Acuvibe - massager by Interactive Health - review by Sam (aka Jul!a)

The best use for the Acuvibe is its intended use as a massager. However there are a few attachments that can turn your trusty massager into a trusty virbating dildo if you can't handle the strong vibrations directly on your clit.

The vibrations are definitely strong and go deep into the muscles to relax away any tensions. This massager is great for anybody, male or female, who's looking to work out a few kinks. The only downside is that it's hard to use on yourself.

The Acuvibe is made of plastic in varying textures, meaning that it's phthalates free and all that good stuff. The pivoting head is made of a softer, more velvety, matte finished plastic that feels wonderful gliding across the skin. It's not plush by any means, but it's still very pleasant. The little neck the head sits on is made of the same plastic as the head, only in a different color. The rest of the massager is a combination of the above matte finished plastic and a hard shiny plastic, in an aesthetically pleasing design.

There's not much of a drag across the skin, which means that you don't really need to use any kind of lubrication for a massage. Even with the matte finish, the head still glides fairly nicely all on its own across the skin.

Something about the finish of the matte plastic does make it a bit more prone to picking up stains like dirt smudges or makeup. I'm not entirely sure what about it does that, but I have eyeshadow on a few spots on the handle that are there and don't seem to want to come off.

The 'handle' is just about as big as it could probably get without being really bulky. The handle itself is about 9" long and fits pretty nicely in the hand. Those with really small hands might find it slightly cumbersome, but I've got pretty small hands and I can easily wield it with just one.

The pivoting head is about 2 1/2" tall and about 7 1/4" around. What's really nice about having a head that pivots is that you can change the angle you're holding the massager without changing the angle that the vibrations are being felt from. There is a small seam that runs across the head that can only be felt if you're really looking for it. I can feel it easily with my fingertips, but not while it's being used anywhere else.

It doesn't scream "sex toy", but anybody who's seen that episode of Sex And The City where Samantha has to buy a new Hitachi is probably going to ask you a few questions if you leave it out. With a grand total length of just under a foot, it can hide fairly easily in most drawers and won't take up much room in a suitcase. Acuvibe might not be the best travel option, but it's certainly far from the worst.

To start using your Acuvibe, the directions say to charge it for at least 8 hours before the first use. It doesn't indicate an average run time, just saying instead that run time is dependent on charge level, temperature (lower temperatures result in shorter run times), and the amount of pressure applied during the massage. To charge you simply plug the charger into the wall, and then into the base of the massager. A blue LED light at the very base of the toy will come on while a good charge is being given. It doesn't seem to shut off once a full charge is reached, so I suggest trying to not leave it plugged in for more than 8 hours at a time once you've pretty well drained the battery.

Once you're charged up and ready to go you can click to either lo or hi. Lo is fairly quiet and won't be heard over a TV for sure. The vibrations are pretty strong for how quiet it is, easily making fingers go numb in just seconds. They're deep and rumbly, although they sound higher pitched than they feel. Hi can be drowned out by a TV fairly easily as well. It's a lot stronger in every way than the lo setting and some might find the hi setting to be too intense for them.

Nothing about this massager is waterproof, so please avoid taking it into aqueous settings.

If you feel the need to add an extra massage aide, you can safely use anything water, silicone, or oil based. However you should take care that it only ends up on the head, as getting into other places could cause some damage.

Should you need to clean the head, you can use a spray toy cleaner, wipe it down with isopropyl alcohol, or wash it very very carefully with a wet washcloth. The instructions do recommend wiping any soiled areas with a cloth dampened with a non-abrasive cleanser.

For storage you can really toss it just about anywhere. It would probably work best set in a drawer to try and keep it from picking up any unnecessary dirt/smudges. You could keep it in the box if you wanted, but that would add a lot of extra bulk and the massager should be just fine on its own.

Another important maintenance feature is that you should make sure to completely drain the battery and re-charge it for 16 hours once a month. And other than that, this massager has been specially designed and constructed to be maintenance free.

The packaging would make a great gift. Nothing about it says anything risque unless you happen to think that large, cordless massagers are sex toys right off the bat. Open up one end and the massager pops out with little cardboard end caps to keep it safe during transit. They just pop right off and can be recycled, along with the rest of the box. There's another smaller box at one end that houses the charger, and the instruction pamphlet just kinda sits on top of all that stuff until you remove it.

The instruction manual is printed in English as well as French and tells you how to get started, the best way to use it, and specs on the voltage. It cautions that you should not massage any single area for more than 15 minutes and you should also not massage the upper neck area near the base of the skull.

It also has a long list of safety instructions that have most of the old ones (never use while sleeping) and some that I haven't heard before such as "do not operate where aerosol (spray) products are being used or where oxygen is being administered".

I was so so so excited to get this. It's my first massager, it's rechargable, and really powerful. It cuts through pretty much all of my muscle pain and tensions, and hauling car parts around all day can cause some bad aches. Just like pretty much every other massage aid, if you've got a really bony back it might cause problems, although I only really had a problem when I was using it on parts of my own back and happened upon my spine.

He really enjoys how the vibrations seem to melt tensions away, and he prefers the higher setting, where I prefer the lower one. Neither of us have a hard time trying to wield this one for use, which I was worried about at first since my hands are so small, but I can easily use it on him one handed.

I have used this on its own on my clit and on the lower setting; most of us are going to lose most of the feeling in our vaginal lips. After maybe two orgasms on the low setting, the clit will be out of commission as well. The high setting was too much for me, and the low setting might be too much for most women to have direct contact on very sensitive areas.

All in all, we're both really happy with the Acuvibe and would happily buy it again.