Zoning out during Zoom calls. Tweeting about Tiger King. Engaging in or eye-rolling at “see 10, do 10” push-up challenges.
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and the implementation of stay-at-home orders, there are a few distraction tactics those of us who are lucky enough to stay home have implemented to manage the stress of well, *gestures wildly*.
And for some folks, like me, who are experiencing a case of the Quarantine Randies, that list includes whacking off. Or if getting down with the partner, FWB, or roommate in your quarantining with. Or in my case: both.
Now, I don’t know about you, but personally, the apocalyptic dread has me feeling even more “Do anything once!” and “Let’s try it!” in the bedroom than normal. And lucky for me, my partner-in-pleasure and isolation buddy feels the same.
So, we’re finally trying the things we’ve been talking about trying since we started dating. Like exploring the pleasure potential of my butt hole.
Hey, nothing like apocalyptic dread to increase someones interest in anal!
So many reasons! From an anatomical perspective,“there are just as many nerves in the anal sphincter, as there are on the tip of the penis,” according certified sex educator Alicia Sinclair, CEO of COTR, Inc. the manufacturer of b-Vibe, Le Wand, and Ride the Cowgirl. That's 4000-thousand nerves, to be exact.
“Stimulating the entrance of the anus either by rocking the plug back and forth across the opening, or using a butt plug that vibrates against those nerves can be incredibly pleasurable,” she says. Rimming, anal beads, and penetrative anal can also be stimulation for that reason, she says.
Anal penetration can stimulate pleasure-zones deeper insider the body. “When you put something into the anal canal of someone with a vulva, it presses into the vaginal canal which can stimulate the clitoral legs, the G-spot, and even further back, the A-spot,” says Sincliar.
For people and penis’s, anal penetration can stimulate the prostate (which is sometimes known as the “male G-spot). “Some people can even have a prostate orgasm—which is a type of orgasm that comes from deeper inside the body,” she says.
Beyond that, a little backdoor action can also be psychologically thrilling. It’s intimate, it’s vulnerable, it’s spectacularly taboo. And, according to Sinclair, if the idea of being “stuffed” or “full of your partner” turns you on, anal play delivers.
Read: 5 Ways to Use Butt Plugs to Take Your Sex Life to the Next Level
A few years ago, I fiddled with a plug during a solo session in the shower. Ultimately, I found the experience to be a little “meh” and prior to quarantine, hadn’t tried again.
Luckily, as a sex journalist I’m often sent sex toys, which means I already had everything my partner and I needed to explore anal: a buffet of butt plugs and plenty of lube.
We started with the Snug Plug 1, the smallest option in a collection of silky silicone plugs from b-Vibe.
Sinclair told me that the biggest mistake most folks make when exploring anal penetration for the first time is jumping *right* to it without proper warm-up. So, after getting steamy in the shower, we took our sweet time licking/nibbling/kissing one another until we were both thoroughly turned on. Then, we brought in the plug.
While Sinclair told me doggy style would be a good option, I wanted to be able see my partner. So, we got in a missionary position with a pillow under my hips to help make my back hole more accessible.
Then, after dousing the plug and my rear with a water-based lube (friendly reminder: silicone-based lube is not compatible with silicone toys) my partner rocked the toy back and forth around my entrance while I touched my clit. This part felt like rimming, and gave me all the same orgasmic tingles getting my ass-eaten does.
But, despite how mind-blowing using the plug externally felt, at first that bugger just wouldn’t go in! But then my yoga-loving partner suggests that we breath in-sync, and that did the trick.
After a few deep inhales and exhales, the plug slid in. Hoorah!
The best way to describe the sensation is that I felt full! But not in a painful way. On the contrary, the added internal pressure against my anal canal while receiving and giving head felt really fucking good.
Keep in mind that I have a hypertonic pelvic floor (AKA chronically tight vagina) that can make vaginal penetration a little iffy without the plug. So it wasn’t surprising that with the plug I found vaginal penetration with the plug (even with just one finger) to be way way too much.
The verdict: I may not be using the Snuggie (as I’ve cleverly nicknamed this babe) to explore DP (aka double penetration) any time soon. But this little cutie has been a regular attendee of our apocalyptic play since the first week!
10/10 would recommend the Snug Plug for butt play beginners!
Read: 8 Tips for Choosing a Butt Plug
During the third week of quarantine, we decided to try the Bump Textured Plug. Launched as part of a textured-plug line between purveyor of anal pleasure, b-Vibe and dildo queen and sex educator Zoe Ligon (AKA Thongria on social media), the Bump Textured Plug is a pinecone-shaped vibrating butt plug.
Read: New Toy to Know: b-Vibe Texture Plugs
Here’s the thing, while the Bump Textured Plug is the smallest plug in the three-plug collection (there’s also a medium-sized Swirl Textured Plug and a big Daddy Twist Textured Plug), at 1.2 inches in diameter, the Bump still significantly larger than the Snug Plug we’ve been using. But any nervousness I felt about the size, vanished once I felt the vibration against my opening.
Let me just say it: that shit is intense! Like, “I can’t control the sounds coming out of my mouth” intense.
After that first magic (MAGIC) moment, we experimented inserting this baby into my bum. And while we couldn’t get my body to accept more than a centimeter (even when I used deep breathing!) the bumpy sensation rubbing against my sphincter felt spectacular. Truly, unlike anything else I've experienced before.
Before I used the plug, Sinclair told me that some folks enjoy using these plugs as vaginal plugs. She explained: “There aren’t many dildos on the market that are as small as these plugs are. So for folks who want a sensation of vaginal, but who find classic dildos overwhelming, this can be a good option for front door play.”
And because, again, I have a tight pelvic floor, I figured I'd be the perfect candidate for this use!
During a solo session (after the plug had been fully sanitized, of course), I lathered the Bump with lube, and slid her into my vagina. Then, I enlisted my sidekick the Le Wand Point and within minutes I was making animal sounds.
All in all, I may not be advanced enough in my anal exploration journey to full enjoy the Bump as an anal toy (Sinclair did tell me, “The textured plugs are for someone who already has experienced with anal play and is looking to explore their repetoire.”). But for now, I’ll be using her as a vaginal plug to warm my body for P-in-V intercourse.
Cheers to versatile toys!
Read: The Beginner's Guide to Anal Stretching
I may only be a few weeks into my anal exploration journey, but with no end date to this pandemic in sight—and no plans to split from my partner after—it’s safe to say I have plentyyyy of time to continue to play with anal pleasure! And, who knows, maybe by the end of all of this I’ll be upgrading my Bump to an even larger toy like the Twist!
But in the meantime, I plan to continue loving and experimenting with the Snug Plug 1 and Bump.
And I’d enthusiastically recommend the former to folks who are new to anal play, and the latter who are better-acquainted with their ass than I! Especially now, when we could all use a little more pleasure.
Gabrielle Kassel is sex writer for brands such as Cosmo, Health, Well & Good, Shape, Women’s Health, Greatist, and more. She can be found on Twitter and Instagram at @gabriellekassel.
