One of the most responsive spots on a man's body isn't the one he typically spends the most time on. It sits between the testicles and the anus, and it usually gets touched by accident rather than on purpose.
It's called the perineum, or colloquially, the taint.
The men who massage the perineum on purpose describe a kind of stimulation and pleasure the penis can't give them. One man described using the right technique on his perineum as something that gets him, "literally every time."
If you're curious to discover this underrated erogenous zone and why men get such stimulation from it, here's everything you need to know about your perineum, aka taint - what it actually is, why it feels good, how to find it, and the best techniques from men.
What is the perineum?
Run a finger from your testicles to your anus, and you'll cross a firm strip of skin that connects the two.
That's the perineum.
It might feel denser to touch because of what sits behind it. Your prostate and pelvic floor muscles. Both support your erections and ejaculations.
And there's a nerve, called the pudendal nerve for your science enthusiasts, that runs along this whole area and connects to the penis and the testicles, which is part of why stimulation here feels good.
The other part is the prostate. You've likely heard of prostate massage and why it's popular. Perineum massage is a way to externally stimulate your prostate without going inside your anus, hence why it’s preferred by some men.
The benefits of perineum massage for men
Perineum massage isn't just about how it feels, though that's a big reason most men try it. Massaging your taint reaches the muscles and the gland responsible your erections and ejaculations, which makes it one of the few things that does something while feeling good.
1. Discover a sensation you haven't felt before
There's no single way this feels, but it does feel different. The perineum is known as an erogenous zone, which means a place that can give pleasure when stimulated. Of course, different strokes for different folks, quite literally, so it's not universal.
Some men like firm pressure, others can't take much pressure at all.
What comes up again and again from men is that perineum massage is relaxing and arousing at the same time.
Part of this is due to its proximity and connectedness to the pelvic floor muscles and prostate. Men have pelvic floors too, and sometimes even men hold pressure in their pelvic floors, which might account for why massaging this can feel relaxing.
The arousing part comes from the perineum’s proximity to the prostate, which is another male erogenous area capable of giving men their own type of orgasm - the prostate orgasm.
2. Give your erections a boost
Pelvic floor muscles aren't just important for women, they're the same muscles that contract when you're hard, and they're part of what keeps blood where it needs to be during an erection. Which is why pelvic floor training, aka Kegels for men, gets recommended by urologists and physical therapists for men dealing with erectile dysfunction.
Massaging your perineum isn't the same as pelvic floor training, but it's a way to support your erections.
Your perineum is also highly sensitive, so massaging it can be arousing on its own, and more arousal usually means a stronger erection.
3. Intensify your ejaculations, too
When you massage your perineum, you're also stimulating your prostate through it, and your prostate is part of what drives ejaculation. So, arousing your perineum doesn't just feel good; it can engage your ejaculatory reflex.
Additionally, consider your anatomy: your perineum sits directly over the muscles that contract rhythmically when you ejaculate. Those are the same muscles that doctors target with pelvic floor rehabilitation when men are dealing with premature ejaculation.
4. Support prostate wellness without going internal
Your prostate responds to stimulation, and keeping it stimulated is part of looking after it. Perineum massage is one way to do that from the outside, which matters if going inside your anus isn't something you're up for.
It's also worth remembering that your prostate is involved in both your erections and your ejaculations, so stimulating it indirectly through your perineum may support overall sexual wellness.
Then there's the part men actually talk about, which is how good it feels. For the lucky ones, perineum stimulation might even be enough to lead to a prostate orgasm. Not every man gets there through the perineum alone, but it's the doorway.
How to massage the perineum
Finding your perineum is the easy part. What you do once you're there is where men get stuck, mostly because nobody ever told them there was anything to do.
You don't need much, and you definitely don't need to get it right the first time, but here’s a step by step to put you in the right direction.
1. Empty your bladder: Pressure on your perineum can bring on the urge to pee, and if you're not expecting it, it can pull you straight out of the moment. Not required but recommended for the first time.
2. Get comfortable: Relax, get warm, and give yourself somewhere private enough that you're not half-listening for the door. Tension in your pelvic floor works against you here, and you'll feel more if you're not braced.
3. Try different positions: On your back with your knees bent is easiest for reaching yourself. A supported squat gives you a different angle and more pressure control. If a partner is doing it, lying face down gives them the best access, or the Happy Baby yoga pose. Each position changes how much you can reach and potentially how it feels, so it's worth trying more than one.
4. Use lubricant: The skin here is thinner than you'd think, and dry friction gets uncomfortable fast. The slickness of lubricant gives a different texture and – particularly if you’re sensitive - can allow for softer touches that don’t pull or rub against the skin. And everyone loves lube, so use it. Any type of lube works, coconut oil, water-based personal lubricant, silicone lube - your choice.
5. Find your perineum: Run your fingers back from your testicles until you hit the firmer strip of skin before your anus. That whole area is fair game. You might find one part more responsive than the rest, so explore it all.
6. Try a few different techniques: Small circles with the flat of your thumb. Press the flat of your thumb. Tap lightly with your fingertips. A slow stroke back and forth, or a firmer press held in one place. Knuckles if you want a different sensation. Run a vibrator along your perineum (more on that in the next section).
7. Masturbate at the same time: This works better as an addition than a replacement, so while you massage your perineum, masturbate. If maintaining this two-hand technique is difficult, consider having your partner give you a helping hand. They can give you a hand job or perform oral sex while your perineum is being worked.
