WOW Tech transformed the vibrator market and vulva owners expectations when it launched the first clitoral stimulator, Womanizer, in 2014. The best selling brand (now under the umbrella of the Lovehoney Group) is set to send ripples through the industry once more as it announces a collaboration with premium bathroom products manufacturer Hansgrohe. The result? The world’s first shower head masturbator, the Womanizer Wave.
The Womanizer Wave shower head has been designed specifically to cater for vulva owners to masturbate in the shower. Womanizer’s global #Masturbate campaign is committed to talking openly about sexuality. Elisabeth Neumann, sexologist and Head of User Research at Womanizer, says the Wave “represents a significant step forward in the destigmatisation of masturbation as it normalises and incorporates this healthy sexual practice into our daily lives.”
Before Womanizer launched the Wave, it conducted a deep dive into bathroom masturbating habits. It discovered that 61% of UK vulva owners have tried masturbating in the shower or bath, while 39% masturbate in the shower at least once a month. After three years of development, nine research projects and two prototype iterations, the Womanizer Wave was born. But how does it measure up as a shower-based sex toy?
We spent some time in the wet room with the Womanizer Wave. Read on for a review of this sex toy.
Womanizer Wave review: Design and features
Let’s begin by clearing up any confusion. The Womanizer Wave is not an insertable toy, a dildo in disguise or a vibrator. It's a regular functioning shower head that features a choice of three different options. PleasureJet and PleasureWhirl are designed to aid in masturbation and stimulate the clitoris, nipple area and erogenous zones. The third is Hansgrohe’s signature spray, PowderRain, which allows the Wave to be used as an everyday shower.
With the Womanizer Wave, you can cycle through the three options using a large button that sits towards the base of the head. Below this is a slider that enables you to adjust the strength of each setting with a choice of two different intensities. This lozenge-shaped shower head could pass completely unnoticed by anyone using your bathroom, unless you told them it had secret powers (more on that below).
The Wave’s sleek design enables users to operate the settings button and the slider with ease. Crucially, it’s a breeze to hold both the shower and operate the functions with one hand. The triple jets of the PleasureWhirl are situated at the top of the shower head, while the single PleasureJet nozzle is nestled at the top section of the PowderRain outlets. The intensity slider requires a simple push up for max intensity and down for reduced pressure. There’s a choice of three colours, chrome, black and white and it’s made from ABS plastic.
Womanizer Wave review: Performance
PowderRain is one of Hansgrohe’s most popular shower options and it’s easy to see why. Designed to replicate the soft mist of tropical rain, the result is a gentle, quiet and all encompassing downpour that feels intensely calming and cocooning. It functions superbly as a regular shower experience but its meditative charms also act as a teasing precursor to more sensory touch.
Press the settings button to activate the triple jet of PleasureWhirl and you’re starting to get into the business end of the sex toy persona of Womanizer Wave. Transitioning from the soft stroke of PowderRain to the rather more voracious impact of the PleasureWhirl is stimulating and pleasing. I found it a little forceful on the clitoris but nevertheless a pleasant step towards the real star of the show: PleasureJet. This single nozzle produces a more focussed version of PowderRain’s delicate mist-like flow. It’s perfectly sized and positioned for use on the clitoris and it’s softly flirtatious, sitting somewhere between a stroke and a tickle.
Womanizer and Hansgrohe certainly did their homework when it came to design research. The Wave is comfortable to hold, and it’s easy to transition between the settings and the slider. What they couldn’t account for, however, are the peculiarities of individual heating systems. You know the nuances and personality of your own shower so it’s worth being mindful and tweaking the temperature according to the direction of the nozzle. A boiling hot jet of water down there is a wince-worthy prospect for most vulva owners, so adjust before you aim.
PowderRain is undoubtedly a deeply pleasing morning wake up call but this is a product that wears two hats and while it suits them both it’s very much a scene setter in its role as a sex toy. It stimulates, teases and arouses, and functions very well as a precursor to foreplay. With a long bath and plenty of time for exploration, the Wave will certainly reach its full potential but don’t rely on the Wave for a quick fix.
Womanizer Wave review: Price
The Womanizer Wave is £99.99 in all three colours. It's available to buy on the Womanizer website, and other retailers like Lovehoney, Amazon and Boots.
Womanizer Wave review: verdict
The Womanizer Wave a very smart move from Womanizer to acknowledge that women have long sought the privacy, space and sensory possibilities of the bathroom to indulge in self pleasure. By teaming up with a luxury bathroom product designer, it has created a sex toy that's easy to use, accessible and sits seamlessly in an everyday environment without bringing with it any embarrassment.
