Luna pleasure bead system - exerciser for vaginal muscles by LELO - review by Ningyo

The Luna Beads by Lelo are ben wa balls, designed for vagina-owners to wear and subsequently increase their vaginal strength. When used over time and continuously, just like doing any other kind of exercise, results will be felt, the effects being: increased muscle control, stronger and/or longer orgasms, and the disappearance of incontinence problems.

Three different materials were used to make Luna Beads: the holster that two beads fit into is made of smooth silicone, the beads themselves are untextured plastic (although they have a slight seam), and the cord on one of each colored bead is apparently nylon. A lot of hooplah has been made about the cord because people are skeptical of how hygienic it is. I too was worried about this, because it seemed like a better design option would have been to make the retrieval cord part of the holster, thus making it silicone. But over time, the cords of my beads have not developed any unpleasant smells or discoloration, so I can only assume that it's unnecessary to worry too much about them, as long as they're cleaned properly.

Here's a comparison of the regular Luna Beads with the Luna Beads Noir (the smaller size Lelo offers, the same size as the Luna Bead Minis) and the Teneo Uno. The Uno is the biggest of the group, the regular Luna Beads coming in second. I think they're a pretty average size and that a lot of women should be able to accommodate them, but of you're adverse to size, you might want to check out the Mini set or the Noir set.

And while the girth of these beads isn't a problem for me, sometimes the length can be, when using the holster with two beads. Not very often, but occasionally it's uncomfortable trying to get them up there, but I have a pretty shallow vagina (six insertable inches is my max).

Now for how to use these things. It's pretty simple really; you get two sets of weights, the pink ones weigh 28 grams each and the blue ones weigh 37 grams each. This makes your workout customizable. You can start with the two lightest (pink) weights for awhile if you're a beginner, until you think you're up for more weight. Then you can use a pink and a blue bead. And finally, the heaviest is using both blue beads. For me, I take the approach a bit differently - and so can you, feel free to experiment. What I like to do is wear the pink beads around when I'm on the go. This way I can actively work on my Kegels when I'm paying attention to them, without having to worry about them slipping out, when I'm not. Running to the bathroom when out in public to fix your Kegel balls isn't very fun. Alternatively, I like to use the blue set when around the house. Lastly, I like one pink ball and one blue one for when I am taking a walk, jogging, or doing one of my video workouts.

The thing that makes the Luna Beads so effective is the internal weight that moves around. It rattles quite a bit, and you will be able to feel it in use. Certain activities seem to make them more noticeable. For example, walking up stairs feels like an earthquake down there (at least to me). The idea behind the internal rattling is that your vaginal muscles will clamp around the beads when felt. At least this theory works in that you are less likely to forget you have them in when you can actually feel them. This doesn't mean that you should only rely on the weights though; active concentrated squeezing in sets is what will get you the most results.

The Luna Beads require minimal care. The holster is silicone and thus can be boiled, wiped with a 10% bleach solution, or simply washed with soap and water. Since the beads are plastic, cleaning them is a tad more complicated. I wouldn't recommend tossing them into a boiling pot of water; at least put them in a strainer so they're not touching the bottom of the pot, and I wouldn't leave them in for more than a minute or two. I don't practice this method because I'm afraid of warping my beads. Instead, I put them in a bowl and pour boiling water over them, letting them 'steep' for about a minute. This cleaning process is a little extreme though and doesn't need to be repeated very often at all (I've only done it once to mine). Soap and water is all you need for daily cleaning. If you're going to be using the silicone holster, only water-based lubes should be used.

The Luna Beads came in a nice sturdy white cardboard Lelo box with a white sleeve picturing the product. It'll work for storage, but a nice storage bag is provided that I think is more convenient.