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The Best Anal Sex Toys for Butt Beginners

Curious about the best anal sex toys? We’re sphincter over heels for these butt plugs, lubes, and bottom-notch accessories.
The Best Butt Sex Toys
Composite by VICE Staff

Alas, anal play isn’t like cornhole. It takes more training—an ongoing rehearsal dinner of fingers, toys, more fingers, and conversations with both yourself and your partner(s) about what feels good—and what can feel even better. “If you’re up for it, try anal training four or five times a week, keeping the toy (a plug or movement with a dildo) in for 10 to 15 minutes,” explains Archie Bongiovanni in VICE’s “How to Train Up Your Butt for Anal Sex of All Kinds.” Every sphincter is a star. Every pursed bumhole, a possibility. “Not only do they look great,” says Bongiovanni, “but they’re also full of nerve endings, meaning anal sex can result in some bomb orgasms.” With a a lot of self-love, lube, and some anal education, you, too, can get there. 

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As Bongiovanni explains, you actually have two sphincters in your butt: “an inner one that you can’t control, and an outer sphincter that can be taught to relax, to open, to let pleasure in." It takes time to show that outer one how to have a good time, and to help it grow accustomed to accommodating big stuff. PLEASE: Don’t stick just anything up there. Your inner sphincter is a powerful, wonderful part of your body that can suck up whatever goes in like a sandworm in Dune. That means having a “flare” or wider handle/end to the part of your butt plug that doesn’t go inside of you is essential. No one wants to be the guy who butt-births a bottle of Garnier Fructis at the ER. 

It’s so important to go into anal feeling relaxed, cared for, and with an open mind. Start slow, by lightly tapping or licking your partner’s primped rear. Remember: Lube is your friend. If your partner has a penis, try lightly knuckling the perineum (that spot between the penis and balls), and sliding a finger in there. “If you feel pain, take the toy out and give yourself a day or so before trying again. Remember, “we’re NOT ‘working through’ any pain,” advises Bongiovanni. The right breathing exercises, changing of positions, and time is key. You can’t cram in the training, and become an anal or prostate play aficionado overnight. It takes time, patience and often the right set of graduated, glass butt plugs to get there. But once you are there? WELL. There’s a whole new world of backdoor pleasure that awaits, from the weighted sensation of being filled with a metal or glass plug, to the vibrational pleasures of a remote-controlled, anal toy. Anal isn’t for everyone. But until you’ve lowered the drawbridge… how do you know?

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Consider the following sex toys, anal beads, butt plugs, and accessories like a road map. Start off with the essentials, and explore your options in texture, size, and sensation. Find an anal plug—or three—that fits your particular, 2024 edition of being a horny goblin or Eyes Wide Shut orgy participant. Bottoms up!

Baby’s first butt plug

… Should be a small, tapered toy made out of glass, which is one of the easier materials on the bum. It's as smooth as it gets, and also great for temperature play, perhaps a little bulbous for a first plug, but we know you’re here to train that anus. That also means getting a toy you have chemistry with—and perhaps, in the immortal words of the Beatles, “I’m seeing through you.” This set of three transparent glass anal plugs looks nice enough to leave out on the nightstand or bathroom shelf, leaving your lover to wonder if it’s simply a set of small, modern sculptures. Start at the smallest and work your way up.  


$19.95 at Amazon

$19.95 at Amazon

The heart of the ocean

The “stainless” aspect of stainless steel has never held more weight, in our hearts and our bums, than now. This metal plug is great for training at 2.75-inches in length, ready for temperature play, and comes with a heart-shaped gem stopper so that it won’t get lost in your proverbial ocean.


$5.99 at Amazon

$5.99 at Amazon
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We’re also very much feeling the cyberpunk energy of this medium-sized plug with a clever and aesthetic loop handle from Njoy, which makes some of the best stainless steel sex toys in the business. As one Amazon reviewer writes, “It feels great during sex when you are moving back and forth, and it feels even better when my wife wears it. It curves forward so you can feel it rubbing against you through her vaginal wall every time you slide in.”

