Lemondrop

I first become fixated on the idea of Ben Wa balls when I was a teenager. I was fascinated by the idea of having something, well, inside me that no one would know about. The set I got were gold-colored, a little bigger than marbles and not nearly as fun as I thought they'd be.

I put them in, and after a few minutes of walking, I felt them slipping out and into my underwear. In addition to feeling like I had a crotch full of gumballs, one of the balls slipped down my pant leg. I wound up abandoning them to the back of my sock drawer.

Fun Factory Smartballs are eons better than my first set of Ben Was. They're made of hypoallergenic Elastomed (no hives!) and they're a soft plastic: harder than jelly rubber but soft enough so you can make a small dent if you press your fingernail into the surface.

And they don't fall out. They're about twice as big as my golden oldies. Smartballs only come in one size -- about one inch across at their widest. Different women will want different things size-wise, but these work well for me.

Click here to read more about how these balls work.




How They Work
To use, you insert the toy into your vagina (you might want to use some lube.) (A plastic string, made out of the same material as the balls, hangs down so you can get them out.) With the balls are inside, you have a pleasant "full" feeling. A round weight is encased inside each sphere so that when you move, you can feel it rolling inside the casing and bumping against the walls of your vagina. I have them in right now, and I can feel them massaging me from the inside out.

Masturbating with the Smartballs inside was incredible -- the balls were subtle but made the rest of me much more sensitive. I'm getting wet right now! (As you might guess, the dual perk and peril of sex writing is arousing yourself as you type.) You can also wear Smartballs outside the house. Going dancing with them might be pleasant; going to the gym would probably be distracting, although the elliptical machine would be far less boring ...

Why They're Awesome
The greatest thing about Smartballs, though, is that in addition to turning in you on, they strengthen your PC muscles. The PC muscles, or the pelvic floor muscles, are the ones you squeeze to stop the flow of pee.

Weak PC muscles can cause incontinence (this is most common after giving birth, although older and overweight women often leak when they sneeze), and a strong pelvic floor can give you better orgasms. Strengthening your PCs can lead to longer, more intense orgasms. (I'll address vaginal exercises and products made for them in a future column.)

Finally, a quick note, because I imagine this might come up in the comments: Smartballs and Kegels do not create a "tight" vagina. And unless you're a senior citizen or have recently given birth, you almost certainly don't have a "loose" cooch. Click here for one explanation, but the gist is this: The vagina gets wet and expands when you're turned on to accommodate whatever's about to go inside it. You can be more or less aware of your pelvic floor muscles, and, like any other muscle group, their tone can vary, but you can't change the size of your vagina.

Have you tried Smartballs? What about other Ben Was? What did you think of them?

Sadie Faye reviews sex advice and accessories each week on Lemondrop. Got orgasm questions? Is there a product or technique you've been curious about but want someone to try out first? Ask her in the comments or e-mail her.