Butt Stuff Basics - a SHAG Mini-Workshop - PART 2

August 18, 2022

Butt Stuff Basics - a SHAG Mini-Workshop - PART 2

Hosted by Dirty Lola
Watch on IG @weloveshag
YouTube @weloveshag

If you haven’t checked out part 1 of this workshop, read the transcript here!

Earlier I mentioned my favorite butt lube, which is water-based, but we also have silicone anal lubes. When a lubricant is marketed as anal, that just means it’s very thick and viscous, the idea being that the more goopy texture provides more cushioning for sensitive areas and stays in place well. Silicone butt lubes are nice because they last a long time. You don't have to keep reapplying them! Silicone lube, however, is not great with silicone toys. For hand stuff with a glove, or a plug made out of something besides silicone, like glass or metal, then silicone is a fantastic option.

This glass plug is from the brand Crystal Delights:

While this is indeed small, you might find it’s not an ideal choice for your first plug because of its bulbous shape. It’s bulbous because it is very short, which means you don’t get a lot of time to open up before the plug is popping into place on insertion, or before the plug pops out of your butt during removal. When you’re starting out, you want something longer and thinner, like a finger, so that you have time and opportunity to get used to the more open sensations before the sphincter snaps back into place. This plug would be a great choice after you have explored plenty with fingers and want to move up. Glass is delightfully smooth to the touch as well as compatible with silicone or water-based lube, but you will want to get a bit of experience under your belt before you use these particular plugs – sometimes called “princess plugs” – because the crystal gemstone means the toy cannot be boiled for sterilization. The glass is borosilicate and can withstand boiling, but the jewel would pop off.

Another plug option is a metal plug! Metal, like glass, is smooth and compatible with all lubes. Metal can be boiled to sterilize the toy, and metal allows for the option of adding temperature sensation play to your butt exploration. You can run the toy under warm water or put it in the fridge or freezer for a totally different experience than enjoying the plug at room temperature. The plug will also get warmer as your body gets warmer during play. Here are two different styles of metal plugs we carry. One is shaped a bit like a comma:

It has a flat, rounded handle that will fit comfortably and snugly between your cheeks. The other metal plug here is a more traditional butt plug shape:

Again, while these are small, their bulbous shape might not feel great if you've not put things in your butt before. The metal plugs are also heavy! What that means is that gravity is going to play a part in pulling the toy down against your sphincter. This can feel very good, but if it's not something you enjoy, or if you just aren't there yet, it might not be a place to start.

Once you have your beginner plug, your butt plug 101, perhaps a small silicone plug, it might be time to move up to something else a little more exciting or that just provides different sensations. You might consider leveling up a slightly bigger plug: butt plug 101.5 or buttplug 102. It’s possible to keep the plug quite small but try a very different style. One option is a toy designed for prostate play, which, again, doesn’t need to be used to stimulate a prostate, although it can be. Prostate toys sometimes look intimidating, but their shape allows for unique angles, and some of them are still quite small in size.

For example, I really love this (have to look up in video, transcript unintelligible) plug:

It's great because, as you can see, it's small, but it has a slight curve to it. It's just a little bit bigger than my finger, and this one vibrates! We also sell a non-vibrating version, which is a great option for trying to locate and touch the prostate. Even if you are a butt beginner, there are many different small plugs to try in different materials and shapes.

Dildos are also an option for butt beginners! We have a really slim dildo:

If you are a beginner who is interested in pegging, who has maybe played with fingers already, and would like to move up, this is a great starter. If you are primarily interested in pegging rather than plugs, you’ll want to start with slim, shorter dildos, and move up from there to longer or more girthy ones as you feel ready or interested. The beginner dildo might look a bit unimpressive – you might say, Lola, this looks like a skinny hot dog! - but, remember, sensations are amplified in your butt. You feel everything very intensely. Our eyes can be bigger than our butt holes sometimes. Perhaps a toy will look appealing, you’ll even think, “I can do that,” but when you press it against your butt hole, you realize you’re not actually at that level. The thin beginner dildo will help you get used to feeling something long inside of you.

A very common question is how one can work their way up to a penis in the butt. Plugs are still a great place to start, and then beginner dildos, and then slightly bigger dildos. This is called “anal training,” and it’s basically yoga for your butt that gets more and more advanced! You can keep your butthole in shape, get it more and more elastic, and graduate up in toy sizes until your eventual goal, whether that’s a penis, a fist, or a particular toy. There are wonderful kits made specifically for anal training. This one is from Blush:

This is called the Luxe kit. These toys have a skinny tip, a fat bulb, and then a nice long neck. You'll also see that, like all the toys we’ve talked about today, they have a really good, wide, sturdy base. The reason for this is that there is one very, very important rule with butt stuff: without a base, without a trace! Our butts inhale things. We think of butts as pushing things out easily, but having to have things pushed in with effort, but your butt actually wants to suck things in. Unlike the vagina, which has a cervix, the butt does not have a wall. Objects can get lost in your butt and travel up to your colon and intestines. You do not want to end up on a reality show about hospital patients with weird objects stuck in their bums! So always, always find toys or pleasure objects with good, wide anchor bases.

Looking at this kit, you can see the bases on these plugs are round. There are different types of wide bases in all different shapes:

Some fit nicely between your cheeks, while others pull your cheeks apart. Notice that the arrow plug we looked at does not have a wide base! But it does have a hole in the base for a finger, or bullet vibrator. Once inside the plug’s hole, the finger or bullet vibrator becomes a base to keep the toy nice and anchored.

If you are someone who likes to learn by reading, we have two books that will interest you! We have The Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Women and The Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Men. We also have an anal book on the way that is gender neutral, but it is not yet in stock. We’ll have it soon; if you’d like us to contact you when we have it in store, please let us know! These books are great reference manuals to have around. They contain so much information about products, douching, and getting started. Don’t be afraid to go wild with post-its marking useful sections. We talked about how when you take a break from anal sex, you have to start over like a beginner again, and these books can really simplify the process.

If there’s any product you’re interested in that we don’t have in store, please let us know! We can always special order. Toys, especially butt toys, are not one size fits all, and everybody's going to have a different experience and different needs. We're here to make sure you find what you need, something that works for you and fits your body, your goals, and your life. If you are local, please come in and talk to us and ask questions. If you’re not local, please reach out on Instagram, by emailing us, or by commenting on a SHAG Magazine post. We're here to provide information, and whatever your question, I promise it’s not going to be TMI, and we’ve likely even heard it before.

**This text was transcribed from SHAG’s live Mini-Workshop on August 18, 2022 and edited for clarity. This opinion piece is not intended to constitute licensed expert advice; all content is for general informational purposes only.**