E-Stim Urethral Electro Sounding Safety Guide

May 20, 2020

Yes we are talking inserting objects down your pee hole and electrifying them

For those not aware, urethral sounding is the practice of inserting objects often called sounds, stoppers or plugs into the urethra (or pee hole).

This area has lots of nerve endings, and while it may raise the hairs on the backs of some people's necks, others love sounding their urethra. Indeed kits containing different sized sounds can be found online to enable you to experiment with this form of sexual activity.

"Electro-sounding does have risks associated with it but they can be pretty easily mitigated against. Sounding feels amazing and adding e-stim to it is a logical progression."

Joanne

Like all activities, electro-sounding does have risks associated with it, and it is essential to understand them and how to mitigate against them. So let me tell you all about e-stim sounding.

This is quite a long article and so here are some links to sections, if you fancy jumping to a bit that interests you:

  1. History
  2. Electro-Sounding Basics
  3. Sounding Zones
  4. * Shallow Sounding
  5. * Intermediate Sounding
  6. * Deep Sounding
  7. Cleaning And Intermediate Levels Of Disinfection
  8. * Intermediate Level Disinfection
  9. * Sterilisation
  10. Preparation For Sounding
  11. Post Sounding Advice

History

Sounding has been around for a very long time; initially, it was a medical procedure to clear blockages and to apply topical treatments to the urethral tract.

It has since been adopted and enjoyed as a method of masturbation due to just how good it feels. Sounding stimulates genital nerves, and these sensations can be extremely pleasurable.

Adding electro play to sounding play is a natural progression as lots of sounds are conductive, being made from metal or conductive rubber.


Electro-Sounding Basics

When inserting anything into your body, the choice of materials and cleanliness are paramount considerations if you are to stay safe and reduce the risk of an internal infection.

Image showing the Penis Plug I enjoyed reviewing and usingConsideration should also be given to the electrode design. Smooth surfaces and edges are a must if you are to reduce the risk of micro-abrasions on the internal surface of the urethra. If considering a bipolar urethral electrode you want one with a decent gap between the electrode faces, this will result in less risk of hot spots or internal burns.

I do not recommend bipolar urethral sounds though as they are impossible to adequately clean in my opinion due to the materials used and joints between the electrode faces and insulator that are impossible to clean effectively.

Size is also a consideration, everyone is different, but 6mm is a good size to start with. The urethra has a bit of stretch, but you should work up slowly if you want to use big plugs or sounds. You can get hollow plugs that will allow you to ejaculate with a plug in place.

Check out my review of the E-Stim Systems Penis Plug Electrode for an example of a monopole sounding electrdoe.

Metal sounds are the best for electro-sounding due to their ease of cleaning and non-porous nature. Another material often used is conductive rubber, this is a porous material though that can be hard to clean effectively.


Sounding Zones

While vagina owners are also able to sound and it can be a lot of fun, our urethra's are much shorter (only around 1.5"/38mm long) than that of the penis. The cleaning and safety advice is just as pertinent for vagina owners, but in this article, I am going to be concentrating on sounding the penis.

In an effort to make things easy, I am going to break down the risks and information by the depth of sounding, and I will use three bands, shallow, intermediate and deep sounding.

Image showing the three sounding zones
There are three zones for sounding and these are shallow, intermediate and deep


Shallow Sounding

I am defining shallow sounding as insertions no deeper than about 38mm/1.5" or 20% of the length of the penis, whichever is the shorter of the two.

Urethral tract infections (UTI) are rare in this area as long as you carefully clean your equipment and follow these points.

  • Always clean your urethral sounds/electrodes through intermediate levels of disinfection (more on that later in this guide).
  • Never share urethral sounds/electrodes even with fluid bonded partners.
  • Ejaculate during a session as semen is good at cleaning the urethral tract as properties in it can kill certain bacteria.
  • Stay well hydrated so you can urinate before insertion of the sound/electrode and after ejaculating (having removed the sound/electrode first though).
  • Always use non-porous electrodes made from body-safe materials.

Intermediate Sounding

I define intermediate sounding as anything takes place deeper than shallow sounding but not going beyond the base of the penis.

UTI's resulting from sounding in this area are uncommon, but there is an increased risk of them.

