I first heard of urethral sounding in my late thirties, when I started to really explore sexuality and kink. It definitely wasn’t mainstream at the time. Still isn’t. Back then, it seemed really bizarre and I was sure it was a practice reserved for an elite category of people called “others.”
Somewhat disgusted, but also curious, I shared my newly found discovery with a good friend of mine. He was a kinky dude. Really into stuff like S&M, bondage and a host of other fetishes. Lo and behold he was familiar with sounding and all its intricacies.
“Yeah, Dave, it’s really a lot of fun. You should try it sometime! All you need are some sounding rods to get started. I’ll send you a link to the set I bought a while back.”
So here I am, years later, writing of the virtues of safe sounding. This post will explore sounding from a recreational perspective, not the clinical type one would encounter in a doctor’s office.
What is urethral sounding?
The clinical definition: Urethral sounding is the insertion of an object or liquid into the urethra. It’s sometimes used in urological surgery for dilatation of strictures (opening up a blockage or restriction) or for obtaining access to the bladder.
The recreational definition: sounding is the act of inserting a rod, or “sound”, into the urethra for sexual pleasure or gratification. Stainless steel toys (like the Njoy Pure Wand) are the most popular and easiest to use. This is the angle I’ll be covering here.
Sounding for pleasure has different names. The one I’ve heard most is cock stuffing, lingo used by the kink crowd. There may be others as well.
Why do people use sounds?
Pain and pleasure are a couple of reasons people engage in urethral sounding. And when done properly, both can be experienced simultaneously. This is the hook that keeps guys coming back for more.
Erotic gratification is high on the priority lists of most people. Sounding is just another outlet to explore our boundaries of sexual desire, much in the same way as orgasm denial. For many it’s taboo and too extreme. But for the sexually daring, it’s a satisfying hobby.
Here’s why I do it: when the sound is fully inserted, my penis becomes very sensitive to external stimuli. Like, ten times more sensitive. When I lightly brush my hand across my pierced member, the sensation is incredible. It’s like the first time I ever had an orgasm, except I can do this every time I sound. This alone is why I return to my sounding rods again and again. I’ve also found that light masturbation with the rod inserted has a different, but similar quality of sensation. When I say light masturbation, I mean applying a very light grip with a hand and slowly stroke up and down. This isn’t a time to be furiously jerking off, for obvious reasons.
How do I use sounds safely?
The process itself is quite simple. The main thing being that if you feel pain or extreme tightness or pressure, stop. There may be scar tissue or other blockages and you don’t want to run the risk of tearing something in there.
Before doing anything, make sure your urethral sounding rods are clean and sterilized. You can sterilize your sounds in boiling water (boil for thirty minutes or so) and, when you’re ready to start, make sure your penis and your hands are both clean. If the sounds (or hands) end up touching something not clean, you run the risk of inserting whatever bacteria it may be into your body. Wash again and start over.
Once the implements are cleaned and cooled to a safe temperature, you’ll want to lube the sound as well as the area around the penis hole. And not just any lube! You’ll want a product that’s free of glycerin. Surgilube is the name of a product that’s often used in medical practice.
Once lubed up, slowly let the rod slide into your urethra, pushing gently to ease it in. The first few times it may take some time to get used to the sensations and feelings. The key is going slow.
Once you get used to the size and the feeling of something inside your dick, you can begin to experiment a little bit by switching up the size of the sound or even rotating it while inside you. This is one of my personal favorite things to do!
Where can I buy sounds?
Lots of places online have sounds for sale. Here are a few reputable places to buy them:
- Sparta Toys
- Hustler Hollywood
- Lovehoney
Which ones should I start with?
My best advice is to start off with a set of sounds. Sets contain several sounds of different sizes.
For example, here’s mine: This is a Hegar 8 piece set. I commonly use the 2nd through 4th ones from the right. The first one is too small. And the rest are just too darn big for me!
