<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"  Anna, a mother of two who has been married seven years, describes the dilemma this way: &amp;quot;By now we know exactly how to bring each other to orgasm. But I also know all his moves, and he knows mine, so sex is not as exciting as it used to be. Even candlelit baths and lacy lingerie seem a little &amp;#039;been there, done that.&amp;#039;&amp;quot; Sound familiar? We thought so too. Which got us thinking: Would sex toys -- the kind you see advertised in the back pages of magazines or on obscure cable-TV channels late at night -- stoke our smoldering sexual embers? Or would they make sex feel cold and mechanical? To find out, Redbook and yours truly scoured kinky catalogs, browsed through back-alley stores -- even sat through 9 1/2 Weeks again -- to gather erotic accessories that should put the X back into your S-E-X life. Three couples in their 30s -- Shelly and Brad; Katherine and Jason; Anna and Michael -- from low to high on the sexual-adventure scale ( --&amp;amp;gt;) tried them all and picked the five toys that delivered on their promotional promises. Here&amp;#039;s one Toy Story that&amp;#039;s for adults only. What It Is A nine-inch, battery-powered wand with a pink, oscillating tongue-shaped head. Promises to duplicate oral sex with &amp;quot;absolute perfection.&amp;quot; If not, it could easily double as a Lava Lamp. What the Testers Said Shelly: &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s pretty effective, especially at the two lowest speeds. At high speeds the &amp;#039;licking&amp;#039; motion is way too frantic and sounds like a blender. The first time we tried it, I was afraid it would wake up the kids. Now I pile the covers on top of it to muffle the noise. I pull it out while he&amp;#039;s brushing his teeth, just to help me get in the mood.&amp;quot; Brad: &amp;quot;It is sexy to watch her pleasure herself, but ultimately the Tongue is sort of like the coffee grinder we got as a wedding present: It was given to us as a &amp;#039;couple gift,&amp;#039; but now it&amp;#039;s really hers.&amp;quot; Katherine: &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s good for foreplay -- kind of like having a clitoral massage.&amp;quot; Jason: &amp;quot;I started laughing the first time I turned it on, because I didn&amp;#039;t expect the tip to wiggle like it does. But it seems to get her in the mood for intercourse, which is great.&amp;quot; Anna: &amp;quot;It feels nice, although it can get awkward and heavy after a few minutes. We use it when we first start fooling around. But it&amp;#039;s best for when Michael is traveling on business, because it brings me to a great climax.&amp;quot; Michael: &amp;quot;I feel a little threatened by the Tongue. Oral sex is one of my favorite things, so I guess I&amp;#039;m worried I might be put out of a job.&amp;quot; Redbook Recommends The Tongue works double duty: It does a nice job of revving up your libido when you&amp;#039;re with your mate, but be sure to take it for a joy ride when you&amp;#039;re alone, too. (Lady Calston, $49.95; calston.com) What It Is A leopard-print blindfold and hand- and ankle-cuffs that fasten with Velcro for quick exit. Call it bondage lite. What the Testers Said Shelly: &amp;quot;We don&amp;#039;t have bedposts, so he tied me to the towel rack in the bathroom. I couldn&amp;#039;t stop laughing! But it would be really fun if I were lying down.&amp;quot; Brad: &amp;quot;I tried to make the bathroom look romantic by lighting some candles, but she still didn&amp;#039;t go for it. The idea of restraints is appealing, though. We&amp;#039;ll definitely take them with us on vacation so we can try them on a bed.&amp;quot; Katherine: &amp;quot;They&amp;#039;re playful and erotic and so soft-core that there&amp;#039;s nothing threatening about them. When you can&amp;#039;t use your hands, you really surrender to the physical sensations in your body. He can lick my belly and I really get into it, whereas if I were touching him at the same time, I probably wouldn&amp;#039;t notice something so subtle.&amp;quot; Jason: &amp;quot;When she says, &amp;#039;Lie back and let me do everything,&amp;#039; it&amp;#039;s so sexy. It&amp;#039;s exciting not knowing what&amp;#039;s next.