Guide · Temperature play
Temperature play works in two ways: with a toy that has built-in heating – often to around 38 °C – or with a glass or metal toy that you warm in lukewarm water or chill in the fridge. Boiling water and the freezer are the wrong way to go, and the temperature should always feel pleasant against the skin before the toy comes near sensitive areas.
Temperature play means using heat or cold to change how touch feels. A warm toy feels softer and more like skin. A cool toy gives a sharper, more invigorating sensation. Switching between them makes the skin more attentive, because the contrast is more noticeable than either temperature on its own.
It does not have to be advanced. Warm hands, a cool glass dildo or a vibrator that warms to body temperature go a long way. The point is variety – not extreme temperatures.
There are two main routes. One is toys with a built-in heating element that you switch on with a button. The other is toys made of materials that hold temperature well – above all glass and metal – which you prepare in water or the fridge. Below we go through both, and the limits the manufacturers set.
A heated vibrator has a heating element under the silicone surface, often in the tip or head. You switch the heat on with its own button, and it warms the surface to a fixed temperature specified by the manufacturer. The heat is usually controlled independently of the vibration, so you can use one without the other.
The temperature is low and close to body temperature. Svakom specifies 38 °C for Echo 2, Selena, DuoGlow and Vick Neo 2. So it is not 'hot' heat, but a toy that feels like a body rather than like silicone at a cool room temperature.
Warm-up time is rarely published. Expect the heat to take a while to build up, and switch it on in good time.
The heat passes through the material. Svakom recommends using the heat on Echo 2 without the finger sleeve, since the sleeve adds a layer of silicone between the heating element and the skin. And on DuoGlow the heat cannot be switched off separately on the vibrator part – worth knowing if you only want it sometimes.
Active cooling is unusual. Of the vibrators we have reviewed, We-Vibe Temp is the only one that can both heat and cool. It has a temperature plate that, according to We-Vibe, goes down to 20 °C in cooling mode and up to 38 °C in heating mode, each controlled from its own button and independently of the vibration.
Note what 20 °C means: it is cool, roughly room temperature, not cold like an ice cube. The contrast with skin at body temperature is noticeable, but if you want distinct cold you will need to turn to glass or metal that has been in the fridge.
We-Vibe does not publish how long it takes to reach the temperature, and the product page and the manual give different run times – 120 and 60 minutes respectively.
Glass and metal conduct heat better than silicone and hold a temperature for a long time. That is why they are the classic materials for temperature play: you put the toy in lukewarm water or in the fridge for a while, wipe it dry and use it. A silicone toy can also be warmed or chilled, but it loses its temperature faster and never feels as distinctly cool.
The manufacturers' limits differ, and those who publish them are clear. For Dazzling Crystal 2, Satisfyer specifies a maximum of 60 °C when warming, using lukewarm water, and a minimum of −5 °C when chilling, in the fridge. Boiling water and the freezer are explicitly prohibited, and according to the manufacturer the surface should never be hot or ice-cold – only slightly warm or slightly chilled. For Gildo No. 5, the manufacturer specifies the fridge or warm or cold water for a few minutes.
Metal works the same way, but a heavy metal toy holds even more heat and cold than glass of the same size. That makes it effective but also easier to overdo – always test first.
Glass has a risk of its own: rapid temperature changes can make it crack. Check the glass for chips and cracks before and after temperature play. The full run-through of glass types and crack checks is in are glass dildos safe, and on materials in general in safe materials in sex toys.
1. Check the toy. Glass must be completely free of cracks, chips and splinters. A damaged toy is not used.
2. Warm in lukewarm water or chill in the fridge. Put the toy in a bowl of lukewarm tap water for a few minutes, or in the fridge for a while. Never boiling water, never the freezer, never the microwave.
3. Avoid rapid changes. Do not take a glass toy straight from the fridge into warm water or vice versa.
4. Dry and test. Feel it against the inside of your wrist or forearm. It should feel pleasant – warm or cool, never hot or ice-cold.
5. Start on the outside. Let the toy wander over thighs, stomach and chest before it comes near mucous membranes. Against the body, the temperature evens out faster than you think.
6. Use lube. Glass and metal are compatible with all types, including silicone-based. See which lube should you choose.
7. Alternate. Two toys – one warm and one cool – or a toy that changes temperature during the evening gives the most contrast.
A cold masturbator sleeve is one of the most common objections to masturbators. There are two solutions.
Built-in heating. Satisfyer Men Heat Vibration warms the silicone insert to 39 degrees according to the packaging, with its own button independent of the vibration. Satisfyer instructs that the product should be warmed for two to five minutes, that the temperature should always be tested against the back of the hand or the forearm before touching sensitive areas, and that it should be switched off immediately if it feels too warm.
Warming wand. Fleshlight Sleeve Warmer is a wand that the sleeve slides onto, and which according to Fleshlight reaches 40 °C in under five minutes and then holds the temperature. It has no IP rating – Fleshlight only describes it as water-resistant against light moisture and splashes – so never submerge it, and dry the sleeve before sliding it on.
A simpler alternative is to put a masturbator without electronics in lukewarm water for a while before use – follow the manufacturer's instructions for the material. More in how to use a masturbator.
You do not need to buy anything to try it. Warm your hands under warm water before a massage. Hold a glass of cold water and let the cool hand or lips wander over the skin. An ice cube drawn over the neck, nipples or inner thighs gives a clear contrast – keep it moving and do not let it rest in the same spot.
Ice and objects not made as sex toys should not be inserted into the body. Stick to the skin on the outside, and use toys made for the purpose for anything internal.
Temperature play works well as part of foreplay and sensual play, for example together with a blindfold. If you want to explore more, read BDSM for beginners, where consent and agreements are at the centre.
Test the temperature on your skin first, every time. The inside of the wrist or forearm is more sensitive than the palm.
Follow the manufacturer's limits. Boiling water, the freezer, the oven and the microwave are wrong for all the toys here, and for electronic toys the temperature range in the manual also applies.
Stop if it hurts, burns or feels unpleasant, and do not use heat or cold on irritated or damaged skin. If you have symptoms that do not go away, contact a healthcare professional.
Communicate. Sensitivity to heat and cold varies a lot between people, and between different parts of the body. Ask, and start milder than you think is needed. Tips for the conversation are in talking about sex toys with your partner.
Clean as usual afterwards. Temperature play changes nothing about the care – see cleaning sex toys.
Boiling a glass dildo to warm it. Satisfyer explicitly prohibits boiling water for Dazzling Crystal 2. Lukewarm water is enough.
Freezing a toy. The freezer is too cold, and glass that goes from the freezer to body heat is exposed to a rapid temperature change. The fridge is enough.
Putting a vibrator in warm water to warm it. The battery and electronics have their own temperature limits. Choose a toy with built-in heating instead.
Skipping the test. Glass and metal hold their temperature longer than you think, and a toy that feels just right in your hand can feel much colder against mucous membranes.
Expecting hot heat from a heated vibrator. 38 °C is roughly body temperature. The point is that the toy feels natural, not warm like a hot-water bottle.
Anyone who finds that sex toys feel cold and technical. A heated vibrator removes that feeling and is the easiest step in.
Anyone who wants more variety without buying a new type of toy. If you already have a glass dildo, you already have a toy for temperature play.
Couples who want to extend foreplay. Switching between warm and cool is easy to turn into a game.
If you want to compare glass toys, there is best glass dildo, and for masturbators best masturbator.