When it comes to size, I recommended that you start at a size larger than the smallest one until you become comfortable with the process. A smaller sound could lead to puncturing or other damage when you are not as sure-handed as you might be eventually. This is why I started with the second smallest one, second from right.
The urethral sounding rods themselves aren’t always curved. Some are straight, some have bulbs on the end, some are S-shaped, etc. I recommend straight or slighly curved rods for the beginning sounder. When you’re ready to make a purchase, make sure to shop around to see what is out there and what you might be interested in using.
Dittel, Hegar, Pratt and Rosebud all make respectable products. I went with Hegar, based on the positive reviews and comparatively low price. With that said, only use devices that were made for this type of sexual pleasure!
Stainless steel is the best, most durable material you can use. There are also silicone and plastic ones floating around on the market, but I suggest that beginning sounders stay away from these. Along with durability issues, the material could be porous, making it difficult to sterilize between uses.
And, for heaven’s sake, NEVER use a glass utensil! This includes thermometers. Not only do you risk getting shards of glass stuck in there, mercury in the urethra doesn’t sound like much fun either.
CAUTION: An accident with a non-stainless steel sound could be hazardous to your health in a variety of ways. First and foremost, the tissue that lines your urethra is incredibly sensitive and can tear easily. If you use a sound the wrong way, you can tear the urethral wall. Don’t do this! The pain will be excruciating and, because of the tear, you open yourself up to infections and other complications.
What’s the difference between a sound and a plug?
It’s important to understand the difference between sounds and plugs. The terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but they are quite different in form and function. Similarities
- Both are used in urethral play
- Both are inserted into the tip of the penis
- Both can enhance sexual pleasure
Differences
- A penis plug is meant to be worn during sex and masturbation activities, kind of like jewelry. Some are solid, and some are hollow, to allow urine and ejaculate to pass through.
- Penis plugs are usually shorter and sometimes have ribs or notches to keep them from slipping out.
- Urethral Sounds are primarily longer (sometimes long enough to reach the bladder) and generally smooth.
- Sounds can be moved in and out while playing. Kind of like massaging the inside of the penis. Kinky! Only use small, gentle strokes.
A penis plug might be better for you if…
Penis plugs are generally cheaper than sounds, and the variety is almost limitless. This may be a good reason for you to start with one of these, and work up to sounds if you wanna take the next step.
As I mentioned earlier, these are a bit different from sounds. They perform a similar function (sexual pleasure), but they are designed to be inserted, and then left in place. Kind of like shiny jewelry for your cock! The designs and styles available are almost limitless. Some are completely smooth. Others have ridges, like mine below. Some come with an included ring that fits over the glans. This holds it safely in place. These prices range from $5 on up. Like real jewelry, the sky is the limit.
The main benefit of using a plug is that it makes the penis more sensitive. Some men experience harder erections and more intense orgasms. Kinda like the ones I have when enjoying my Fleshlight Girls.
I’m one of the lucky guys. Even in fourties, my erections are hard like diamond when I have one of these stuffed in my erect penis. The orgasms are certainly more intense. And when I cum, it definitely shoots farther as a result of the narrower, hollow orifice. Since my girlfriend is a total cum slut, this is a win-win for both of us.
Penis plugs are perfect for beginners, especially if you’re on the fence regarding urethral play. For less than $15, this is a great way to stick your toe in the water and see if this masturbation activity is your cup of tea. If not, no big deal…and you’re not out much cash. If you end of loving it (like me), you can take the next step and grab a full set of sounds.
My first experience with urethral sounding
So the day came where I was bound and determined to experience my first urethral sounding session. I did all the research, preparation and planning the night before. My Hegars came in the mail while I was at work.
Later that night, I decided it would be the first time I was going to try it. No one else was in the house. The sounding kit was open next to me on the bed. I’d boiled them earlier to make sure they were clean and ready. Next to that was my new tube of Surgilube that I also picked up online.
