Thanks, Violet Blue, for the kudos about our new downloadable sex toy care and feeding tip sheet. I had no idea that we had done this until I read it on Tiny Nibbles! Actually, there are quite a few tip sheets to download on everything from cock-rings to anal sex. I always recommend reading a book, but if you don’t have time to do that, these tipsheets give you the basics.

Violet (rightly so) is most happy about the sex toy care and feeding tip sheet. Although we try to tell our customers everything they’ll need to know about taking care of their sex toy when they buy it, I’m sure that all of that information can be hard to remember. So, we give them this tip sheet to take home. Tips include:

• Take the batteries out of any vibrator when you’re not using it. This does three things:
• Protects the toy from the batteries should they corrode
• Keeps the batteries from running down if the toy gets turned on
• Prolongs the life of the toy by not running the motor when you’re not using it
• For toys with small batteries, like watch batteries, keep a plastic bag with a zip top. When you’re not using the toy, toss the toy and the batteries in to the bag - now everything is there together when you’re ready to go again.
• Handle cords gently: Sex Toys are no different from any other electronic gadget - they have weak spots. Toys with cords can fray or lose connection when the cords are yanked on too much
• Boil any 100% silicone toy to fully clean and disinfect it. Just 5 minutes in your favorite pot on the stove should do the trick.

Another great tip that I don’t think made it on to this tip sheet concerns silicone toys with insertable vibrators like the Pro-Touch or the Rock Chick. When you get a toy like this, put a little bit of lube on the vibrator before you put it into the sex toy so that the vibrator is much easier to get out. When you’re not using the toy, store the vibrator seperately (again, the plastic bag is a great tool) so that you can get to the batteries easily should you need to change them.

For other great hints on prolonging the life of your sex toy as well as cleaning it, download our tip sheet.

Like many of the Babebland bloggers, I enjoy a thumb through the New York Times online: oftentimes it’s informative, other times entertaining, and sometimes it offers up a tidbit of news that makes my jaw drop. The latter was the case this morning, as I happened upon the Phit blurb in the fashion section. It’s a quick read, from which I’ll share several snippets:

…The spa is essentially a gussied-up examination room down the hall from Dr. Romanzi’s medical practice. At the spa, the signature treatment will be a $150 gynecological exam — in which a client contracts her pelvic muscles around Dr. Romanzi’s fingers — to determine by feel whether muscle tone is weak, moderate or strong.
Dr. Romanzi likes to call the vaginal workouts she prescribes “personal training.” Clients could also use an in-office electrostimulation machine to improve pelvic muscle tone or buy a device for home use. Dr. Romanzi said that such treatments are intended to improve bladder control; she said pelvic training may also lead to more intense orgasms…
Dr. Romanzi said her goal was to teach women how to properly perform Kegel exercises, intended to strengthen the sling-shaped muscle that supports the bladder, vagina and rectum. Gynecologists sometimes suggest such pelvic physiotherapy for minor vaginal laxity after childbirth or for mild urinary incontinence…
“If you can vote and you have a vagina, you should do these,” she said. “It’s the dental floss of feminine fitness.”

I’m happy that Kegels (an exercise for the PC muscles) are getting the media attention they deserve; and perhaps I’m even pleased that they’ve reached haute couture status in the fashion (!) section. However, we’re also looking at a rather hefty price tag (and possible un-sexy electric jolts) to accomplish something that can be achieved so easily! “How easy?” you ask. So easy that we have a simple, tried-and-true exercise routine available that can be done at home, in the office, on the bus… you name it.

Kegels aside, I’ll also note that Phit offers labial plastic surgery… and I won’t go any further with that. What I will do is bemoan the fact that services I usually associate with the word “spa” seem to be lacking. What of the lovingly pampered pussy? I pictured a high-end muff cut-n-color, herbal wraps, toning mud masques, and acidophilus-rich organic yogurt massages. I want my cucumber slices, darn it!

Perhaps I’ll start drawing up my own business plan… and in the meantime, I’ll keep doing my Kegels at home.

I am really excited about Babeland’s new Fun Factory sex toy, The Boss. I got to test this toy (perk #21 of working at Babeland) and I really liked it. The boss is made out of silicone, one of my favorite materials. It’s a firm, hefty silicone which I especially appreciate since many silicone toys are a bit flimsy for true G-Spot stimulation. It has a more realistic look than many of Fun Factory’s toys, which have been known to have little faces on them occasionally. The realism is nice because the head of the toy makes for terrific G-Spot stimulation. The Boss also has a little bit of a curve which, combined with the head and the firmness combines to make one of my favorite new G-Spot vibrators.

The Boss is also a little bigger than a lot of vibrators, including some of Fun Factory’s other vibrators. The extra girth is great for people looking for something with a little more width than a slimline. The vibration is like many of the other vibrators made by Fun Factory. The strong rumble was a great sensation for me since my G-Spot often finds the buzzier toys to be a bit overwhelming. The rumble, however, made it almost feel like the toy was moving without me having to do anything - always a plus!