Ideal (Personal Massager)

by Shelly Lomax
Sex Counselor for Trimet

The Ideal has the very discreet signature shape of the Natural Contours product line; however, the noise level totally gives it away...

Description and Materials
The Ideal is comprised of an ABS plastic body and a soft silicone spring head. Latex free as well as phthalates free, the safety of this product’s material is definitely an encouraging feature. The dimensions are 8 inches long with an approximate diameter of 2.5 inch wide; it feels a tad heavy but its wand can be gripped with the whole hand. The Ideal Massager has two very powerful speed settings, but with only the one vibe setting - continuous with no pulsation. The head of the massager is spring loaded and bends from side to side very easily.

The unique design of the handle threw me off at first, but I soon discovered its true purpose; it’s a very ergonomic and comfortable way to hold the vibrator when there is an attachment on it. Although I’m left-handed, I found that the handle was comfortable to hold in either hand; moreover, the vibe speed switch was easy to access.

Packaging
I wasn’t swept away by the packaging, but I did appreciate that it was tasteful as well as simple. It didn’t come with a storage bag but I did like that the wand fit easily into its molded container in the box. There weren’t a lot of instructions included but, then again, the wand is really easy to pick up and start using. Be sure that you charge it for the minimum amount of time before using it.

How it Works

The Ideal can be used to massage all parts of the body as well as stimulate the erogenous zones. I found that I loved how the Ideal felt when I used it to massage my erogenous zones as well as my arms, legs and buttocks; however, it produced an extremely uncomfortable sensation when it came too close to my spine, shoulders and back muscles. Even when set to low, the vibration was so strong that it felt like it rattled my eyeballs and jangled my skeleton. If you want to give someone a sensual massage with this device, make sure you use a gentle hand and stick to the extremities and soft parts, unless that person happens to enjoy a much more vigorous touch (as a man might).

Who it’s For
The Ideal would be an excellent choice for a person who wants to be discreet about the sex toys that they own; even if the Ideal was discovered among someone’s things, it wouldn’t necessarily sound the alarm bells as to its potential sexual purpose. Further to that, the Ideal’s incredibly intensive stimulation would be excellent for a person who doesn’t get enough stimuli from an average vibrator: its vibe is very powerful and for some, this is exactly what some people need to experience orgasm.

My first impression was that the Ideal would be a perfect item for someone whose taste was more ‘vanilla’. It has no baubles, no tricks and no flashy lights. Although it is incredibly unintimidating and highly intuitive, I would be concerned that the sheer strength of the buzz would scare a novice off sex toys completely.

Critique
My evaluation of this item is somewhat mixed… There were a few features that I absolutely loved about the Ideal. Firstly, it doesn’t run on batteries and can be plugged into the wall to be recharged. Secondly, its sleek and inconspicuous shape will delight those who want to keep their play to themselves or, alternatively, those who merely don’t dig the ‘bunnies’ or the pearls of other vibrators.

I was very disappointed that the head rattled loudly when it wasn’t held upright; I found this really frustrating, particularly since the Ideal was already quite loud. This was my first experience with a spring-head personal massager and I found it to be less than satisfactory. It was unfortunate because there was so much potential for this product to be a standard part of a person’s pleasure chest. This is definitely one I would warn a friend about before buying.

Back on the positive side, the G-Plus attachment significantly made up for the Ideal’s drawbacks. I found myself totally drawn to using it once I had gotten the add-on; in fact I actually picked this one over some of my usual favorites on a number of occasions. I think that it would useful for the Ideal to come with at least one attachment included with the wand. Lucky for me, I had received the two of them together anyway but an average person may not have bothered buying a complementary item if they didn’t enjoy their experience with the underlying product. As they’re currently sold separately, I highly recommend that if you purchase the Ideal get it together with the G-Plus attachment.

Final Thoughts
I hate to give a product with such potential such a low score, but I have to rate it a 4.5/10 on its own and 7.5/10 when used with an attachment. Despite the fact that it has an excellent design, it is heavy, noisy and isn’t set with a better range of vibration strength. You’ll get more of a return on your money when you add an optional add-on.