&amp;quot; Anna: &amp;quot;These appeal to my naughty side. I get into the role-playing aspect -- the &amp;#039;I&amp;#039;m helpless and totally at your mercy&amp;#039; thing. I always have a whopper of an orgasm when I&amp;#039;m tied up, too, because I&amp;#039;m so focused on my body.&amp;quot; Michael: &amp;quot;The handcuffs make us both feel more free to indulge our fantasies. I feel more comfortable talking dirty to her when we&amp;#039;re using them. It&amp;#039;s surprising to me how much of a charge we both get out of it.&amp;quot; Redbook Recommends A great option when you have enough time to explore your fantasies. Take turns being dominant and submissive, and let your imagination run wild. (similar to Our First Bondage Kit, Good Vibrations catalog, $40; to order, call 800-289-8423.) What It Is A video in which two dissatisfied wives find more than fresh produce in the supermarket. Sexperts give it raves for its satisfying plot, strong acting and believable characters. (Should someone alert the Academy?) What the Testers Said Shelly: &amp;quot;It has a lot of thrusting and over-the-top moaning, as opposed to real passion. But it&amp;#039;s arousing -- we still haven&amp;#039;t made it through the whole thing without having sex.&amp;quot; Brad: &amp;quot;The &amp;#039;plot&amp;#039; is so implausible that it&amp;#039;s inadvertently funny. Of course, I still enjoyed watching it, because there is a lot of explicit sex. And it&amp;#039;s a sure bet to get me laid.&amp;quot; Katherine: &amp;quot;For the first 10 minutes, I found it humorous. Then I got kind of bored.&amp;quot; Jason: &amp;quot;The sex scenes are kind of silly, especially when the guys spank the women, but they turned me on. The women are better looking than in most porn movies, but I can&amp;#039;t figure out where they find guys who are double the normal girth.&amp;quot; Anna: &amp;quot;I find porn a turn-on, and it was hard for me to keep my hands to myself until the end of the movie. I fast-forward through the hair-pulling and spanking parts, though.&amp;quot; Michael: &amp;quot;There&amp;#039;s an oral-sex scene on a staircase that is really erotic and gets me in the mood every time.&amp;quot; Redbook Recommends Bad Wives is definitely not for the faint-of-heart. Despite its promise of plot and cinematography, this movie is more about carnal, not cerebral, delights. Pop it into the VCR when the two of you are feeling down-and-dirty. (Good Vibrations rental; rentals.goodvibes.com) What It Is That seriously lusty duo, Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger, raised the profile of the frozen cube of water from beverage accessory to sex toy in the movie 9 1/2 Weeks. What the Testers Said Shelly: &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s fun in small doses. But one note of caution: The first time we tried it, I spent a long night trying to avoid the wet spot. The next time, we smartened up and put a towel underneath us.&amp;quot; Brad: &amp;quot;It gives me a jolt when she holds it at the base of my scrotum for just a few seconds.&amp;quot; Katherine: &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s fun for the novelty factor. I like it on my nipples and belly, although it&amp;#039;s a bit chilly for anything farther south.&amp;quot; Jason: &amp;quot;I like it when she puts it in her mouth during oral sex. It heightens the sensation, and it&amp;#039;s exciting to watch.&amp;quot; Anna: &amp;quot;Since it&amp;#039;s so cold, I&amp;#039;d like it best on a very hot summer day.&amp;quot; Michael: &amp;quot;I like watching how her skin responds to the cold. But a little goes a long way.&amp;quot; Redbook Recommends Summer&amp;#039;s here, so take advantage of this no-frills tantalizer: Leave off the a/c till you&amp;#039;re both(seriously) hot and bothered, then let the fun begin. What It Is A blend of natural oils infused with the essence of herbs and flowers. What the Testers Said Shelly: &amp;quot;The combination of massage and oil is very erotic. When he uses it during a back rub, we end up having sex about 75 percent of the time. This has become a standard part of our repertoire.&amp;quot; Brad: &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s a great way to feel your partner&amp;#039;s body, but I wouldn&amp;#039;t recommend it as a lubricant for intercourse. It cuts way down on friction.&amp;quot; Katherine: &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s great for hand jobs, because it makes him slippery and easier to rub. It also seems to make him come more quickly.