You’re never too old to play with toys

Spice up your sex life with yourself or your partner with easy-to-use sex toys under $20

Cynthia Herrington
Cynthia Herrington

Bullets, wabbits, butt plugs, oh my! Whether used alone or with a partner, sex toys have the potential to spice up your sex life and increase your orgasm quotient.

Sexual Health Resource Centre Director, Melissa Gibaldi, ConEd ’08, said for most people, sex toys are usually phallic in shape and often “A sex toy is anything that makes you feel sexy,” she said.

Gibaldi said the SHRC attempts to cater to all needs and does their best to be as inclusive as possible.

“The SHRC wants to cater to all communities,” she said. “We want to be representative. We’re trying to get more toys for men.”

Product prices range from $4 to $65 but Sabrina Lemire-Rodger, volunteer co-ordinator and ArtSci ’08, discussed those under $20.

“The Silver Bullet is a plastic vibrating egg with sliding adjustable speeds,” she said. “It’s easily inserted between partners and great for clitoral stimulation.”

Lemire-Rodger said that, at $4, it also happens to be their cheapest and most intense vibrator. The Bullet and the Wascally Wabbit, popularized by Sex and the City, are the SHRC’s two best selling sex toys.

The Wabbit, $20, is made with the material the SHRC has dubbed “mystery rubber” or “unknown jelly,” Lemire-Rodger said. “The Wabbit is for both vaginal penetration and clitoral stimulation,” she said. It has a vibrating head, and balls near the base of the toy that move around inside. The first third of the vagina has the most nerve endings. It also has vibrating bunny ears to stimulate the clitoris.”

Similarly animal themed, I Rub My Duckie, $13.50, is an inconspicuous, vibrating, rubber duck. It’s also submergible and you can use the entire toy for stimulation—beak, body, head and tail, Lemire-Rodger said.

Another non-phallic sex toy is the Yoni which sells for $17.

“It slips over your finger and makes your finger the sex toy,” she said. “You don’t have to clean it unless you get anything on it and it has adjustable speeds. It’s great for people who are uncomfortable using a sex toy.”

For others who are new to toys, My Secret, $10, is an excellent choice, Lemire-Rodger said.

“It looks like a pen, it’s very discreet,” she said. “You turn it on by adjusting the base. It’s for external stimulation. My Secret also comes with a black, velveteen pouch.”

The SHRC also stocks The Ryder, $17, a silicone butt plug used for stimulating the anus. Stephanie Brown, assistant director of the SHRC and ArtSci 09’, said its flared base prevents the toy from moving too far up the anus, as well as the additional benefit of contouring to an individual’s butt cheeks for comfort.

“A butt plug is used to give a feeling of fullness,” she said. “It’s especially good for partners when one is into anal play and one isn’t.”

The SHRC also sells cock rings, priced at $6.50 and $15, Brown said. “A cock ring is placed on an erect penis when the person wants to maintain an erection longer,” she said. “Cock rings stop the blood that caused the erection from leaving the penis. Both our rings are condom compatible. One is adjustable and can be thrown in the wash; the other is silicone and can be sterilized. For beginners the silicone one might be more difficult to get on and off. Don’t keep it on for longer than 20 minutes.”

Although the SHRC provides the most accessible sex toys on campus, there are also places to check out downtown.

As a certified sex educator and owner of a lingerie and adult novelty shop at 292 Queen Street, Cynthia Herrington has a diverse selection of sex toys to meet the needs of her clients.

“Bullets are very popular,” she said. “They start around $9.99. There is also the Make Her Blush Massager Brush for $12.99. It’s shaped like a makeup brush and vibrates,” she said.

For couples, Herrington had several recommendations.

“The Tongue Dinger, $9.99, is a disposable tongue ring that vibrates,” she said. “It’s wonderful for oral sex. There are also vibrating love rings such as The Big Glow, $20, which stimulates both partners.”

Herrington emphasized that sex toys mean safe sex.

“You don’t have to worry about waking up with a sexually transmitted infection when all you wanted was an orgasm,” she said. “Orgasm is your God given right. It has stress relieving effects, clears up your skin and can enhance your immune system.”

Herrington stressed the importance of trust when it comes to using sex toys.

“Sex toys are to enhance and give pleasure,” she said. “They are not to make either partner feel inadequate.”

Lauren, ArtSci ’10, said she thinks the stigma relating to sex toys has a lot to do with the social view of female sexuality.

“Men are fully allowed to disclose their rampant sexual conquests and women are not,” she sad. “Seeing as a lot of the sex toys under $25 are geared towards women’s pleasure, it follows that society be inhibited by the subject.”

Lauren said her partner purchased both of her sex toys for her. She has a Yoni and a vibrating g-spot stimulator the SHRC no longer stocks.

“He wanted to play with them with me,” she said. “Now I use them regardless of whether he’s around or not.”

Lauren said in addition to being a great way to unwind, sex toys allow you to mix things up.

“Variety is the spice of life,” she said. “If you have a couple of things to change you’ll never get bored. How awful would it be to get bored of having sex with yourself?”

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