Review: Romp Hype (Lives Up to the Hype!)

Many thanks to my friends at HEDON for sending me the Hype to review. If you want one of your own, check it out here! Buying via this link helps support my site and work as well as HEDON, a Black woman-owned sexual wellness boutique with strong politics and a commitment to sex positivity.

About the Romp Hype

The Hype is a body-safe, waterproof silicone vibrator made for both clitoral and internal stimulation. Because it is curved and ridged, it’s perfect for G-Spot stimulation in addition to “traditional” penetration. Its versatility makes it perfect for people looking for a one-stop-shop kind of toy.

Specs

The Hype is rechargeable and is made out of 100% waterproof silicone. It is 8.5” long (about 6.5” insertable length), and 1.5” in diameter. There are 6 vibration speeds and 4 patterns, ensuring that just about everyone can have something to enjoy with the Hype. I consider the vibration style to be buzzy as opposed to rumbly. The Hype is deceptively girthy, so it may not be the best option to people who are not very comfortable with penetration. It’s not impossible-to-insert thick, but is definitely on the thicker end of run-of-the-mill penetrative toys.

How to use It?

Like with any toy, the first step once out of the box is to wash it with soap and water and charge it fully. It took about 90 minutes to charge my Hype to full the first time. The Hype has two buttons, one for power and one to change the vibration pattern/speed. I do appreciate the multi-button setup, but the buttons are very low profile and don’t differ much texturally from the rest of the toy, which can make them hard to find and press once things are slippery. Because the Hype is 100% silicone, it is most compatible with water-based or hybrid lubes (check out “My Favorite Retailers” link above to find some good options!). Also, because the Hype does not have a flared base it does NOT go in the butt. We’re in a pandemic right now and a sex toy removal is an avoidable ER trip.

Using It!

I thoroughly enjoyed using the Hype, so much so that it’s in my handy box of toys, which isn’t super common for things I review. For me, it’s perfectly sized with a good mix of length and girth. I know everyone isn’t a fan of deeper penetration but for those who like A-Spot (cw: gendered anatomical language) and/or cervical stimulation, the Hype does it beautifully. The tip is super soft too, which makes reaching those deeper parts more pleasurable than with a harder material. This toy is also Squirt City so if that is something you enjoy doing or are interested in trying to do, the Hype can help get you there.

Using the Hype with a partner is not as easy as with yourself, but it’s not impossible! Because it’s so thick it can get in the way during an oral/penetration combo situation, but the partner giving oral can adjust it for their comfort and yours.

Cleaning

Cleaning the Hype is standard like with any other silicone toy. Wash with soap and water before and after use, and to disinfect between partners use a 10% bleach solution. Because the Hype is waterproof it can be submerged in water or the bleach solution if you’re cleaning multiple toys at once.

Conclusion

The Hype is an outstanding toy, one that makes for a good “Ol’ Reliable” for someone more experienced or a new foray into the sex toy world. The best part??? It’s incredibly AFFORDABLE. I’m all about accessibility and you can find the Romp Hype at most retailers for under $50, making it Sexology Bae Budget Friendly. With a strong combination of power, comfort, and price, the Hype definitely deserves a spot in your rotation.

Review: Satisfyer Power Flower

The Satisfyer Power Flower is a red, soft silicone vibrator whose tip splits into three petal-type flaps, hence the name. The petals move quickly once the vibrator is turned on, simulating fluttering. I will say, part of why I was so interested in trying this toy is because it looked really uncomfortable to use, since you can’t gauge the softness of the material just by looking at a box even if you’re familiar with how silicone feels. It seems counterintuitive to want to try something it looks like I may not like, but after having a friend directly ask me my opinion of it I decided to give it a go.

Specs

The Power Flower is made from body safe silicone and comes with a small handle/loop at the bottom made of ABS plastic—also body safe—for grip and control. I have fairly small hands but long nails and was able to get 2 fingers through the loop, but I mostly found myself holding onto the handle itself because it was more comfortable. It’s rechargeable and comes with a charging cord in the box, which is my preferred method of power. I have a maybe-irrational fear of battery-operated toys exploding and burning my genitals with acid, so I generally avoid them. 

The toy is 7.5” total length, 4.75” insertable, which is possible to do but not the most comfortable sensation in the world to me.

Operation & Settings

The Power Flower is super easy to control, which is a big plus because I feel like it’s sometimes difficult for manufacturers to combine power and vibration patterns in an intuitive way that’s also easy to manage when you’re otherwise occupied. There are only three buttons on the handle: Power, Up, and Down. There are six speeds and six patterns, and because it has the dedicated up/down buttons you can move back and forth between settings rather than having to cycle all the way through. I’m notoriously bad about reading instructions so I didn’t know this ahead of time and it took way too long to figure out that it was just stuck on the max setting even though I was still clicking up. 

How It Feels

I love this thing. It feels SO good, and its strength really lies in its ability to toggle between direct, pinpoint stimulation, and broader, less direct vibrations depending on how and where you hold it. The petals can completely enclose the clitoris without being too overwhelming which is nice for that indirect stimulation I just mentioned, but for something more pinpoint you can just hold one petal where you want to feel the strongest sensations. It also provides nice if potentially overwhelming sensations to penis-owners when used on the head of the penis. I recommend special attention to the frenulum, the spot on the bottom of the penis where the head meets the shaft.