&amp;quot; Jason: &amp;quot;Ditto.&amp;quot; Anna: &amp;quot;The oil inspires us to explore new territory. Once, he rubbed it on my inner thighs; another time, he used it between my toes. It feels amazing!&amp;quot; Michael: &amp;quot;The texture is great. I don&amp;#039;t like anything to interfere with the earthy, organic smells of sex, though, so I&amp;#039;m going to invest in an unscented version.&amp;quot; Redbook Recommends Keep this on your nightstand. It&amp;#039;ll up your touching quotient and may motivate you to have more sex. It&amp;#039;s ideal if you&amp;#039;re shy about sex-toy shopping: Get it at the drugstore, and for all anyone will know, you&amp;#039;re using it as a moisturizer. (Available scented or unscented at drug-, health-food and beauty-supply stores for about $5 to $10.) Shelly, 37, and Brad, 39Sex-toy history: Low &amp;quot;Our idea of kinky is leaving the lights on,&amp;quot; says Brad, married to Shelly for 11 years. Katherine and Jason, both 36Sex-toy history: Medium &amp;quot;Before we had kids, we tried licking chocolate sauce off each other and flavored condoms,&amp;quot; says Katherine, married to Jason for 10 years. Anna, 37, and Michael, 36Sex-toy history: Medium-plus &amp;quot;We once went through a porn phase and a mini-bondage thing,&amp;quot; says Michael, married to Anna for six years. I was too. But this assignment left me no choice. When I punched in the toll-free number for Good Vibrations, a sex-toy mail-order company, I felt as nervous as I had when I made a prank call to the principal of my grammar school. A recorded voice answers. As I listen to an ad for a video called Bend Over Boyfriend, an operator picks up. &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m looking for some, um, restraints,&amp;quot; I say meekly. She sounds as courteous and nonchalant as if I&amp;#039;d told her I was looking for a good roasting pan. She explains the differences among their three models and steers me toward some leopard-print ones that fasten with Velcro (yup, that Prisoner-of-Love Kit our testers raved about). By the time I get around to ordering a porno movie, we&amp;#039;re chatting like neighbors. My package arrives several days later, wrapped in discreet brown paper. I find myself slightly worried about the prospect of landing on every sex-catalog mailing list in the country, but the company&amp;#039;s Website assures me my name won&amp;#039;t be sold. So far, so good. Going into a sex-toy store is more harrowing. I&amp;#039;m the only woman, and the other customers look -- how shall I put it? -- lecherous. I buy massage oil and leave as quickly as I can, my purchases tucked into an unmarked black plastic bag. Next time, I&amp;#039;ll buy it at a health-food store. Online ordering is easiest of all, in terms of 24-hour-a-day convenience and the embarrassment factor. But I can&amp;#039;t ask any questions, which I find annoying. How do I know the subtle differences between the Clitickler and the G-Spotter? It occurs to me too that if a person were to try to sneak in a little toy shopping at work, a snoopy boss could call up your recent Website activity and discover your extracurricular browsing. But I know you wouldn&amp;#039;t do this at the office! Two that our sex panel gave a great big thumbs-down to: Good Head Oral Delight Gel Its manufacturers say this minty gel helps you deliver the &amp;quot;ultimate&amp;quot; in oral sex. But a taste sensation it ain&amp;#039;t, according to our testers. &amp;quot;The consistency is like congealed turkey fat -- pretty high on the gag-o-meter,&amp;quot; says Katherine. And the men placed it in the &amp;quot;why mess with a good thing?&amp;quot; category. Hot Rod 3 Dildo This 7 1/8-inch long, 1 3/8-inch diameter silicone dildo is purportedly designed to hit the G-spot, but it left our testers cold. Commented Anna: &amp;quot;Silicone is supposed to retain body heat, but I have to warm it up in my hands before I do anything with it. Also, it doesn&amp;#039;t have the natural give of the real thing.&amp;quot; Shelly balked at its barely there quality: &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s too thin and doesn&amp;#039;t have enough texture. There isn&amp;#039;t adequate friction for me to have an orgasm.&amp;quot; "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.redbookmag.com/love-sex/sex/advice/a107/sexy-things-hes-dying-for/>