The 7 Best Anal Toys for You and Your Partner

Everyone in the world should engage in anal play, according to the anal surgeon and general anal health specialist Dr. Evan Goldstein, who says there’s so much to enjoy about the experience when using anal toys.

People born with prostates will probably appreciate the well-documented, outsized pleasure that comes with the gland’s stimulation. Goldstein also says that prostate-less individuals should consider taking advantage of the presence of sensitive nerve endings in and around the anus that may enhance sexual gratification.

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For many straight men in particular, perhaps the only real barrier to such fun is stigma. There’s a lot of this phobia” around playing with anal toys, Goldstein says. “But that’s bullshit.”

Take sex out of it altogether and there are still health benefits from working out your anus, with plugs, dildos and other sex toys.

“All day long we are sitting, we are working, we are contracted,” Goldstein says. “Nobody ever stretches their ass; nobody ever thinks of it primarily as a muscle that really needs appropriate relaxation.”

Are you convinced yet or at least curious? If so, here are some anal toys on the market that come highly recommended.

Three-Piece Anal Plug Kit by Dosha

One practice that must be avoided at all costs, Goldstein says, is starting your anal play experience with a large toy. “I don’t want people to get hurt going from nothing to like a huge dildo,” he says. “The ass doesn’t work like that.”

Zachary Zane, a sex writer and sex expert for the queer cruising app, Sniffies, offers simlar advice. He says newbies should start with a small item and use “a ton of lube.” Fight the body’s natural reflex to clench while inserting your toy of choice and take deep breaths to help relax yourself, Zane says.

Goldstein suggests beginners deliberately stretch the anal muscles and skin over a six-week period of time, utilizing an anal dilating series of butt plugs, like the Dosha Three-Piece Anal Plug Kit. Work the small plug in, preferably with silicone-based lubricant, and engage with it for about two weeks before graduating to the medium-sized one. Repeat the process for the largest plug.

The Dosha kit plugs are made out of glass, Goldstein’s preferred material. Though it might sound counterintuitive to stick a glass-anything up your butt, he says not to worry. The glass is heavy enough that you can drop plugs like these on the floor and they won’t break. He adds that your anus and rectum won’t supply enough pressure to crack the glass plug either, and the smoothness of glass surfaces are just agreeable with stretching skin and muscles.  “There isn’t any drag with glass toys,” Goldstein says. “Glass allows you to get into anal sex so much quicker, streamlining the process.”

Rimming Plug 2 by B-Vibe

Advertised as “the only butt plug on the market that simulates rimming,” this electrical, vibrating toy uses rotating beads along the base to stimulate the anus. An additional motor at the tip provides additional gratification, while it’s wireless remote allows a partner to control the action.

Thruster by Velvet

The Thruster dildo is exceptionally flexible — bending up to 90 degrees — and boasts 3.5 inches of vibrating thrust. It’s a six-speeder, made of water-resistant, medical-grade silicone. For all nighters, it gets up to eight hours of battery life. “This toy is definitely for more advanced bottoming pros,” says Zane. He calls it “high-quality” and testifies that the thrusting action “feels like you’re being penetrated by a real person.”

Desire Prostate Massager by Lovehoney

Made of silk-spun silicone, this remote control toy with a dented tip designed to hit the prostate has eight different modes and a dozen “intensity levels.” Because it’s made of silicone, use water-based lube with this puppy. (Zane says silicone lube “destroys” toys made of the same material.)

“This is a classic vibrating prostate massager with a remote,” says Zane. “It fits snugly inside your anus and presses firmly against your perineum — your taint — to hold it in place and also for additional stimulation.”

Three-Piece Pink Gemstone Anal Plug Set by Adam & Eve

Marla Renee Stewart, MA, a sexpert for the sex toy consumer platform Lovers, says this is the perfect set for beginners “who love the weight of metal.” The plugs are made of aluminum, so it can be paired with any lube the user desires and Stewart says “the gradual upleveling allows you to feel more of the weight that can give you different sensations for each one.”

She says that generally the plugs hold nice and snug, while the pink gemstone at the base “is visually pleasing, especially in various sexual positions, as it brings a certain kind of glimmer to the area.”

Textured Silicone Anal Probe Kit by Cal Exotics

For the female lovers who want to level up, this soft, textured set of three plugs in graduated sizes is designed for safe and pleasurable anal play. Each of the plugs has a ring at the end for easy insertion and removal, though they can also be used for the attachment of a vibrating bullet to add vibration to the experience. The diamond pattern mold in the plugs also provides stimulation when the plugs are twisted.

“Our anuses have some really sensitive nerve endings, which make it one of the best erogenous zones to pleasure,” says Stewart. “This training kit allows you to feel all the feels with its textured silicone surface. Not only is it soft to the touch, but the slim pineapple texture allows easy insertion. In addition, it comes with a nice finger ring for ease when gliding in and out for yourself or for your lover to playfully tug!”

Lolli Plug 2 by Satisfyer

This last item comes recommended by sex therapist Christine Falconer, LCSW, who identifies as a woman, though the toy has gender crossover appeal. The Lolli Plug 2 is relatively narrow and curvaceously layered, while its dual motors stimulate both the prostate and perineum (you know what that is by now). But Falconer also says women like her will also enjoy its vibrations, and find it comfortable to wear during intercourse. “It’s affordable, rechargeable and not too big for a beginner,” she says.