$47.50 at Amazon
$69 at SheVibe
$47.50 at Amazon
$69 at SheVibe

You came here with a long-haul strategy

God, we love people like you. You came here with a plan, and with just enough tapered, beginners anal plugs to Goldilocks your way into finding out which size works best for you. This glass set will train your bum, and help you discover if you’re craving more texture, weight, or length up there. They’re a butt boudoir staple, and no matter what plugs or sex toys you may move on to tomorrow, they’ll always be there for you whenever you want to step in or out of anal play. They’ll also definitely have you at full tentacle-plug play by the holidays (so here’s an idea: use them to make a nativity!).    


$29.99 at Adam & Eve

$29.99 at Adam & Eve

Like vibrating finger up the bum

See how narrow this anal toy is? Different bums have different needs, but this is generally what a beginner should be looking for, because it recreates the magic of slipping an arched finger up your lover’s rear. First time users, consider lubing this toy up and playing with it vibrationless. Then, you can explore its five vibration levels and [MTV airhorn] and five frequencies, and experience first-hand why one Amazon reviewer calls it “old faithful” for having toe-curling orgasms.


$29 at Amazon

$29 at Amazon
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You’re ready for some more girth

Alright alright [Clears throat in Matthew McConaughey], it looks like you’re ready to rock back and forth on a girthier anal plug like a horny, spinning top. This bullet-powered vibrator has 10 functions, a 4.4-star average rating on Lovehoney, and costs less than most fancy avocado toasts.


$24.99$16.19 at Lovehoney

$24.99$16.19 at Lovehoney

You’re ready for a thicker, textured vibrator

That’s where the Firefox browser fox went! This plug is on the thicker side, but its swirly texture makes it a solid transitional plug for slowly twisting up into your bum, much like you’d open a fine bottle of wine. Search, explore, and browse through six different vibrational patterns, on land or in the tub (it’s also “splashproof”).


$83.25 at Amazon

$83.25 at Amazon

The Cadillac of remote controlled prostate massagers

LELO is the maker of some the best luxury sex toys on the market (have you seen its new sound-activated clitoral vibrator? Pretty sick), and beloved by people who enjoy quiet, high-design sex toys that will look great sitting casually on their copy of Robb Report. Naturally, LELO’s remote-control prostate massager—sorry, Hugo—is a testament to that quality-driven engineering. There is not one, but two powerful motors, “one vibrating deep inside and the other offering external perineum stimulation,” and the remote works up to about 40 feet (12 meters) away. Of course it’s waterproof, so bring it on the Sea-Doo.

$189$132.20 at Amazon
$189$141.75 at LELO
$189$132.20 at Amazon
$189$141.75 at LELO
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This plug was heaven-sent by Prince

Not really, but we think this medium-sized vibrating butt plug from Unbound Babes is more than worthy of your purple rain. It has an extra wide base and handle, and a 4.8-star average rating on the site. “This was my first plug and I’m very very happy with it!” writes one reviewer, “The silicone is soft and flexible on the ring/outer part which makes it easy to move around with. As a sex educator, I was also especially pleasantly surprised to see that it comes with a thorough guide on how to use it which includes safety and pleasure information.”


$62 at Unbound Babes

$62 at Unbound Babes

The prostate massager made of Cool Whip 

Finally! We love all the sporty, bike-seat-looking prostate toys. But we were also waiting for one that looked like it was carved from the errant, free-falling cum of a god on Mt. Olympus. The trident shape of this prostate massager is flexible, ample, and easy to hold, yet it wrangles six inches of curved girth for hittin’ that prostate just right. Zeus would never. (But also, he would.)


$55 at Amazon

$55 at Amazon

The vibrating strap-on

Once you’re ready for full penal and/or wand penetration, opt for a smooth dildo like the Siren. It comes with an optional, insertable bullet vibrator (when you’re ready), but its even, smooth texture lets you glide into deeper anal penetration. Note: also great as a strap-on


$119.99 at Babeland

$119.99 at Babeland
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You own a cloak, don’t you?

A bulbous or textured surface is going to be a little next-level when it comes to dildos. This curved one is just so enchanting, and (when properly cleaned and sanitized) can go right up a partner’s vagina—or front butt, as a Midwestern mom once said—as well. 


