# Ladies: Are Ben Wa balls all that? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 9, 2009, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-are-ben-wa-balls-all-that/499260 "2009-06-09T22:24:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2009, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-are-ben-wa-balls-all-that/499260/1 "2009-06-09T22:24:08Z")
I was an unintending participant in a conversation between a bunch of female nurses recently, where the majority (3 of 3) of those speaking declared that Ben Wa balls really were not terribly fun to play with. Their auto-erotic qualities were dismissed pretty much across the board. The accompanying opinion asserted by two of the RNs was that those vibrating ‘bullets’ on a string were however, quite prized and delivered a lot of ‘bang for the buck’. The other RN had not tried that particular variety, having been disappointed by the Ben Wa performance, so offered no opinion. It was at that point that my ‘expert’ opinion was solicited as to the physiology behind the whole dichotomy. I pretty much winged it, talking about ‘passive’ vs. ‘active’ stimulation of the Grafenberg spot, potential malpositioning of the two Ben Wa balls leading to suboptimal performance, and the liberating power of modern AAA batteries. My answers mollified the queries somewhat, but I was charged with researching the whole Ben Wa topic in greater depth. Some tentative research indicates that said balls were really more of an aid for Kegel exercises (to tighten up the pelvic sling muscles and enhance sensation), not an erotic device in their own right. But other sources claim that when used properly, the Ben Wa items are without peer for auto-erotic pleasure. So: Can any of our dopers confirm or rebut the opinions put forth above? Firsthand reports are most prized, but cites of scholarly literature are always appreciated, and secondhand anecdotal accounts will not be rejected out of hand. [sub]I swear, RNs talk about sex more than adolescent males. And Prison RNs _never_ blush![/sub] ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2009, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-are-ben-wa-balls-all-that/499260/2 "2009-06-09T23:04:01Z")
You were really recruited to see how much you would bullshit on the topic. They intend to laugh at you to your face and behind your back. Surprising that a prison doc doesn’t know when he is the subject of a con. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2009, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-are-ben-wa-balls-all-that/499260/3 "2009-06-10T00:04:07Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > You were really recruited to see how much you would bullshit on the topic. They intend to laugh at you to your face and behind your back. Surprising that a prison doc doesn’t know when he is the subject of a con. Sorry, I disagree. Your interpretation does not fit observed facts. ---
**Author:** ![Cyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@Cyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyn)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2009, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-are-ben-wa-balls-all-that/499260/4 "2009-06-10T00:12:53Z")
I disagree that the nurses were pulling the doc’s chain. (That’s what RTs are for.) I’m sure they seriously wanted to know. RNs talk sex almost exclusively, except when they’re talking about their boobs. I never tried Ben-Wa balls but heard they were more for exercise than self-pleasure. Cynb, OB/GYN RN and we don’t blush much, either. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2009, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-are-ben-wa-balls-all-that/499260/5 "2009-06-10T00:32:09Z")
Playboy once had an article about Sex Toys (Gee, imagine that!) and the female author wrote something like “I hear you saying, ‘what about Ben-Wa Balls?’ well, what about them?..” She went on to outline her experience with them, which was that Nothing Happened. Despite David Reuben’s endorsement in the book m **Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex…But Were Afraid to Ask** , I haven’t heard or read anything positive about them anywhere else. (and I note that Reuben was a guy – he couldn’t know firsthand). Wikipedia has an article on them that seems to credit them more as an exercise device, analagous to Kegel exercises, than as a pleasure device: > [@](#): > > The effect of Ben Wa Balls as erotic stimulator is disputed due to the fact that sexologists claim either no or very little sensation is felt by a woman.[citation needed] However, practitioners of such spiritual traditions as Tantra and Chinese Taoism believe that Ben Wa Balls are helpful tools to exercise control and to explore the sensual side of an individual. > **[Ben Wa balls](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Wa_balls)** > > Ben Wa balls, also known as orgasm balls, rin-no-tama,: 166  Venus balls, or mien-ling, are marble-sized balls, usually hollow and containing a small weight, that may be inserted into a vagina, and held in place by the pubococcygeus muscles. They may be used as a sex toy by creating sexual stimulation or pleasure by rolling around in the vagina stimulating movement and/or vibration. They create a subtle stimulation that does not bring the user to immediate orgasm, but rather teases. > They may a... ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2009, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-are-ben-wa-balls-all-that/499260/6 "2009-06-10T01:36:34Z")
> **[Ben Wa balls](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Wa_balls)** > > Ben Wa balls, also known as orgasm balls, rin-no-tama,: 166  Venus balls, or mien-ling, are marble-sized balls, usually hollow and containing a small weight, that may be inserted into a vagina, and held in place by the pubococcygeus muscles. They may be used as a sex toy by creating sexual stimulation or pleasure by rolling around in the vagina stimulating movement and/or vibration. They create a subtle stimulation that does not bring the user to immediate orgasm, but rather teases. > They may a... > [@](#): > > Less than a dozen years later, the Florentine merchant Francesco Carletti also reported their use in Thailand, where they were used to enlarge the penis. Ummm, what? I am having trouble picturing any feasible mechanics. ---
