These Nipple Stimulators Are the Secret to a Really Good Time
When you think of the best sex toys, you may typically think of vibrators, dildos, or other toys used on the clitoris or in the vagina. The best nipple stimulators rarely come up. But as an erogenous zone, nipples can be an important part of many people’s arousal—and a wide variety of nipple toys can help you to explore it.
“Studies have found that when your partner plays with your nipples, the sensations travel to the same department in your brain that transmits the nerve signals from stimulating your genitals,” says Rachel Sommer, clinical sexologist and cofounder of My Sex Toy Guide. “The brain releases the neurotransmitter oxytocin, known as the ‘cuddle hormone.’” You can stimulate your nipples with just your hands, she says, or add in toys like nipple clamps or pumps to experiment with new sensations.
Some people can even experience a nipple orgasm, a.k.a. a nipplegasm, through nipple stimulation alone. “All orgasms happen in the brain, so when your nipples get aroused, it sends a message to your genital sensory cortex—the same place genital orgasms happen in the brain,” says Rachel Wright, licensed psychotherapist and sex educator for Zumio. “And even if you can’t achieve orgasm from nipple stimulation alone, it will most likely enhance your orgasms.”
If you don’t feel much by way of sexual pleasure in your nipples right now, don’t sweat it—you can get there. “This, of course, takes time and experimentation, but it’s totally worth the exploration,” says sexologist Marla Renee Stewart, sexpert for Lovers. “Once you know what you like and don’t like, you can start incorporating it into your sex life.” With the best nipple toys in hand, beginners can use them as a BDSM-inspired way to level up your foreplay, enhance oral sex, or stimulate nerve endings during masturbation. (Psst: Apply lube beforehand to minimize chafing.)
Ahead, you’ll find the best nipple stimulators to help you experience nipple-based pleasure, whether you’re alone or with a partner.
