Ben Wa Balls: Once upon a time

5 min readDec 20, 2016

A really quick history of Ben Wa balls

Once upon a time, well er — more specifically, 500 A.D in Japan, man created tiny, weighted balls that provided extra male pleasure during intercourse. Quite arguably the worlds oldest sex toy.

The original Japanese balls were metal and had mercury inside them; the movement of the mercury caused tiny sensations which led to orgasm. As with most things, women soon took note and realised that the feeling of the balls, floating freely in the vagina and constantly massaging the vaginal walls, reallyyyyy intensified sexual arousal.

And there you have ben wa balls.

They’re also called benoit balls, dutone, love balls, pleasure balls, and a variety of other names.

Ben wa balls today

As years following, oh, 500 A.D. progressed, medical professionals and researchers found that not only could the balls provide pleasure for some, but they also had many health benefits.

Today Ben Wa Balls are made of different types of materials — metal, plastic, latex, glass, even jade (mercury is no longer legal, awkward). It is important to pick balls that do not easily collect bacteria, so you will find that metal or glass balls are the most popular. Hollow, weighted ben wa balls move a lot more freely, causing your vaginal muscles to tighten due to the sensation.

Some women keep their ben wall balls in for a few hours while others the entire day. Beginners should probably start out with small set of balls and graduate up to larger heavier ones. We suggest you use your balls at home before wearing them out in public. The idea of your balls falling out mid-office-meeting is probably up there with forgetting to wear trousers, or arriving in your pyjama top!

What to do with your balls

Insert your balls into your vagina. You can use some lube if you want to help slide them in. Once inside, they will feel no different than a tampon and within a few minutes, you will not feel them at all.

Depending on the weight of your balls when you become active, you will feel the balls move around inside your vagina and possibly begin to slide down. The feeling of the balls is very slight, this slight movement of the inner balls, will cause your kegel muscles to tighten. Depending on your sensitivity, you will begin to feel aroused.

Some balls come stringed and others are not. Some prefer the stringed version of the balls to ensure they can ‘pull them out’ but there is no need for concern, just push down, cough or move suddenly and the balls will come out easily.

Benefit of the Ben Wa balls

Strengthen your muscles
Restore vaginal muscle tone after pregnancy
Cause clitoral erection during sexual arousal
Rhythmically contract during sexual orgasm
Increased sexual desire
Support the bladder, uterus and rectum

The balls work your Kegel muscles and over time will increase your sexual pleasure. It has been proven that the stronger your Kegel muscles are, the more intense your orgasms will be.

Using these balls is the easiest and most effective way to work out your muscles because your vagina is forced to flex to keep the balls in when you are active. You can leave the balls in during intercourse, men often like the added sensation and each time his penis thrusts inside you, the balls will move around.

Choosing the best fit…

There are many different types of ben wa balls available and they’re each better suited for different goals and experience levels.

Adjustable Kegel Weights

Kegel balls with adjustable weights allow you to start with a lower weight and build up to higher weights over time without having to make several purchases. Even if you’re strong enough to use the heaviest weight configuration you may appreciate the option of using the lower weights in different situations.

The Lelo Luna Beads below are among the most popular ben wa balls on the market. They are duotone balls which means they are hollow with smaller balls inside of them that move as you move. The ones shown below come with two 28 gram and two 37 gram beads (balls). Lelo also offers the Lelo Luna Beads Mini which are smaller and size. We suggest going with the standard Luna Beads if you have experienced childbirth and the Luna Beads Mini version if you’re under thirty and have not been through childbirth.

Stainless Steel Ben Wa Balls

A good set of Stainless Steel Ben Wa Balls have many advantages but may be ill-suited for beginners. They can be more challenging to grip and keep in and too heavy for those who haven’t been doing kegel exercises regularly for a while. On the plus side they are very durable, easy to clean, and once you’re past the beginner stage they can offer the next level of challenge.

Vibrating Ben Wa Balls

If you’re looking for something that packs more of a punch you could consider vibrating ben wa balls. These often provide several different vibration levels and rhythms. An alternative that has better options to choose from is a vibrating egg or a wireless bullet vibrator. These are similar to ben wa balls but are typically a single device that is more of an elongated egg or bullet shape.

Try something different, take a look at the rest of our ben wa ball range here.