The ben-wa ball debate

by Tamar Love 

I first heard of Ben Wa Balls when I was a teenager: I was browsing in a New Age store, playing with Chinese meditation balls--those smooth, metal balls that one rolls around in one's palm, careful not to let them touch lest an internal chime clang. "Are those Ben Wa Balls?" my shopping companion whispered to me. I was startled--what were Ben Wa Balls? My girlfriend muttered something about "sex balls that you put in your vagina," and blushed, hurrying down the aisle to purchase some incense. I started at the two-inch balls in my hand. Was I really supposed to insert these? 

As it turns out, no, I wasn't. Fortunately, I didn't even try. But millions of women have inserted the real Ben Wa Balls--small, marble-sized metal balls, usually hollow and containing a small weight that rolls around, creating vibrations within the vagina and surrounding sensitive tissue. Some swear by the rotating tingles these discreet toys produce; others cry bunk, claiming the insertable wonders fall short of their orgasmic promise. I decided to find out for myself. 

What Are They? 

Legend has it that women in ancient Japan or China first inserted egg-shaped hollow balls carved from ivory, then spent hours gently rocking back and forth, eventually experiencing a subtle-yet-crashing orgasm. Today, Ben Wa Balls are made from a variety of substances, including gold plating, silver, steel, plastic, Lucite and any combination thereof. 

Because they are made from hard, non-porous substances, Ben Wa Balls don't absorb bacteria--so you can use them longer than other sex toys. Some women claim they wear them all day, experiencing clandestine fun at the office, the grocery store...even on dates. Other women enjoy using them for partner sex, and say their male partners love encountering the smooth balls during penetration. However, some women say the toys are little more than useless, producing a sensation so slight, they may as well not be using the balls at all. 

While many Ben Wa novices express alarm at the thought of inserting and removing the balls, it's relatively simple: just pop them in and squeeze them out. You may want to experiment with location; some people enjoy holding them lower in the vagina, while others try to position them directly behind their G-Spots. Just don't aim for the cervix--while you're unlikely to have a problem with them slipping past your body's gateway to the uterus, you probably won't enjoy any kind of clanging sensation that close to your cervix, a region some women find particularly sensitive.