Ben Wa Balls - Blog Posts
Ben-Wa Balls
Since they are featured in some of the teases published here, a few facts and some other information on Ben-Wa balls seemed a good addition to the “How To” page for the benefit of my readers.
Ben-Wa history
Ben-Wa balls (sometimes called Ben Wah balls, Benwa balls, Benoit balls, or Kegel balls) may be the world’s oldest sex toy having originated in Japan around 500 AD. They were originally used to give men a little extra pleasure during sex. But women soon discovered that they could also benefit from some enhanced sensations when using the balls. The feeling of free floating balls inside the vagina caused women to become more sexually aroused.
Ben-Wa balls can be as small as common marbles, up to about an inch in diameter, or even larger. The balls originally used were hollow, made of metal, and had mercury inside them. The movement of the mercury caused tiny tremors inside the vagina. For some women, the sensations could even bring them to orgasm.
Modern Ben-Wa balls
Today Ben-Wa balls are made of different types of materials—steel, plastic, latex, glass, and even jade. Some are hollow and weighted with smaller balls inside to achieve the same effects as those in ancient times although mercury is of course no longer used. It’s best to choose balls that do not easily collect bacteria like those constructed of surgical grade stainless steel or glass.
Keeping Ben-Wa balls inside the vagina helps to strengthen and tighten the pelvic floor muscles similar to how Kegel exercises do. Some women keep the balls in for a few hours while others keep then in for the entire day.
Beginners often start out with a larger set of balls like those about an inch in diameter because they are easier to retain. With experience and improvement in the strength of the pelvic floor muscles users can then graduate to the smaller ones. The balls should be used at home by the novice before wearing them out in public. Losing a ball and having it roll across the floor at work could result in an embarrassing situation.
Inserting the balls
To use them, the balls are simply inserted in the vagina. Lubrication can be used if needed for easier insertion but usually that isn’t necessary. Once inside, some women report they feel similar to a tampon when first inserted but within a few minutes users often do not feel them at all.
Depending on the weight of the balls when you become active, you will likely feel the balls jiggle inside your vagina and possibly begin to slide down. Not every woman experiences the slide down feeling but you should be aware of it just in case. The feeling of the balls is very slight but they do as mentioned cause your pelvic floor muscles to tighten without any active effort on your part. Depending on your individual sensitivity, you may begin to feel heightened sexual arousal while wearing the balls.
Some balls are attached with string and others are not. The non-stringed variety is better for hygienic reasons as it is difficult to properly clean the string. Some women prefer the stringed version of the balls because it is simpler to extract the balls when they want to remove them. But no need to worry. Things cannot be lost inside the vagina. They can generally be easily removed simply by pushing with your pelvic floor muscles. If they don’t come out, there are other ways to remove them. You can try jumping up and down so that the weight of the balls and gravity cause them to come out. As a last resort, they can be extracted with teaspoon but this is rarely necessary. You will quickly become accustomed to wearing the balls and removing them so any early difficulty in getting them out will be temporary.
Benefit of the balls
There are a number of benefits to using Ben-Wa balls―
They strengthen the pelvic floor muscles
They can produce heightened sexual arousal
They can increase sexual pleasure through more intense orgasms
Using these balls is the easiest and most effective way to strengthen and tone the pelvic floor muscles because unlike Kegel exercises, you don’t have to remember to do anything.
You can leave the balls in during sexual intercourse with a partner. As a penis thrusts in and out of your vagina, the balls will move the balls around inside you adding pleasure for both you and your partner.
Considerations
It is important to properly clean Ben-Wa balls after every use. Metal, glass, or jade balls can simply be cleaned and disinfected with boiling water. Those made of other materials should be cleaned as directed by the manufacturer.
Also, be aware that due to the weight of the balls, the effects of gravity, and the muscles you use when urinating, Ben-Wa balls are susceptible to falling out when you sit on the toilet and pee. The more experience you have with them the less likely this is to occur, but you need to be aware that it can happen.