Follow the same advice as for Shallow Sounding but if possible, sterilise equipment using an autoclave. If using an autoclave, use the single-use pouches for them to ensure the process has been successful.


Deep Sounding

Deep urethral sounding beyond the base of the penis carries a much higher risk of infection and should be avoided, in my opinion.

One of the reasons why the risks are much more significant is the types of electrodes available to stim this area.

They are usually multi-material electrodes not suitable for sterilisation it is virtually impossible to sterilise them effectively, and so only intermediate-level disinfection is possible.

Unless a medical insertion shield is used when inserting a sound, bacteria around the entrance to the urethra (meatus) will be dragged deep down the urethra significantly increasing the chances of infection.

I strongly advise sticking to the shallow or intermediate depth of sounding unless you know what you are doing and have the necessary equipment to sterilise equipment and insert it clinically.

Deep sounding also carries more risk of physical injury too.


Cleaning And Intermediate Levels Of Disinfection

As I have already stated, cleanliness is critical when considering sounding play. The urethral tract does have some bacteria in the outer end of it, but the deeper you go, the more susceptible you are to getting bacterial infections. So you must maintain an almost clinical level of cleanliness with your sounds.

Now a quick note on terminology. "Disinfection" is a process that reduces (but may not always eliminate) unwanted microorganisms from an object. Whereas, "Sterilisation" is a process intended to eliminate ALL microorganisms. There is a significant difference between the two.


Intermediate Level Disinfection

This option is available to most stimmers and requires only minimal extra equipment or materials.

  1. Wash the sound using hot water and anti-bacterial soap to wash off any body fluids.
  2. Immerse the sound/electrode in 70%-90% rubbing alcohol for three minutes. Use stainless steel forceps or tweezers to hold the sound. Hold the sound at a non-insertable area to reduce the risk of scratching the surface of insertable parts of the sound.
  3. After immersing in rubbing alcohol, the sound can be rinsed with sterile saline solution.
  4. The sound is now considered to have an Intermediate Level of Disinfection.

Sterilisation

Sterilisation requires access to an autoclave or a pressure cooker capable of boiling at 1Bar (14.7psi) of pressure. The procedure for sterilising metal sounds using a pressure cooker (or autoclave) is as follows:

  1. Carry out the intermediate level of disinfection stated above.
  2. Shake the sound dry to remove any saline or rubbing alcohol. Once dry place into a steam sterilisation pouch (these can be bought from medical suppliers or even eBay).
  3. Place into pressure cooker above the water level so steam can pass around it. Boil for 30 minutes after steam first comes out of the pressure cooker at a pressure of 1Bar.
  4. Allow to cool completely.
  5. If the pouch has indicator spots, check that they show sterilisation is complete.
  6. Store pouch ready for your next session. Leave the sound inside until it is required.

Always remember that both disinfection and sterilisation are for objects, not your skin. So never apply disinfectant products (other than rubbing alcohol) onto human skin.

Now if you don't have a pressure cooker, you can always use the Hillbilly Baking Method to sterilise your sounds. For this, you will need a baking tray big enough to hold your sounds. Wash the sounds and place them still wet in the baking tray. Cover with tin foil and place in a pre-heated oven at 135-150 degrees C (275-300 degrees F) and bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool and the tray and contents (until opened) will be aseptic (free of non spore pathogens) and ready for use. Don't be tempted to bake cookies alongside your sounds though, take things seriously.

If when you peel back the tin foil (if you have cleaned your sounds this way), you find that your sounds are still wet, then you probably forgot to turn the oven on ;-)

Note: The Hillbilly Baking Method is only suitable for monopole stainless steel sounds without cables. If you plan on using this method with other materials then check with their manufacturer to ensure they can take the high temperatures involved.


Preparation For Sounding

Check your equipment is ready, clean and that you have sterile lube ready. Ensure that you are hydrated and with a full bladder.

Urinate to flush out the urethral tube. Wash your penis with anti-bacterial soap. You can use a sterile alcohol swap to clean around the meatus or povidone-iodine can be used as it doesn't sting (be careful as it will stain clothing or sheets though).

Wash your handsWash your hands with anti-bacterial soap and hot water, ensuring that you clean all surfaces of your hands.

