I Tried The $1,500 Orgasm Throne Treatments And Learned A Lot About Vaginas

Would the "throne" help my sex life?

Hi, I'm Becca. People around my industry know me as the girl who will try just about anything — regardless of how taboo it may seem — in pursuit of a good story. That trait has landed me laying flat for a vampire facial, sitting upright for a vampire breast lift, and spread eagle for a life-changing O-shot — and that's just to name a few. But today's not about the past. It's about a future full of more mind-blowing orgasms thanks to the Internet's much-loved/much-misunderstood Orgasm Throne. Let's dive in, shall we?

Rebecca Norris

If you keep your eye on your social feeds and the click-worthy stories within them, there's a pretty good chance you've heard of the Orgasm Throne. It's a seemingly magical women's health treatment that, while geared towards curing incontinence through a series of electromagnetic waves, has side effects that supposedly send orgasms soaring. And if you're like me, when reading about said throne, you're probably envisioning something like this:

Freshideen / Via freshideen.com

Same, girl. Same.

You can imagine, then, my reaction when I learned that the device that's said to totally transform your ability to orgasm looks more porcelain throne than Game of Thrones. But hey, don't judge a book by it's cover, right?

Rebecca Norris

Regardless of appearance — which, in terms of medical equipment, it really is sleek — let's talk logistics. "The Emsella chair [AKA the Orgasm Throne] is FDA-approved for urinary incontinence," says Dr. Carolyn Delucia, the OB/GYN at VSPOT, a women's health spa in Manhattan, and the only spa to have the chair in the city. "It effectively strengthens the ten pelvic floor muscles which allows women to tighten the muscles to [also] increase friction and satisfaction during intercourse."

BTL Emsella / Via pelvicsuite.com

Feeling lost? Hear me out. Incontinence is the unintentional release of urine and can be affected by stress, laughter, anger, joy – you name it. But what allows it to happen in the first place is the fact that the pelvic floor — the muscles that directly support the bladder, vagina, and uterus — are weakened due to age, childbirth, or menopause. One of the top treatment suggestions for incontinence is — you guessed it — kegels. Kegels are the process of repeatedly contracting and releasing the muscles in your lady bits that surround your pelvic floor. While this repetitive exercise can help strengthen your bladder muscles and ability to hold fluids in, they also tighten things up all along your vaginal canal — which leads to more blood flow in the area, not to mention more lubrication — making orgasms that much better when you let it all out.

Now, a quick note: There's no hard data that kegels will equal mind-blowing orgasms because not everyone gets off on penetration alone. BUT, that increased blood flow to the area will mean improved sensation which can lead to some more pleasurable sex.

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You can read more about kegels here.

After looking at the chair and wondering how on Earth this non-invasive treatment could possibly enhance my sex life, let alone make me kegel, I started to strip down. However, much to my surprise, this was one adventure in beauty at the spa that didn't require shedding layers — just rings and all things metal.

Rebecca Norris

The reason you can't wear rings, watches, any metal accessories, or play on your phone while sitting on the Emsella chair is because the electromagnetic frequency can mess with your metal, potentially causing discomfort. (And don't worry, I took off my rings and things after taking this picture.)

In order to achieve the expected results — a stronger pelvic floor that leads to better Os – I learned that you have to 1) sit for multiple sessions (they recommend six) over a three week period, and 2) actually need a stronger pelvic floor.

Instagram: @vspotmedispa

As a freshly-turned 26-year-old, three sessions with this treatment quickly showed me that I'm definitely not at the pelvic floor issue stage of my life. Age isn't the only determinant, because if you've had a baby and you're 26, you could legit see benefits from this treatment. But since I'm without child, I'm not 30 (the age where preventative pelvic floor care is recommended whether or not you've had kids), and I've never had an issue with incontinence, these sessions — even when maxed out on level 100 — never made a noticeable difference in how tight I felt, nor did it send my orgasms over the edge to some new extreme. If anything, they just made me overly aware of how much I must kegel because, even during the treatment of involuntarily kegels — which, BTW, feel like a vibrating jolt shooting up your vaj — I was still able to flex and release my muscles at a tighter capacity. Due to my results — or, rather, lack thereof — I didn't go through with the full six sessions because 1) they said that I likely wasn't the ideal candidate if I hadn't experienced even the slightest difference in my ability to kegel or orgasm, and 2) ain't nobody got time to waste on a treatment that's not working.

Now, on a little side tangent, it's super interesting to feel how this technology works because it's all about placement. In the first few moments on the chair you have to align yourself just right to feel the vibrations going inside you. Sit too close to the front and the vibrations are up your butt, sit too far back and you can feel them more so in your clit. Basically, it's one big vibrator chair. As a result, I can definitely see why people call it the Orgasm Throne because depending on how you sit, you could totally feel edged.

So while I may not be the prime candidate for the O Throne, consider this: The other clients at this spa are usually older than I am, plus they've had children. And if they've been finding that the Emsella chair is spicing up their life, I say, GO FOR IT.

Instagram: @vspotmedispa

I also spoke with Cindy Barshop, former Real Housewife of New York and the founder of VSPOT. "The best part of the EMSELLA chair is that it's super healthy and preventative. One of the most important muscles for a woman's sexual satisfaction is the pelvic floor. That's why every doctor recommends kegels — but no one really knows how to do them. With the EMSELLA, we can exercise our pelvic floor by just sitting on the chair because it does all the work for us." OKAY, Cindy. I see you.

"It's just like Botox — do it when you're young so you won't have [issues] when you're older," Barshop says.

NBC / Via giphy.com

Bottom Line: Internet hype over the Orgasm Throne isn't for everyone. But if you've had a baby and/or if you experience incontinence — and you have a whopping $1,500 to foot the bill — this treatment could be just what you're looking for to transform your sex life and overall confidence.

It's expensive AF, but your vagina is worth the cheddar if that's how you want to spend it.

And if you want to strengthen the ol' pelvic floor with some free kegels, read this: 21 Things Everyone With A Vagina Should Know About Kegels.