The Nea is a beautiful little pebble with a delicate buzz. This is generally an external use only toy, meant for clitoral stimulation, as the charming insert from Lelo instructs that it isn't waterproof! Nea is elegant enough that you can leave it on the dresser or night table, and no one would think again if you told them it was a pressure point massager... which, honestly, it works well for tender muscles, too. This toy works very easily when used by yourself. It fits easily into the palm of the hand and the buttons on the underside of Nea are easy to manipulate with the same hand. A great feature of this toy is that the two buttons allow you to go back to a function, rather than needing to cycle through again.

It also makes a great partner toy, particularly if your partner has some level of experience with using a toy on a partner. Nea's shape is unassuming and essentially gender neutral (floral scroll pattern aside) so it's nonintimidating. In my opinion Nea's vibrations are on the gentle side, which requires more personal tailoring to position for optimal stimulation. This is where your partner's experience can help. If he or she has never used a clitoral stimulator on you before a few directions from you will help your partner stimulate you best.

Nea is molded from smooth, hard plastic. True to Lelo's description, Nea's surface does evoke glazed porcelain if you think about it that way. In any case, Nea is very smooth and shiny, so she does pick up finger prints which for me, was unexpectedly annoying since I always want to rub the fingerprints off with a cloth! On the positive side, the smooth surface makes the need for lube minimal or none. This also makes surface cleaning very easy. Just wipe Nea off if you are not sanitizing after every use (though a quick spritz with an anti-bacterial toy cleaner is always a good idea!). The plastic has minimal friction, although you can use a lube of your choice to help if you wish. Lelo suggests water-based lube, but I have used a little silicone lube to no adverse effect. The painted floral design cannot be felt, by fingers or while it's in use. My particular Nea has a very subtle "line" around the edges where Nea was joined together, but this does not extend to the massaging tip and didn't detract from my experience. The plastic doesn't have a detectable fragrance.

The design of Nea caught my attention when I first saw her at a luxury toy boutique. The black Nea features a light pink floral scroll design, which is delicate and feminine but not enough so to be threatening to a male partner. From the top, Nea looks egg-shaped, but if you look from the side, the back is a smooth arch while the front (that you use to stimulate the clitoris) has a narrower "dip" between the portion that houses the charging hole and buttons, and the massaging tip. Otherwise, the two buttons on the underside are slightly raised for ease of pressing when you use Nea. The rim around the buttons lights up white when Nea is in use. Nea is small, fitting into the palm of my hand and I can just about close my fingers around it. This helps with the unassuming design of the toy. It's great for travel, including a "lock" function that is accessed by holding both buttons down for a few seconds. You can keep Nea in the black satin pouch that comes with her.

Nea comes with multiple functions, which range from gentle, medium and stronger steady vibrations, to fluctuating intensity buzzes. I had hoped that I would be able to select the intensity of the fluctuating functions, but I am unable to figure out if this is possible and the instruction booklet does not indicate that this is a feature of Nea. The entire body of Nea vibrates, although the buzz seems to be slightly stronger in the tip. As I mentioned above, because the whole body vibrates, it's great on tense muscles. If your partner is new to sex toys, using Nea as a muscle massager may be a way to introduce a vibrator to your encounters. I enjoyed both the steady and the fluctuating functions, depending on my mood. It is very easy to go from different functions and back to previous ones, which is something I have not previously had the pleasure of working with! Nea's a good beginner toy because she is so pretty and elegant, the instruction manual is detailed and comes with illustrations. The vibrations can be fairly strong. Be advised, however, that there are much stronger "pocket sized" vibes out there if you need that to reach orgasm. Nea is pretty quiet, nothing that would be overheard through a wall or possibly even under a thick comforter.

My main concern is with the time of charging. So far, I have charged my Nea twice: once overnight when she arrived; the second time took about 4 hours. The instructions indicate that two hours are needed to charge Nea after the first charge; I am hoping that the charge time is still taking so long because it was only the second charge.

Nea is NOT waterproof, so no submerging or boiling for her!! Wiping off with a cloth dampened with some antibacterial cleaner will do the trick. Because of the smooth surface, there isn't really any place for fluids or residues to get "stuck," just make sure that you keep the buttons and charging hole dry and clear of any fluids or dusts. If dust should happen to enter the charging hole, the instructions indicate to blow gently into the hole. The hole at the back end to insert the charger does not come with a plug of any kind-- it's just open. Now that I have Nea, I wish that the manufacturer would have included some kind of "plug" to keep anything from accidentally entering the charging hole.

Nea is super easy to store -- I keep her in the original black matte box she came in, but there is also a black satin pouch that you can keep her in if you wish to store her with your other toys.

As with all of Lelo's products that I have come into contact with, Nea comes packaged in layers. First is the glossy cardstock box that features the name and image of the toy, that opens on the side. The next layer is a classy black matte cardboard box, that's rectangular in shape and roughly 3" x 4". The brand LELO is embossed on the top-opening lid. If you don't use the box to store Nea, consider repurposing the box to store soaps or trinkets. It's really beautiful. Once you open the lid, you will see Nea through a clear plastic shell that you just lift off. Nea is nestled on a textured, semi-opaque black platform. When you remove Nea and the platform, you will find the charger, pouch, instructions, warranty and a little packet of Lelo's water-based lube ("personal moisturizer"), which seems to have been added since last year.

Nea was gifted to me by my partner, who knew this was a toy I had been eying for years! I found Nea's intensity and functions to encourage relaxation first, which can be really needed after a stressful day! Once you're relaxed, Nea can provide powerful orgasms. On my first run with Nea, I didn't make it past the second function! My partner was happy to try Nea out on me after giving me time to "get to know her better" myself, without me even suggesting it. It does take a little instruction on my part to have Nea used on me by a partner, because the vibrations aren't especially concentrated in the tip. I am comfortable leaving Nea right out on the nightstand, and haven't gotten any questions from guests.