# Men & Masturbation: Wet or dry? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 5, 2001, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-masturbation-wet-or-dry/97005 "2001-12-05T10:25:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-masturbation-wet-or-dry/97005/1 "2001-12-05T10:25:17Z")
When I first started whacking off at the ripe old age of… oh… probably 2 months… I found that I needed to lube myself up in order to achieve any stimulation. This led to certain… ::ahem::… unpleasant experiences (shut up!). In any case, I soon found out how to manually pleasure myself without the use of a lube. I’m exclusively a “dry” masturbator now. So I’m wondering… from the man who brought you the “Grow-ers & Show-ers” thread… which men masturbate with a lube, and which do it dry? ---
**Author:** ![Ooner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c67d28/32.png) [@Ooner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ooner)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-masturbation-wet-or-dry/97005/2 "2001-12-05T10:40:23Z")
Originally wet only. Then I tried dry, but it led to drying of the skin and general discomfort. Now, most people would take the easy road and go back to the lube, but I just toughed it out and before long dry was just fine (and a whole hell of a lot cleaner, easier and more convenient). So now, almost exclusively dry, though lube every now and then (when I have time and can be sure nobody will hear the squishiness sound) is nice. And, I can’t believe I just posted that, squishiness and all. I don’t know how you people do this so regularly. ---
**Author:** ![Amazing\_Tiki\_God](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazing\_Tiki\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazing_Tiki_God)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-masturbation-wet-or-dry/97005/3 "2001-12-05T10:48:53Z")
Dry. I started off that way and well it works good enough for me. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-masturbation-wet-or-dry/97005/4 "2001-12-05T10:52:37Z")
Dry, mostly. ---
**Author:** ![Commander\_Fortune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Commander\_Fortune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Commander_Fortune)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-masturbation-wet-or-dry/97005/5 "2001-12-05T11:03:47Z")
This is fascinating. Besides mess, are the sensations much different between wet and dry? If you have your druthers, do you prefer wet or dry when someone else is, um, handling you? ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-masturbation-wet-or-dry/97005/6 "2001-12-05T11:13:31Z")
> [@](#): > > Besides mess, are the sensations much different between wet and dry? Yeah, the sensations are different, for me, anyway. With lubricant, you can generally make long, harder strokes. But with dry, I use the loose skin of the shaft itself to provide the “smooth stroke” for stimulation. This limits the length and power of the stroke… so it’s the difference between fewer, longer, and harder strokes, and more, shorter, softer strokes. In terms of reaching orgasm, I’ve never noticed much difference. > [@](#): > > If you have your druthers, do you prefer wet or dry when someone else is, um, handling you? Never had someone else handling me, so I’ll have to get back to you on that. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Crunch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@Chief\_Crunch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Crunch)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-masturbation-wet-or-dry/97005/7 "2001-12-05T11:18:09Z")
I’ve noticed the sensation is more intense when wet during the actual “procedure”, but the climax is much weaker and less fulfilling than when dry. Plus there’s the issue of clean-up. ---
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-masturbation-wet-or-dry/97005/8 "2001-12-05T11:26:45Z")
Dry. It’s more convenient, neater, and cheaper. Yes, I am a pragmatist at heart. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-masturbation-wet-or-dry/97005/9 "2001-12-05T11:27:07Z")
Wet considering 90% of the time I’m in the shower when I wack off. Talk about convenient! ---
**Author:** ![dead0man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/edb3f5/32.png) [@dead0man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dead0man)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-masturbation-wet-or-dry/97005/10 "2001-12-05T12:13:34Z")
I go dry 100% of the time out of the shower. Now, when you say “wet”, are saying WET as in just spit/water or “wet” as in baby oil/lotion? Cause WET as in water just SUCKS. In the shower im a bar soap guy all the way. Now about the handling by others part. WOMEN CAN NOT GIVE HAND JOBS!! I’m not gay, but I’d be willing to bet that a man would give a 10 times better hand job than a woman. I’m sure there are exceptions. And I’m sure we will hear them. But they will be lies. Women, ITS NOT A FRICKEN HAMMER and it aint an egg either. Gentle yet stern. Firm yet foregiving. O screw this, just spread 'em. dead0man …going TMI for the second time ---
**Author:** ![thinksnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thinksnow/32/2849_2.png) [@thinksnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thinksnow)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-masturbation-wet-or-dry/97005/11 "2001-12-05T16:41:32Z")
Wet 95% of the time. Lotion, baby oil or soap. Oh, or _Wet™_ (a single drop of this goes a loooong way.) ---
**Author:** ![Cap\_n\_Crude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Cap\_n\_Crude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cap_n_Crude)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-masturbation-wet-or-dry/97005/12 "2001-12-05T17:22:06Z")
Started dry, then tried wet, now I’m mostly dry. I go wet for an occasional treat, but the mess is more trouble than it’s worth most of the time. Oh, and **thinksnow,** soap? What is your dick made out of, dude? Soap does bad things to Junior, so we avoid it. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-masturbation-wet-or-dry/97005/13 "2001-12-05T17:52:08Z")
Soap is bad? You gotta be kidding. What am I supposed to use to wash my privates? Oven cleaner? ---