For a few moments, it was like being back in school and waiting to go into the principal’s office. What was going to happen? Was it going to hurt? What if I really did like it? Beyond that, that, what mood was I supposed to set? Did I need music? Was I trying to romance myself the first time I was going to slide a steel rod up my dick? Ah, so many questions.
I decided on music—if nothing else than to put my mind at ease—and sat back down on the bed. I pushed the thoughts that something would go wrong out of my head, grabbed by cock, and lubed the head around the hole. I also lubed up the sound—I went with the second-smallest—and placed the tip on top of the hole.
This was it. My friend said I was going to love it and now was the time to find out.
I started to slide the sound into my cock. I let the sound glide in, slowly, and after a few inches I stopped. I was told not to force it and, really just to be one with the sensation. As I sat there with the sound in my dick, I could feel a little tightness, but nothing too bad. It was the kind of tightness that feels good, like when a girl knows just how to hold your cock when she’s jerking you off, but on the inside.
I sat there for another moment, feeling the sound inside me, before pulling it out and lubing it up again. I was amazed that it didn’t hurt like I thought it would. I was ready to go again and, with a freshly lubed sound, I went back at it. When I got to the point where I stopped the first time, I gently started fucking my own cock with the sound, moving about a quarter-inch to a half-inch up and down.
It was weird at first, but I got used to it quickly. The tightness I had felt before had gone away a little and it started to feel pleasurable. I went slowly, like I was trying to romance my own cock with slow, sensual sex. I continued this for a little while more, until I felt like the lube may be wearing off.
I took the sound out and lubed it up once again. What had seemed so weird and painful just hours before was now something I began to think I couldn’t live without. Where had this been my whole life? It sounds cheap, but I felt like a new man. Now I had something for those days when my lady just wasn’t doing it for me. Or, even better, I thought about showing her.
The image of the fun we were going to have together increased my pleasure even more. I went for a few more minutes before stopping. I didn’t want to overdo it on my first try. I had been told that it might be sore after or that it would burn to urinate, so I didn’t want to cause too much pain right away.
I cleaned my sound and went to the bathroom to flush everything out before putting my new favorite toy away. I went into the shower after and masturbated, thinking about how I wanted to use it with my girlfriend as soon as I got the hang of it.
Overall, the first time wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t the best I would have. It was like doing anything for the first time—age play, masturbating, having sex, going down on a girl—you sort of know what you’re doing, but you still really don’t. So the sensations are going to be different from when you really know what’s going on. I didn’t do it again for a week. There was a slight burning sensation when I urinated, but it went away quickly enough.
When I decided to do it again, I selected a bigger size this time. It didn’t look like it would fit, but from what I read, the bigger ones are easier to stabilize and, on a practical level, I wouldn’t end up trying to force it in to quickly or deeply when I wasn’t ready for it.
When I did it again, I selected the next size up and repeated my ritual. Sounds clean and on the bed next to me, the lube next to that. I lubed up and started to slide the rod into my urethra again. Like riding a bike or like masturbating, the feelings and sensations came back to me almost immediately. I settled into the bigger size—realizing the elasticity in my skin could take more than I thought—and again began to fuck myself.
It doesn’t feel good like an orgasm does, but it does feel good. It isn’t just a spurt or two and it’s over. When I was using my sound, it was a constant hum of pleasure that I felt combined with the gradually relaxing tightness. I shifted my hips to try and go deeper, but felt some pain, so I stopped.
Everything I read told me to go slow and if I felt pain, stop, so I did. I went back to what I knew, lubing up and slowly—so slowly—sliding it up and down. Since then, I’ve begun sounding more often. For me, it is the perfect prelude to an orgasm. I feel a buildup in me unlike anything else. And so, when I do cum, it feels all the better.
Takeaway: Always practice safe sounding!
Sounding is one of life’s great sexual fetishes pleasures! But safety and education are of utmost importance. This post covered the basics of urethral sounding from terminology to how to practice it safely. Sounding is a much bigger fetish than I’ve described here, but this is a great place to start.