**Author:** ![Arachne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Arachne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arachne)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2009, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-are-ben-wa-balls-all-that/499260/7 "2009-06-10T01:46:35Z")
I’m an occasional user of Ben Wa balls (I use the Smart Balls variety), and have noted both their exercising and pleasure-inducing properties. The latter, for me anyway, comes from the ball bearings encased in mine that rattle and ‘vibrate’ - quite nice when going up or down stairs, but nothing orgasmic. I’d say that they’re a good wear-around-town-toy, but not the right tool for quality masturbating time. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2009, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-are-ben-wa-balls-all-that/499260/8 "2009-06-10T01:49:26Z")
Don’t know about women, but I’ve known men who use them quite frequently. The vibrating ones are more fun than the non-vibrating, and pulling several of them out has its own special rewards. Personally, I have been the ball-er, but never the ball-ee. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2009, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-are-ben-wa-balls-all-that/499260/9 "2009-06-10T01:59:04Z")
I, as a woman, have wondered about them but never used them. I’m not super into vaginal stimulation/insertion but I am curious to know what they’re like. ---
**Author:** ![BrassyPhrase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea666f/32.png) [@BrassyPhrase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrassyPhrase)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2009, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-are-ben-wa-balls-all-that/499260/10 "2009-06-10T03:35:06Z")
I’ve tried them. I found them dull. Egg vibes on the other hand? Whoohoo! I got the Ben Wa balls for the whole “ancient Chinese secret” thing (like the laundry soap). It’s either very Zen or they were very very very bored. A lot. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2009, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-are-ben-wa-balls-all-that/499260/11 "2009-06-10T03:45:37Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > [Ben Wa balls - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Wa_balls) > > Quote: “Less than a dozen years later, the Florentine merchant Francesco Carletti also reported their use in Thailand, where they were used to enlarge the penis.” > > Ummm, what? I am having trouble picturing any feasible mechanics. Can’t speak for back then, but it makes me think of the present fad here of having small ball bearings surgically implanted underneath the foreskin. Supposedly heightens sexual pleasure for the partner. As for back then, maybe they hung them from the penis in a misguided attempt to stretch it out? ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2009, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-are-ben-wa-balls-all-that/499260/12 "2009-06-10T04:24:47Z")
Meh. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2009, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-are-ben-wa-balls-all-that/499260/13 "2009-06-10T04:25:51Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Don’t know about women, but I’ve known men who use them quite frequently. The vibrating ones are more fun than the non-vibrating, and pulling several of them out has its own special rewards. Aren’t you confusing them with beads? ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2009, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-are-ben-wa-balls-all-that/499260/14 "2009-06-10T04:54:45Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Can’t speak for back then, but it makes me think of the present fad here of having small ball bearings surgically implanted underneath the foreskin. Supposedly heightens sexual pleasure for the partner. > > As for back then, maybe they hung them from the penis in a misguided attempt to stretch it out? Interesting that it’s becoming a fad. Inserting balls (actually pearls) under the penis skin is an old Yakusa practice. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2009, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-are-ben-wa-balls-all-that/499260/15 "2009-06-10T12:40:18Z")
A former GF used to carry them in a case in her bag and if we were on a walk or a hike, or spending the day outside, she’d insert them. She said they were sort of a turn-on in that they directed her attention to her genitals and there would be sort of a pleasant sensation as she moved around (swinging on a swingset in a park was a particularly good day), but she’d never be able to orgasm that way. They just provided an extended sensual feeling while they were in there. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2009, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-are-ben-wa-balls-all-that/499260/16 "2009-06-10T12:48:47Z")
Totally useless in my opinion. In fact, the one night I tried them I completely forget they were in and I promptly ejected one into the toilet at the bar :smack: Never tried the egg thingy. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2009, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-are-ben-wa-balls-all-that/499260/17 "2009-06-10T22:06:59Z")
From the responses from the ladies here, it sounds like experiences are similar to those of the gals I work with. Good to know. Physiologically it makes sense, too. Though a woman who was quite familiar with her gspot and placed the balls appropriately would probably get more results from them than a less-practiced gal. As for beads, I’ve seen a few guys wih them implanted under the skin of the shaft. Mildly weird, but not weird like bagel dog man, whom I posted about some years back. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2009, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-are-ben-wa-balls-all-that/499260/18 "2009-06-10T22:23:03Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > bagel dog man I thought I had successfully flushed him from my brain. I was wrong.:eek: ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2009, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-are-ben-wa-balls-all-that/499260/19 "2009-06-10T22:43:12Z")
I know I’ll probably sound like Chief No-Fun (yet again), but . . . **Qadgop** , man, I like you and respect you a lot. Given the perceived power disparity between nurses and doctors, and the gender difference between you and the nurses, and the fact the converstion is overtly sexual, and the fact that you work with these ladies . . . . I would be very leery about continuing this sort of conversation in the work place. Feel free to disregard, of course. I’m not trying to get in your bidness or anything. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2009, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-are-ben-wa-balls-all-that/499260/20 "2009-06-10T22:51:12Z")
I think _somebody_ needs some Ben-Wa balls. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-are-ben-wa-balls-all-that/499260.md?page=2)