**Author:** ![Tomcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Tomcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tomcat)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-masturbation-wet-or-dry/97005/14 "2001-12-05T18:22:12Z")
I was going to post a thread about this topic one day when I had the, er, balls to do it. Folks, listen up! Hand jobs are great, and should be added to all sexual reportoires(sp?), both single and with partners! And **dead0man** , you are wrong. My wife LOVES to give me handjobs, and has learned to give me manual pleasure better than I can give myself. She is creative, attentive, teasing & pleasing. She takes me up to the point of orgasm and then makes me ride the edge forever, then once I think I’m going to go crazy, she picks up on my mood, and either goes slow and long, or fast and furious, and I enter an orgasm that can last for over 30 seconds. There is a book out there called “ESO: Extended Sexual Orgasm” Buy it! Through Kegels, timing, communication and practice practice practice you can have something else to do in bed that I find as sensory blowing as blowjobs. Fact. I consistently have HUGE orgasms from handjobs. The lube that they got me using is called Abolene Unscented (face cleanser, or make-up remover or ???). It comes in a large 16oz jar with a blue lid. I have found it at Walgreens, a few King Soopers, and other small pharmacy-type places. It is half Vaseline, half parafin wax. The consistency is remarkably like vaginal lubrication, but it doesn’t dry out. It is totally different than baby-oil, hand lotion, pure Vaseline, etc. It is great! (There is also a recipe in the ESO book for making your own, in case you can’t find it at the store) I like dry sometimes, but I find that the pleasure from using Abolene is well worth the added mess. After one or two tries, you can find the general amount that just adds, not takes away, feeling. You know that feeling you get when you first enter a woman (or guy, I guess)? That “OHHHHHHHYYEEESSSSSsssssss…”? Ya, it feels like that. Try it. One of the main things to try with this stuff is going slow. Which I guess is the point of **dead0man’s** complaint. My wife will take Mr. Happy and go slow and steady, with so many different techniques it would be hard to list them all. Here are a few: make an ‘O’ with your finger and thumb and start at the head and slowly go to the base, when you hit the base, her (your) other hand starts at the top and then goes down, repeat. Or she’ll hold both hands, one on top of the other, and make a tunnel that I can either thrust into, or she’ll do the work- sometimes she’ll start with 1 slow, then 1 fast, then 2 slow, then 2 fast, etc. up to 10 each, then back down. By the end of that I’m groaning and moaning, begging her to finish me off. Just as I can learn to rythmically rub slowly and lightly around the sides of her clit, she can learn not to treat my dick like a hammer. And going solo with this stuff allows you to do many more things than just your up-and-down, finish the job stroke. You can experiment, then grab her hands and show her how. Handjobs: the underated sex. -Tcat ---
**Author:** ![c\_goat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@c\_goat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/c_goat)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-masturbation-wet-or-dry/97005/15 "2001-12-05T18:30:05Z")
I’ve done it dry all my life, except when in the shower of course. I think people with plenty of skin on the shaft can do it that way. People who were cut too short probably can’t since there’s no extra skin when at full attention. Funny Story: I started when I was very young by having mock sex with stuffed animals that would produce an orgasm (no, I didn’t have any goat stuffed animals). There was no ejaculation though, I guess I started before I hit puberty. The first time there was ejaculation though, I thought I broke it and was afraid to touch it for weeks after that. And that’s your dose of TMI for today. ---
**Author:** ![Why\_A\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@Why\_A\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Why_A_Duck)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-masturbation-wet-or-dry/97005/16 "2001-12-05T18:34:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by c\_goat \* > **Funny Story: > I started when I was very young by having mock sex with stuffed animals that would produce an orgasm (no, I didn’t have any goat stuffed animals). There was no ejaculation though, I guess I started before I hit puberty. The first time there was ejaculation though, I thought I broke it and was afraid to touch it for weeks after that.** Oh does that bring back memories. Not the goat stuffed animal part, but the “WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT” part. Thought I knew it all, next thing I know I’m checking the ceiling for spots. Er…98% dry, 2% wet (lotion, lubes mostly. Soaps and shampoos make it sting afterwards). As you were. ---
**Author:** ![thinksnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thinksnow/32/2849_2.png) [@thinksnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thinksnow)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-masturbation-wet-or-dry/97005/17 "2001-12-05T18:59:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\*Cap’n Crude \*\* > Oh, and **thinksnow,** soap? What is your dick made out of, dude? Soap does bad things to Junior, so we avoid it. Soap has always worked just fine. I’m not saying use _Lava_ or lye-soap or something, but _Ivory, Dove_ or\* Irish Spring\* works just fine. You aren’t humping the bar, m’man, just using the sudsy-goodness to help things along when the mood strikes you. Shampoo works, too, FTM. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Diogenes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-masturbation-wet-or-dry/97005/18 "2001-12-05T19:23:07Z")
Eeeeeowch! It burns, it burrrrrns! A nice, wet masturbation, please, but not too soggy, thank you. Enough to allow the hand to glide without grabbing or sticking. When I was just starting out soft cloth was good enough. Now I prefer KY, a mild, non-scented hand lotion or spittle . And for the record, I _really_ like it when my partner gives me a hand/blow job. But then, who wouldn’t? ---
**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:** [December 5, 2001, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-masturbation-wet-or-dry/97005/19 "2001-12-05T19:59:11Z")
Medical professional checking in here, gang. Soap is fine, just wash it off after. I’ve seen some nasty alkali burns with guys who just zipped up after and went on their way. Beware using too much saliva too long with a lot of friction. Spit has amyases, lipases, and proteases that do start digesting tender dermal and mucosal tissue. QtM ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Diogenes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-masturbation-wet-or-dry/97005/20 "2001-12-05T20:38:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Qadgop the Mercotan \* > …Spit has amyases, lipases, and proteases that do start digesting tender dermal and mucosal tissue. > > QtM mmmmm…_amyases_. That’s something good to know. Thanks, Doc! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-masturbation-wet-or-dry/97005.md?page=2)