Anal beads are a toy made of several balls in a row on a cord or rod, inserted anally and then pulled back out. They are also sold as anal balls, and the ring at the end is what keeps them from going in too far.

How do you use anal beads?

The balls go in one at a time with plenty of lube, and come back out at the speed you choose: bead by bead or in a single motion. The sensation is in each single ball passing through, in both directions.

Who can you turn to with questions about anal beads?

Victor, a gigolo with twenty-five years of experience in BDSM and a background as a psychotherapist. Also if you only want to know what to look for when buying. You can ask him a question with no obligation through the contact form or first chat for free .

Close-up of an open book with a pencil between the pages, in black and white

Glossary

Anal beads

A simple row of balls, and why the ring at the end is the part that matters most.

What are anal beads?

Anal beads, sometimes sold as anal balls, are a toy made up of several balls in a row on a cord or rod. The balls go in one at a time and are then pulled back out, slowly or in a single motion.

Build	several balls in series, usually rising in size, with a ring or handle at the end
Material	silicone, plastic, rubber, latex, glass, or metal
Where the sensation is	in each single ball passing through, in both directions
The key part	the end ring, which keeps the cord outside the body

How anal beads work

The effect is in the repetition, not in being filled. The encyclopedic description puts it plainly: the balls are brought in through the anus one after another and then taken out again, at a speed you choose for the effect you want. Each ball that passes the sphincter gives its own sensation.

For material, the same holds as with other anal toys. Silicone, plastic, rubber, latex, glass, and metal all turn up, and the smooth non-porous versions are the easiest to keep clean.

What to watch for

The ring at the end is not there for looks. That same description names it directly: the ring is meant to stop the beads from ending up fully in the rectum, and to make the whole thing easier to remove.

That is not a theoretical risk. In International Journal of Colorectal Disease, Dahlberg and colleagues found that sex toys were involved in 41 percent of objects left behind, with a surgery risk of 17 percent against 4 percent for other objects, and they name a safety cord or stop as the obvious prevention.

If you would like to explore anal toys once, calmly, with someone who takes the time, that is what intimate togetherness is for.

Sources

Retained sex toys: an increasing and possibly preventable medical condition. Dahlberg, Nordberg, Pieniowski, Boström, Sandblom & Hallqvist-Everhov, International Journal of Colorectal Disease 34(1), 181–183, 2019. Gives the figures on retained toys and the advice on a cord or stop.
Anal beads. Wikipedia. The description of the build, the use at variable speed, the materials, and the function of the end ring.

Butt plug and anal sex are the closest neighbors.

Frequently asked questions

What people still ask about anal beads.

What are anal beads?
Anal beads are a toy made of several balls in a row on a cord or rod, inserted anally and then pulled back out. They are also sold as anal balls, and the ring at the end is what keeps them from going in too far.
How do you use anal beads?
The balls go in one at a time with plenty of lube, and come back out at the speed you choose: bead by bead or in a single motion. The sensation is in each single ball passing through, in both directions.
Who can you turn to with questions about anal beads?
Victor, a gigolo with twenty-five years of experience in BDSM and a background as a psychotherapist. Also if you only want to know what to look for when buying. You can ask him a question with no obligation through the contact form or first chat for free.