When I first started my sex toy collection, lots of options came in one style: penis. And penis…but purple.
Don’t get me wrong: As someone who has used lots of phallic-shaped toys, I get the appeal. The veins snaking around the shaft provide stimulating texture, the bulbous head can be angled to massage those internal hot spots, and most are long enough to hit the cervix and A-spot (a point at the end of the clitoris, right above the cervix).
“Phallic sex toys can be a great way to investigate what kind of partnered penetrative play you might enjoy during solo sex, as well as allow you to recreate past pleasurable experiences on your own,” Rachel Wright, MA, LMFT, a New York–based licensed psychotherapist and the host of The Wright Conversations podcast, tells SELF. But non-phallic sex toys have their perks too. “They enable you to experience textures and sensations you wouldn’t be able to with something shaped like a penis,” says Wright. Plus, they put penetration on the table for those who either aren’t turned on by penis-shaped parts or have a history of trauma, she adds.
When pleasure product companies started making dildos and other toys shaped like tentacles, unicorn horns, candy canes, and even chess pieces, I was tickled. But just when I thought the sex toy market had reached peak ingenuity, I was proven wrong, when a vibrator inspired by snails went viral on TikTok.
Snail Vibe Curve
At first I thought the Snail Vibe Curve ($150, babeland.com) was a gimmick. But after trying it, I’d heartily recommend it to anyone who’s also looking for a non-phallic vibrator. Read on for my full review.
The design
Original photo by SELF writer Gabrielle Kassel