$39.99 at Lovehoney

$39.99 at Lovehoney

Forget the pearl necklace

It’s all about the bread crumb trail. Anal beads are a pretty straightforward, bendy little string of graduated, insertable pleasure that can add a little zhuzh to your climax when sloooowly pulled out at the right time. This is indeed a long, tall Texan of a set—but just look at how small the first bead is. This is a string to explore over time, and grow old with. 


$12.99 at Lovehoney

$12.99 at Lovehoney

Find your kink

So, this is cursed. But we love cursed sex toys (no kink-shaming here)! And now we can know what Ariana Grande feels like when she rocks that pony tail through performance antics. Rest assured: This blonde faux-hair ponytail is also easily washable. Just hold by the plug end and brush from plug to end, just like you would your own hair.


$17.77 at Amazon

$17.77 at Amazon

What does the fox say? Probably, “It was never my plan to inspire a five-star average rated butt plug on Etsy,” but here we are, and isn’t that just one of life’s little miracles?


$28.99 at Etsy

$28.99 at Etsy

The whole smorgasbord

Look around, you seasoned butt player. All of this [gestures to ~chocolate~ factory] is yours with a kit like this one, which comes with all you need to stay primped, prepped, and pleased. There’s a static butt plug, vibrating butt plug, graduated anal beads, and a douche for posterity. 


$42.50 at Amazon

$42.50 at Amazon
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Lube the tube

Get to know your lubes. If you’re just fingering down there, you don’t have to worry about lube-toy compatibility. But, as Bongiovanni says, understand that while “silicone lube lasts the longest and has the most glide, [it] isn’t compatible with silicone toys,” and while “water-based lubes are compatible with all toys and barrier methods, [they] absorb the fastest and need to be re-applied often.” Oil-based lubes are some of the slipperiest out there and most-hydrating, he says, but can break down latex. If you’re dizzy from those deets, try testing the waters with Shine, an ~aesthetic~ water-based lube for the nightstand by Maude. 

$20 at Amazon
$18 at Maude
$20 at Amazon
$18 at Maude

Überlube is also one of the best silicone-based lubes out there, and one of the best cult-fave items you can find on Amazon. “Genuinely the best lube I have ever used, and I've tried a lot of them,” writes one reviewer about the brand, which has over 38,100 reviews and a 4.6-star rating. “It's silky smooth, doesn't dry up, [it] isn't sticky, and [it] doesn't start getting uncomfortable or itchy after you're done with it.” Plus, the bottle is just *chef’s kiss* stunning.

$20 at Amazon
$32 at Anthropologie
$20 at Amazon
$32 at Anthropologie

Protect ya bed

The scope of sex furniture is so rich, and there’s truly a pillow, couch, or wedge for every form of sexy time out there (see: the Nugget After Dark community). We know you already have a blanket to lay down for anal play, but wouldn’t you rather have a smaller throw that is stain-proof, moisture-proof, and can be easily tossed into the laundry machine at warp speed? Think of it like a soft, velvety butt bib. 

$85 at Amazon
$89 at Brookestone
$85 at Amazon
$89 at Brookestone
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Have the wipes on hand

Think about it: Adults use wipes for our faces, stainless steel appliances, tile floors, electronics—so why did we suddenly decide to stop keeping our rears extra clean? Seems like a weird transgression from babydom, IMO. Keep these on hand, and love yourself more. “We made sure they’re pH-balanced,” explained the makers at Cake, “and added honeysuckle for skin softness.” As if that wasn’t thoughtful enough, they also come in on-the-go packets for when you want to do anal stuff in the PT Cruiser.


$6$4.20 at Amazon

$6$4.20 at Amazon

Another one of my favorite brands for cleaning toys and horny holes alike is Goodwipes, because its wipes are hypoallergenic, ph-balanced, and made out of plant-based fibers that are better for the environment than your average wipe. I also love that they come in variety of ~adult~ scents (no Bath & Body Works cucumber mellon vibes here), such as this package of cedar wipes. Think of it as the Aesop of butthole wipes, because your rear will smell like a Pacific Northwest forest after a cleansing rain.


$6.49 at Amazon

$6.49 at Amazon

Now that we’ve set the scene, let’s roll up those sleeves!


The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.