a finger!)
Do not, however, insert these little toys anally, because they don’t have a flange base and can indeed get stuck inside. You don’t want to be the emergency room doctor’s next story about what he had to remove from someone’s rectum.
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| We-Vibe Touch |
The Touch is for external use only, and it’s my favorite of the three — although I wish (oh, there she goes again…) the vibrations were stronger. I like that it’s a little rubbery and flexible rather than really hard. The shape is lovely — just tuck it where it fits over clitoris and parts of the vulva, and let it work its magic.
All three together are small enough to fit in a hand, and lightweight enough to be your special travel buddies. They’re discreet and quiet for solo pleasure, even if someone is in the next room. They’re also small enough to fit between bodies during sex with a partner, if you need extra clitoral stimulation, as many of us do.
Despite their tiny size, they pack quite a strong vibrational punch. Each has four intensities for steady vibration plus four different pulsing patterns. You just push the soft button at the end, and vibrations change — no dials or complicated controls. (Personally, I just turn it up to the strongest, steady vibration and enjoy, but many people really like the pattern options.) Push and hold, and it turns off. Easy–except when the vibrator and your fingers are lubed, when it’s apt to skitter out of your hand and across the bed. Capture it with a washcloth, or — better — get the washcloth ready first!
These We-Vibe playmates are completely waterproof, so you can get your enjoyment in the shower or tub! They’re made of body-safe materials: the Tango and Salsa are PC-ABS thermoplastic, and the Touch is medical-grade platinum silicone. All are eco-friendly, carbon-neutral in their manufacturing and distribution. They even come with a storage pouch, which I always appreciate.
Rechargeable, they fasten magnetically to a cute charging bulb, and in less than 90 minutes, they’re recharged enough to go for two hours.
Thank you, Kama Sutra Closet, for sending me these dear little vibes to review! I’ll be tucking them in my suitcase next trip!
The Hitachi Magic Wand: guest review by David M. Pittle, Ph.D.
male readers, and I’m thrilled when men as well as women fill the room at my
talks and workshops. But how do I, a woman, review a sex toy for men?
sex-positive man of our age to review it – a man like David Pittle.
himself as a therapist in San Rafael, CA, saying that he has been buying copies
of Naked at Our Age for his clients. Since then, he has attended several of my
events, and we’ve had many lively and honest conversations about sex and aging.
When he told me that the Hitachi Magic Wand is his favorite sex toy, I invited
him to write a review from his male perspective. Lucky for us, he was happy to
oblige. Here it is:
which is bisexual is the magnificent and venerable Hitachi Magic Wand.
The Magic Wand has beenaround for over 30 years in several constantly improving versions. The current Hitachi
Magic Wand HV250R is a vibrator that can wake up your libido no matter how
jaded you might be.
some of us have more difficulty getting a good erection. For many men that’s
enough of a put-off that we quit trying. It can be embarrassing and
disappointing. It is easy to begin to forget the joy of sex. But on a health
level, getting off is important. A large, recent study, published in the
Journal of the American Medical Association (April 2004), showed that men who
have an active sex life–twenty or more times per month–were about one-third
less likely to develop prostate cancer. Of course sex for its own sake is
worthwhile.
vibrator? “If I don’t have a partner, I always have the natural vibrator, my
hand,” many men say. And while that is true, it’s like saying that just because
I like spaghetti, I can’t also enjoy a baked potato with my meal. Variety is
the spice of life and a good vibrator is very spicy indeed.
large, about 12.5 inches in length. It resembles nothing so much as an old World
War I potato masher hand grenade. Like a hand grenade, when it goes off, it
provides a very big bang. The business end is 2.25 inches across, with a
shallow v-slot that will hold your penis even in its flaccid state, and keeps
it captured as you get hard. With two different speeds—L(ow) provides a
relatively gentle ride and H(igh) gives a powerful, “let’s get going now” experience—the
Magic Wand handles all the needs for most men.
recommend the Magic Wand, ostensibly for massaging back and shoulder muscles.
But that size makes it perfect for massaging a man’s testicles and perineum,
the area between the anus and the testicles, an area which is very erotically
sensitive.
is that the head is easy to clean, as every sex toy should be, though not
immersible and not for use in the tub or shower. The Magic Wand is corded and
must be plugged into a wall socket. It is perfectly safe electrically when used
in bed or other dry environments, but obviously one would not use it in the
water any more than a hair dryer.
may be useful to some men, though I haven’t felt the need for it, is a variable
speed controller. It can slow down the
Magic Wand, if even the Low speed is too much, but I notice that reviews are generally
not positive. If it isn’t needed, save the money and get a vibrator that is
less intense.
the sex toys specifically designed for men, but I always come back to my MagicWand!
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| David Pittle |
his clients are age 50-80, when good sex is important, and dissatisfaction may
lead to loss of shared intimacy that can threaten the total relationship. David
specializes in helping women who are not experiencing sexual satisfaction and
men with non-medical and medically-related erectile dysfunction or other
issues. Visit his website here.
Note from Joan: Please see my other vibrator reviews by clicking here. Keep scrolling down — there are many! I love to hear from you and welcome your comments about any sex toys reviewed here, because our experiences are all different, and your experience will help other readers decide which toy is right for them. (However, if you’re a sex toy retailer, I don’t permit links that compete with the retailers I endorse — spammy, highjacking comments and links won’t see the light of day.)