I Tried a Guided Masturbation App That Tells You Exactly When and How to Touch Yourself

You've heard of guided meditation apps, which help users stay in the moment and feel more peace. But guided masturbation apps are also a thing—only they're less about peace and more about pleasure. These apps feature sexy stories and seductive instructions narrated by actors who tell you exactly how and when to touch yourself during a solo sex session.

Guided masturbation apps are for people of all sexual identities and interests. They help arouse, distract, and introduce you to new fantasies and turn-ons outside of your IRL experiences, Carol Queen, PhD, staff sexologist at erotica store Good Vibrations, tells Health. The apps "utilize our highly personal relationships with our mobile devices and app technologies to unite people with erotica, and audio erotica, in a beautifully packaged and friendly format,” she says.

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I’ve been a fan of guided masturbation for years now. When I'm in the mood for this type of play but not able to be with or text a partner so they can give me guidance, I listen to masturbation guides on PornHub (or far less reliable resources that could give my device a virus).

Usually, I don't need masturbation inspiration, but when I do my brain surfaces people I'm attracted to or a memorable past sexual experience. Occasionally I feel like switching it up and getting inspo from somewhere else entirely—like technology the internet.

When I first got into guided masturbation, I didn't have much luck finding a guide that wasn't recorded by someone whose voice gave me the creeps. Then I discovered Dipsea, an app with a collection of short, sexy audio stories for men and women. Had I found the answer to my masturbation prayers? To find out, I tried it out for myself (for journalism, of course).

Finding my fantasy

Dipsea’s app interface is easy to use and navigate. (FYI, the app runs $8.99 per month or $47.99 per year.) Users can explore erotic stories by category, new releases, what’s trending, or tags, such as "her + her," "cheating," and "male perspective," among others.

I scrolled around for a bit, but it seemed like most of the recordings on the app are by women for women. Then I landed on the guided “Self Touch” series. The 11-minute “Self Touch: Submission Fantasy II” story particularly caught my interest after reading the description: “In this session, you’ll explore a submission fantasy. Be dominated by a man as we guide you deeper into your own imagination.” Bingo! Exactly what I was looking for.

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Pressing play

This particular story was actually pretty short. The first half turned out to be an intro recorded by a woman telling the listener to get comfortable and anticipate what was to come. The man started speaking at the 5:50 mark, leaving five minutes or so for the actual session.

I typically have no problem getting in the mood to masturbate, but being in the right headspace to enjoy this story was difficult for me. I like a longer storyline and expected at least 10 minutes of story to enjoy, but that wasn’t the case. I felt rushed, but I tried my best to make do with it.

I'm a naturally curious person, and I ended up listening to the whole recording first...then re-listened when I was ready for some solo action. Knowing exactly what was going to happen actually helped me get in the right mind frame. Weird, yes, but effective.

I’ve never been a fan of random hookups, so it was strange listening to this random person tell me what to do and instruct me when I could and couldn’t finish. But I was able to put that skepticism aside and have an orgasm during my second listen. Maybe I should audition for a part in a romantic movie, since that kind of timing never actually happens in real life.

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What the app did for me

Guided masturbation works! Well, at least it does for me. I still prefer a partner’s guidance over an app’s, but it does provide a great alternative when a partner isn’t around.

If you’re skeptical about trying it, I definitely suggest doing what it takes to get into the right mood before using the app. Being turned on prior to hitting the play button will help enhance your experience and enable you to enjoy the recording with an open mind rather than a critical lens like what am I doing? This is weird.

Apps like Dipsea are a good option for anybody who wants to take their love of erotic fiction to the next level or explore sexual scenarios that they may never actually experience in real life. Dipsea presents so many stories that cater to different types of kinks, fetishes, and interests, like getting it on with a cowboy, sneaking around, queer stories, straight stories, group action, and hookups, among other scenarios.

Feeling adventurous? Guided masturbation is worth a shot—and if you don’t like it, just delete the app and go back to your imagination instead.

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