I was concerned about its length when using it during partnered activities but even though it’s long it’s not very cumbersome to hold and maneuver in any of the positions I tried. You’ll need to do a bit of adjusting, especially in positions where the user is closest to the bed, to get/keep it in position, but once you know how to hold it most comfortably it’s a breeze.  

Issues

Using the Power Flower for penetration was an immense challenge to me. It’s not one of the most obvious uses of the product so I’m not exactly surprised, but I figured even with the petals, with sufficient lubrication it would be able to work right? Wrong. At best, it didn’t feel like much of anything, and at worst it was stiff and uncomfortable feeling since the “shaft” beneath the petals contains the motor and other parts that are inherently inflexible. That’s not to take away from my enjoyment of this toy as a whole, I just know that at least for me it’s best used strictly for clitoral stimulation.

Cleaning

Cleaning the Power Flower requires particular attention to detail but is still simple. The spaces between the petals as well as the large gap in the center of them are all potential bacteria breeding grounds since body fluids can get trapped there. It’s also important to note that the shape of the petals makes using a condom or other barrier with the Power Flower basically impossible. To clean, you can use good old soap and water, but I recommend sanitizing the toy every few uses as well in addition to cleaning since it’s more likely to hold bacteria. To sanitize this toy or any waterproof silicone toys, you can use alcohol wipes or dip it in a 10% bleach solution.  

Conclusion

Overall, I’m incredibly impressed with the Power Flower. If you’re looking for a vibrator that is easy to use, powerful, and adaptable to many kinds of bodies and preferences, this just might be the one for you. Pick one up from my friends at Just Mindful here: Satisfyer Power Flower

Social Distancing, Sex Toys, & Suppressed Libido

Social Distancing and isolation in the wake of COVID-19 has indelibly changed how we interact with our friends, families, partners and communities. From things like being more conscientious about respecting people’s space to wearing masks in public as a more common feature of everyday life, it’s inevitable that these social shifts would impact our sex lives too. 

While you’re probably being inundated with articles about people buying sex toys to occupy themselves, public health messages about how to stay safe from COVID if you absolutely have to have sex, and 24/7 horny hours on Twitter, it’s also important to remember that we’re in the midst of a global pandemic and collapsing economy. To call this moment in time anxiety-inducing is a massive understatement. 

We’ve collectively been in flight or fight mode for the better part of 2 months and our bodies are just not meant to sustain this level of cortisol (stress hormone) production for such a long period of time. For some of us the more acute symptoms of stress are subsiding and what we may be thinking of as an adjustment to the “new normal” could be our bodies’ ways of adjusting how we function. So while we may not feel as anxious as we did when this first started, we have no way to tell what the long term effects of this will be on our bodies, or our mental health. We’re basically in an extending grief and coping period for the foreseeable future.

One of the ways that people have been managing their anxiety, though, is by focusing on what they can control and adjusting the ways they look for pleasure in order to: 

1. Kill time since we’re still stuck inside 

2. Try to boost production of some happy hormones like dopamine or serotonin

3. Manage their loneliness, which is necessary for everyone but especially people who are isolating alone.

It almost goes without saying that masturbation, in general, checks all of those boxes. But let’s say you took a trip over to my friends at Just Mindful and found something you liked from their massive selection of vibrators for example, but when it arrived it was the last thing you wanted to use or look at because your sex drive has taken a nosedive because of anxiety. Is that normal and even if it’s not, how can you fix it?

While sex and masturbation can be stress relievers, a global pandemic that has severely altered the global economy has thrown us into a form of “survival stress”. This is one of the most common reasons that your libido is in the toilet, because your lizard brain has kicked in and you need to focus on keeping yourself and your family alive. Biologically, having sex for pleasure or procreation isn’t much of a necessity right now since it doesn’t help you in the short term so it’s not something your body feels the need to give much energy to. 

As a generally anxious person myself, I certainly felt this kind of libido drop during the early weeks of lockdown. Couple this stress with spending more time with our partners (for those of us who are partnered and mostly staying at home), different eating/exercise habits, or a fear of getting pregnant during *gestures wildly* all of this, and it’s a perfect mix for a non-existent sex drive.   

But the good news is that it’s likely not permanent, especially if this is the first time this has happened to you. If you’re actively trying to get back in the metaphorical saddle, it’s important to keep a few things in mind. First, we are still in the middle of a pandemic, regardless of what our respective state governments are trying to force us to do. It’s perfectly okay if you don’t feel back to “normal” even if you really want to be. Be patient with yourself and try not to get bogged down in guilt for not wanting to masturbate or have sex. It’s your body’s way of reminding you that as far as it’s concerned, there are more important things to focus on. 

Secondly, it’s a great idea to use this as a good reason to reconnect with your sensuality. Engaging your senses even if you’re not actively seeking an orgasm by setting the mood and turning inward to reconnect with your body is a great practice to start during a time like this. But it’s also okay if you don’t even want to do that! Waking up and keeping ourselves fed and hydrated is really all we need to focus on right now.

There’s no guidebook for any of this. Whether you’re only focusing on getting through each day, finding new ways to feel pleasure with yourself, or trying to manage a relationship with a new sexual dynamic, it’s okay not to have all of the answers. It’s also okay to feel different day to day. Finding peace and connection with yourself and others (virtually, unless they already live with you) is just one way to get through this.

Many thanks to my friends at Just Mindful for their support in writing this post!