Are Men Finally Realizing Benefits of Prostate Massage?

Prostate stimulation, whether for pleasure or health, has traditionally been one of the most stigmatized aspects of male sexuality. Few men — well, straight men, anyway — will cop to experimenting with massagers or other prostate play. Unfortunately, due to stigma and shame, many who are interested are afraid to experiment, or even ask questions about how it might help them.

This itself is a shame, because various experts and studies suggest that prostate massage can be an effective treatment for erectile dysfunction , prostatitis, weak urine flow , and even back pain — all while potentially producing bigger, fuller, more satisfying orgasms. Up to a third of the penis is located inside the body, and prostate massage helps us access additional pleasure receptors.

Since most men won’t talk about it, we thought we’d do a quick dive into our sales numbers for National Prostate Health Month (NPHM) to help demystify the market. We hope is that if we talk about who buys these products, and why, it just might decrease the stigma around this very normal, very common practice.

Searches for Prostate Massagers Have Skyrocketed

Since 2004, online searches for “prostate massager” have more than tripled in the United States, according to Google. So if you’re curious about how prostate massage works, and what the benefits might be, you’ve got a lot of company. After years of shame, American men are finally undertanding the role prostate massage can play in a healthy and active sex life.

Massager Sales Are Up

Our own data bears it out — in the last five years, we’ve seen a 56% jump in consumers coming to us for prostate massage tools. That’s huge. But with this renewed interest, it’s important to realize that prostate massage is nothing new — prostate massage has been used as treatment for prostate issues in in non-Western cultures for years.

Men Over 45 Are Largest Consumers

Most of the customers who come to us looking for massagers are in their mid-40s or older , with peak interest between the years of 55 and 65 (54%)— the same time that most men start experiencing erectile dysfunction.

While we don’t ask people WHY they’re buying massagers, supporting demographics suggest that most men who are looking for prostate massagers aren’t doing so because their kinky or gay* — two common preconceived notions — but because they’re looking to increase sexual performance or for overall sexual health.

Market for Prostate Massagers Different Than Other Anal Toys

Many people assume that prostate play is necessarily sexual — and therefore bring all their shame and stigma about anal play with it. While we think prostate pleasure is an amazing, the demographic profile for men interested in prostate massagers is very different than that of those interested in strap-on play or “pegging,” which skews heavily (66%) toward younger consumers (those 44 and under).

At Healthy and Active, we want all men to have better, healthier sex lives free of stigma and shame. We hope more men will see this and understand that even occasional prostate massage may help make them more virile, with stronger erections and more pleasurable orgasms.

While it’s possible stimulate your prostate with your finger, there is an entire range of tools, from slender starter plugs to larger, remote controlled massagers with multiple speeds. We always recommend the Maverick — which stimulates the prostate from both inside and outside the body for maximum benefit. This month, to sweeten the deal, we’re giving away 10% of all Maverick sales this month to Zero Cancer, and organization dedicated to prostate health.

Of course, all our bodies — and prostates — are different. If you’re using prostate massagers for treatment of a specific issue, you should always consult your doctor. Some may even offer in-office prostate massage.

Happy NPHM!

*Just to be clear, we’re not out to shame anyone who is already involved in the benefits and pleasures of prostate massage. For many of us, it’s a key part of our sexual behavior and sexual health. But we also know that — thanks to a toxic masculinity — a lot of men are taught that there’s something abnormal, if not abhorrent, about insertive anal tools. Our hope is that by showing guys that they’re not alone in their exploration, we can open some doors.