Connect your cable to your sound and fix any other electrodes that you are using in place.

Connect your control box but do not turn it on at this stage. You are now ready to lube up and go for it.

Use hand alcohol cleaning gel to clean your hands prior to handling your sound or the lube.

Only use sterile lube, the 3g sachets that you can get from e-stim vendors are ideal. Apply the lube to your sound and also to your meatus (pee hole). You can't have too much lube.

It helps to be semi or fully erect when inserting a sound. Gently allow the sound to enter the urethra and never try to force it. Let gravity slowly insert it and stop it when you are in as deep as you want it to go.

One tip is to use a silicone 'o' ring around your sound to control how deep it goes. Make sure that the 'o' ring is given the same cleaning regime as your sound though.

Once you are comfortable, you can switch on your e-stim control box. Set the controls to zero before doing so as you don't want to 'fry your sausage'.

Slowly adjust the controls and enjoy your stimming session. I don't need to say this but once you have orgasmed remember to turn off the control box before removing the sound. It always pays to remember the E-Stim Inverse Proportionality Pain Rule. Or as I often call it, the once bitten twice shy rule.


Post Sounding Advice

Once you have come back down to earth, you can slowly withdraw your sound if you did not do it prior to orgasm.

Now is an excellent time to take your sound and other electrodes to the bathroom to clean them as you should urinate after a sounding session. This will flush any lube and other fluids from your urethra.

Stinging is common as you urinate after a sounding session and this reduces the more you do it. It is essential to urinate after sounding as it's a natural way of flushing the pipes clean of foreign matter, and this can significantly reduce the risks of a UTI.

Thinking of sticking something down your dick and electrifying it? Check out Joanne's guide to safe electro sounding. Click to Tweet

Summary

Think Safety:

  • Only use body-safe materials for sounding
  • Cleanliness in next to godliness. Clean your sounds correctly
  • Go slow and take it easy
  • Shallow is safer than deeper
  • Choose a manageable sound diameter (6mm is often a good starting point)

Final Thoughts

Sounding may not be for everyone, but if you fancy giving it a go, it can be an exhilarating and erotic sexual adventure. Just remember to use body-safe materials, preferably Stainless steel electrodes and sterile lube.

Cleaning is a pain, but it's crucial when doing urethral play. With a vast range of plug electrodes and sounds to choose from, you can let your imagination run wild.

These are the electro-sounds that I recommend though, they are from E-Stim Systems and are called UltraSounds.

In the UK and Europe, you can get them from the E-Stim Systems UK Website.

In the US you can get them from the US E-Stim Systems Website.

Image showing the E-Stim Systems Ultrasounds
The E-Stim Systems Ultrasounds are exceptionally good quality

Disclosure

Disclaimer - This post contains affiliate links and if you purchase something when you follow one of these links I may receive a small commission at no cost to you. For more information check out my disclosure page.

4 comments

  • V91
    Comment Link V91 Thursday, 21 May 2020 01:22

    Another phenomenal write up! I will definitely be pointing people to this guide from now on when asked about sounding (for estim or otherwise). Thanks for this concise, thorough, and well written resource!

  • Joanne Summers
    Comment Link Joanne Summers Thursday, 21 May 2020 09:59

    Thanks V91, I'm glad that you found it interesting and useful. Sounding is an activity that can feel incredible and cleanliness is the way to enjoy it safely. I always appreciate people spreading the word about my articles, so thank you.

  • DENNIS
    Comment Link DENNIS Wednesday, 26 January 2022 14:36

    GREAT GREAT FEELING... IT LIKE CLIMBING A LADDER SLOW AND EASY CUM HELPS.

  • CaSlut
    Comment Link CaSlut Saturday, 07 January 2023 16:25

    Sterilization with an autoclave (like we all have one of those lying around) or the hillbilly method only works with traditional Urethral sounds, not any Estim sound electrode. As an alternative to an autoclave, I put my ROsebud and Dittel sounds in the dishwasher. The water temperature gets up to 127 Deg F, which is higher than restaurant hot water (121 Deg F). After that, a quick wipe-down with alcohol swabs is sufficient. It is also important to never share sounds with anybody else.

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