Under the Radar: Sex Toys That Aren't Obvious

Society has made great strides towards the acceptance and destigmatisation of sexual pleasure, but unfortunately, it’s undeniable that there’s still some stigma out there surrounding sexual pleasure products like sex toys. While some of Sexyland’s Fun Specialists (and customers) are out and proud about their extensive toy collections, we absolutely understand that some folks just want to keep that sort of thing to themselves. We don’t judge anybody’s tastes or desires, and that includes preferences for toys that don’t boldly proclaim, “Look at me, I’m a sex toy!”

Thankfully, sex tech (AKA ‘teledildonics’, and one of the most fun-to-say words ever) has come a long way and adult toys now come in all sorts of subtle shapes and sizes, including discreet designs that won’t give the game away. If you’re after something that will maintain your privacy while you use it and even in the event of prying eyes spotting it, this article is a must-read for you.

What are discreet sex toys?

When the adult industry talks about ‘discreet sex toys’, we’re generally talking about pleasure products that won’t draw attention to themselves during use or storage and/or don’t betray that their purpose is sexual in nature. This includes toys with non-anatomical designs, easily transportable or concealable shapes/sizes, and whisper-quiet motors — the industry standard for being able to say a toy is ‘whisper-quiet’ is where the highest-powered setting registers at 50 decibels or less, which is lower than the volume of a normal conversation. Unless the people around you have superhuman hearing, whisper-quiet toys are inaudible from behind a closed door and under your doona, and some are even quiet enough for use in populated areas like supermarkets, restaurants, or just walking down the street if you like the thrill of public sex play!

Just because the motor is quieter doesn’t mean it’s weaker though. Discreet sex toys are often just as powerful and sometimes even more effective than regular sex toys since the amount of design strategy and technology required to make it discreet in the first place also takes performance into account.

Why choose a less obvious sex toy?

Sure, the more traditional, realistic sex toy designs are a great choice if you want an experience that’s as close to lifelike as possible. You gotta admit though, there ain’t no coming back from having someone who doesn’t need to know the details of your sex life discovering your realistic-looking dildo or a masturbator moulded to look like your favourite pornstar’s vagina.

One of the main benefits of keeping your pleasure private is that you can avoid those mega-awkward situations and maintain privacy around your more intimate interests and activities. This is especially handy if you live in close quarters with multiple people like housemates or family members, including parents or kids. Discreet sex toys also make travelling with pleasure devices less of a hassle — if you think your roommate finding your vibrator is mortifying, consider the airport security folks having to unzip your buzzing bag in front of everyone else in line at the security check.

Top picks: hidden gems in the world of adult toys

The rise of discreet pleasure devices is something Sexyland has noticed in recent years, and we’re so excited about the subtle designs that make sex toys more accessible to more people! Here are our favourite intimate items that are sure to fly under the radar:

The Arcwave masturbator range

These discreet male sex toys boast some of the most modern-looking designs you’ll find in the realm of men’s sex toys and feature non-descript openings so there’s no way to tell that they’re penis strokers at all. The Arcwave Ion Pleasure Air Stroker is the only motorised toy in this range and, while admittedly not particularly quiet during use, it has been described by multiple reviewers as having a modem-like design that has been compared to a Nintendo Switch. The Arcwave Ghost literally just looks like one of those finger trap toys with a different texture on either side of the reversible sleeve and it comes with a plain cylindrical case to discreetly store it in. The Arcwave Pow and Voy both have manual tightness and suction adjustment systems, and look like a Bluetooth speaker and a camera lens respectively, ensuring they won’t draw any attention to themselves, even if you forget to put them away after cleaning them.

Even better? The whole Arcwave range is currently 20% off as part of Sexyland’s Black Friday sale!

Lipstick vibrators

There’s absolutely nothing suspicious about having a tube of lippy in your pocket or purse, so these compact bullet vibrators disguised as lipsticks are the perfect thing to throw in your bag before you head out! The petite size makes them particularly good for targeting small erogenous zones like the clitoris and nipples. Worried that someone might be able to tell your ‘lipstick’ is more than meets the eye when they see it plugged in to charge? The My Secret Screaming O® Vibrating Lipstick uses four AG13 batteries, which come included with the toy and can be easily purchased from your local supermarket when you need a fresh set.

Sex toys that just look like home decor or knick-knacks

These non-obvious toys have designs that may invite closer inspection, but the only way someone would be able to guess their true purpose would be if they were already in on the secret!

The entire Iroha collection (made by the same team behind Japanese adult pleasure giant TENGA®) and CalExotics’® Red Hot range sport simple, sleek designs that could honestly pass themselves off as quirky, nondescript paperweights. For pleasure-seekers after something a little more intentional that they’d be proud to have on display, Sexyland are big fans of the new Unihorn clitoral stimulators, which look just like cute unicorns and are made from water-resistant silicone so you can leave them next to your rubber ducky after your hot and steamy showertime fun! The same applies to Sugar Pop’s Jewel and Revel’s Starlet air pulse clitoral stimulators, which are shaped like a crystal gem and seashell respectively, and come in beautiful pink and teal colours.

Ready to embrace subtle adult products for yourself? Visit one of Sexyland’s adult stores and see if you can spot the hidden pleasure devices on the shelves, or shop online and take advantage of the Sexyland Black Friday sale until November 27th!