Episode 446: What It’s Like To Be A Professional Sex Toy Tester
November 4, 2025 by Justin Lehmiller
A sex toy is so much more than just a fun gadget. Toys can help us to explore our bodies, rekindle the connection in a relationship, improve sexual communication, and more. In this episode, we’re going behind the scenes of how sex toys are designed and developed. We’re also going to talk about what makes a toy truly great, as well as how to tell which toys are worth your money and which ones aren’t.
I am joined by Venus O’Hara, a pleasure educator, author, and content creator. She became Spain’s first professional sex toy tester, and since 2014 has tested and reviewed over 1,000 products from leading sexual wellness brands worldwide. She is the author of Orgasmic Manifestation and hosts the podcast, The Orgasmic Lifestyle.
Some of the specific areas we explore in this show include:
- What does it mean to view sex toys as experiences rather than products?
- What all goes into designing and developing a new sex toy?
- How can you tell the good sex toys from the bad?
- In what ways can sex toys help us to improve our sex lives?
Learn more about Venus by checking out her website here.
Got a sex question? Send me a podcast voicemail to have it answered on a future episode at speakpipe.com/sexandpsychology.
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Thank you to our sponsors!
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The Kinsey Institute is where the world turns to understand sex and relationships. You can help continue its expert-led research by donating to the Kinsey Institute Research Fund. Learn more and make a donation here: https://give.myiu.org/centers-institutes/I380010749.html
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Credits: Precision Podcasting (Podcast editing) and Shutterstock/Florian (Music). Image created with Canva; photos used with permission of guest.
Dr. Justin Lehmiller
Founder & Owner of Sex and PsychologyDr. Justin Lehmiller is a social psychologist and Research Fellow at The Kinsey Institute. He runs the Sex and Psychology blog and podcast and is author of the popular book Tell Me What You Want. Dr. Lehmiller is an award-winning educator, and a prolific researcher who has published more than 50 academic works.
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