8. Adjust as you go: Some men want firm pressure and some can't take much at all, so let what you're feeling decide rather than following a script.
9. Give it time: A few minutes is plenty to start with. There's no target here, and you're allowed to stop if it isn't doing anything for you.
Vibrators for perineum massage
Vibrators have a lot of benefits, like making pleasure easier and more intense. Plenty of men prefer vibrators for perineum massage.
One man said, "...bought a small 'couples vibrator' to use together. It felt amazing on my perineum - rumbling and vibrating feels simultaneously arousing and relaxing."
Vibration just feels different from anything else. It gets blood moving in the area, which amps arousal, and elicits new and different sensations your hands just can't replicate.
When it comes to perineum massage, it can be a slightly tricky area to reach and arouse by yourself, which is one of the big benefits of using a vibrator.
Tenuto 2 is highly recommended for perineum massage - and stronger erections. It's a wearable vibrator that sits at the base of your penis, with a base that houses a powerful motor positioned directly against your perineum.
Not only do you get hands-free perineum stimulation with 16 levels of intensity and vibration patterns to play with, but there are also 3 motors surrounding your penis that give you firmer, fuller erections.
It's actually clinically proven to improve erection strength up to 2x. And it can be used with a partner during sex, so you get all these benefits and then some.
If you know you like perineum stimulation primarily for its effect on your prostate, then you might be ready to try Molto.
This is an ultra-slim prostate vibrator designed to reach your prostate internally rather than through the perineum. It's bendable and about the width of one finger, which makes it the most approachable way to try anal stimulation.
Additionally, it was designed with doctors to help support prostate wellness, so you're feeling good and doing good with Molto.
Men share their techniques
We asked men what actually works for them, and received a lot of different responses about what techniques work best, and even when to stop. Here's what they said.
1. Use firm strokes and firm pressure
"Fingertip stroking (or licking) of the whole area feels pretty great; but it's great in the same way that fingertip stroking and licking anywhere sensitive feels great.
Once I'm a bit more warmed up, firm pressure is definitely the way to go. I remember reading once that the penis goes back into the body a few inches, and a firm pressure with good back and forth rhythm (or an oval shape) feels a lot like a handjob.
You can feel the shape of the muscles, and if you can imagine giving a handjob but using just your thumb to stimulate the underside of the penis, you've got the right idea. Ease off on the pressure where you can feel the muscle fade away.
In terms of technique, being massaged with gentle pressure around the anus, moving to a firm stroke back and forth over the perineum (imagine a keyhole shape) will get me. Literally every time.”
2. Use the flat of the thumb
“The trick is to avoid 'digging in'; so use the whole flat of the thumb, not the tip (or even the flat of a couple of knuckles for more area if they aren't terrified). The muscles down there are fairly robust, and you need to rub 'through' them.
As long as I'm not being poked, I can take a lot of pressure. Think giving a back massage, or thereabouts. I think making the pelvic floor muscles relax is one of the reasons it works for me.”
3. Combine it with other stimulation
“Combine it with other more direct stimulation - like a blow job, hand job, or rimming - for best results. Ideally a combination.”
4. Touch and stroke - gently
“I love gentle touching and stroking of the area. I find it very relaxing yet stimulating.”
5. Wear a G-string and move your hips
“I wear G-strings regularly which give a different feeling. When wearing a G-string, I'll often move my hips to feel the G-string which is a slightly sharper feeling but still pleasurable.”
6. Use a vibrator on your taint
One man told us about a vibrator an ex-partner brought home.
"...bought a small 'couples vibrator' to use together. We used it on each other and had a lot of fun. When she tried it on me, it also felt amazing on my perineum - rumbling and vibrating feels simultaneously arousing and relaxing.
I think that the perineum is often seen as the precursor to rimming - just a warm up, but honestly for me both are amazing and if I could find the way to ask I'd honestly occasionally love to have an evening of mainly perineum play.”
7. Use a vibrator AND a metal butt plug
“We have a vibrator which feels great. A special mention though, to our metal butt plug - with that in and me face down, pressure on the perineum with the vibrator makes the plug vibrate on my prostate, and it's got some serious heft. It's very intense.”
8. Stack sensations with a Wartenberg wheel
"She wanted to see what else I was curious about - and brought out a Wartenberg wheel. I nervously said yes, and watched as she started rolling it across my skin along my arm. The sensation was so new and interesting. I lay face down on the bench again, trusting her as she rolled it over me, it felt so different in each place.
"I couldn't handle the pinwheel [on] the head of my circumcised cock - the sudden rush of sensation was too much for me, so she rolled it down over my balls and around my perineum - that new feeling of sensation there suddenly flooded back how great a variety of sensation feels for me there. All the sensations were building up, it felt amazing."
9. Know when to stop
"After reading about perineum stimulation and how incredibly stimulating it was for some people, I tried it a few times. Every time I had to stop after a short while because my skin there is very sensitive and any sort of slightly forceful rubbing is quickly getting painful for me and is rather not pleasant."
Takeaway
Perineum massage covers a lot of ground for one small area. New sensations, stronger erections, more intense ejaculations, and a route to your prostate that doesn't involve going internal.
If you've read this far and the prostate part is what's caught your interest, that's worth following. Men who find they like the prostate part usually end up curious about what direct stimulation feels like, and Molto is the slimmest, least intimidating way to answer that question. Here's why men love Molto.
