Is using water in the shower to masturbate safe?

Thanks for submitting your question, and congrats on starting this journey. You’ve discovered a longstanding tradition of clitoris⁠ (clitoris: A sexual organ both external and internal on the vulva and inside the pelvis of those often assigned female at birth that is similar to the penis, but serves no other known purpose besides providing sexual pleasure.) -having people: sexual⁠ (sexual: About or relating in some way to sex or sexuality.) awakening via shower stream!

A quick note about masturbation⁠ (masturbation: Ways that people seek out and/or experience sexual pleasure by themselves, without a sexual partner.) : in addition to just generally feeling awesome, masturbation is a great way to get to know your body and what gives you sexual pleasure. That information will be helpful for use in future sexual relationships with another person, but your first sexual relationship⁠ (relationship: An ongoing interaction or association with another person, place or thing.) is always with yourself.

The short answer to your question is that using water as a masturbation technique is probably fine.

The longer answer (life always has a longer answer) is “but take some precautions to keep it safe.”

I searched all the databases of medical research I have access to and didn’t find any accounts of injuries from shower stream masturbation. I also called a long-time friend and asked if she had ever encountered any shower stream masturbation injuries in her three decades of being an emergency room nurse. She replied, “Not that I can remember, and I think I’d remember something like that.”

This does not mean that no one ever, in the entire history of humanity, has ever sustained a shower stream masturbation injury. It does mean it’s not common enough to warrant a mention in research or from my friend.

You’ve already discovered some of the advantages:

• The bathroom is where many (perhaps even most) families permit privacy, even more than an individual bedroom. Because of this potential privacy, you can relax and do your business without worrying about someone barging in.

• Shower streams can provide the vibrating stimulation that some expensive toys give, with the amazing alternative cost of zero dollars and no packages to explain to the nosiest member of your family or hassles about age checks.

• Especially if you have a handheld shower head with multiple stream options, you can experiment with the way various sensations feel on different parts of your genitals⁠ (genitals: Body parts that are generally, culturally, scientifically or personally considered to be external sexual or reproductive organs.) (external genitals — more on that in a minute) and what leads to increasing arousal⁠ (arousal: A state of sexual excitement and interest that sends messages to the brain which create physical changes and sensations, such as increased blood pressure, erection, lubrication, loosening of the vaginal or anal muscles, and increased physical sensitivity.) and potentially an orgasm⁠ (orgasm: An event typically in response to physical or intellectual sexual stimulation, controlled by the involuntary nervous system. ) .

• Some people can have a hands-free orgasm by using a shower stream, which can feel like a fun accomplishment. Also, sometimes people have residual guilt about masturbation left over from religious or social teaching that shames self-directed sexual pleasure. A hands-free orgasm can be a cool and sneaky workaround.

Having said all that, there are a few precautions that you’ll need to take to keep things as safe as possible.

Target of the stream

Mostly, it’s best to keep the shower stream flowing over your external genitals (i.e. your vulva⁠ (vulva: The name for the external genitals of people assigned female at birth. The vulva includes the mons, external clitoris, inner and outer labia, fourchette and perineum.) and clitoris) and not aim the force directly into your vagina⁠ (vagina: The internal passage leading from the opening of the vulva to the cervix of the uterus.) , anus⁠ (anus: The external opening to the rectum, located between the buttocks.) , or really any body opening. Think of it more as a flowing over, rather than flowing in.

A lot of water with a lot of force directly into the vagina can work a little bit like a douche. Lots of young people haven’t even heard of douching these days, and that makes me want to do a delighted anti-douche dance. If you’re not familiar, douching involves “flushing” the vagina or anus with water and additives (sometimes vinegar, baking soda, even iodine!). Historically, the patriarchy has promoted douching to “clean⁠ (clean: In a sexual context, usually a word used to suggest a person doesn’t currently have anysexually transmitted infections. That term, however, stigmatizes people with illness. Less stigmatizing choices are “negative,” “clear” or “STI-free.”) out⁠ (out: Short for ‘out of the closet’. When someone’s LGBTQ+ identity is known to other people.) ” the vagina or anus, telling people that they smell or are inherently disgusting. Under most circumstances, douching is not a good idea. The end result when using over-the-counter or homemade products without medical supervision is not a clean vagina or anus, but a more significant risk for bacterial vaginosis⁠ (bacterial vaginosis: An imbalance in the vaginal environment, including pH changes, that occurs when different types of bacteria outnumber the normal, needed and healthy bacteria. It often requires some from of treatment, but sometimes will go away on its own. (BV)) or yeast infections caused by altering PH or microtearing. There are times when douching might be suggested by a healthcare professional (e.g. before or after certain types of surgery) but they would provide very specific supplies and instructions. Even though your shower stream itself won’t contain any ingredients other than water, sometimes the force can strip your vagina or anus of some of the good bacteria we need to keep them healthy. This can change PH, which may cause problems such as the yeast infections mentioned above.

I’m not saying “URGENT URGENT URGENT, keep all water out of the vagina or anus!!” I’m specifically talking about a forceful stream, especially from close range with a handheld showerhead. There is an excellent chance doing this never even occurred to you because, for many people, this would produce a very not awesome sensation.

Focus on the outside as much as possible!

Lube (your own and the kind from the store)

If you’re not trying for a hands-free orgasm or if you’re tag-teaming with insertable toys, you might be surprised to find that even though water is wet, you feel really dry. Water actually washes away your body’s own naturally occurring lubricant⁠ (lubricant: A fluid used in order to make kinds of sex (such as masturbation, vaginal intercourse, anal intercourse or manual sex) more pleasant and comfortable, and/or to help prevent condoms from breaking by decreasing friction.) . This can lead to a distinct lack of the kind of slipperiness you need to make most sexual touch feel good.

I realize this sounds a little counterintuitive. The informal way of saying we’re sexually aroused is usually “I’m so wet,” but that’s different from water wetness. I guess saying, “I’m so lubricated,” would sound too clinical. And a bit awkward.

The workaround is easy: add lube. But the final irony of this wet-as-dry/dry-as-wet situation is that water-based lube is easily washed away with water! So you’ll need to pick another type of lube, maybe silicone-based.

BUT, wipe out the shower or tub thoroughly afterward because lube will stick to surfaces and make them extremely slippery. I don’t mean a tiny bit slick. I mean, ice-on-glass level slippery. Wait until the tub or shower is completely dry, then wipe it out again. Trust me on this one. An easily avoidable lube shower fall injury has never made a morning rush better.

Stream force

Handheld showerheads sometimes have multiple settings, including narrow streams with great force usually labeled as “massage” or “pulsate.” Theoretically, a super-powerful stream directed at your external genitals from an inch away could potentially lead to microtears in the skin and mucous membranes. What might feel good on a sore back could lead to a very sore vulva!

Anything that feels good to you likely involves much less force than this, but if you have more of a raw feeling after a shower session, you might want to dial down the force a notch or two.

Temperature

Of course, you know how to select your bath temperature and, of course, you wouldn’t jump into the shower or under running water that you haven’t tested with your hand. However, some houses/apartments have plumbing that causes the shower to get much hotter immediately and quickly after a sudden burst of cold water use. This is most common after a toilet flush. That’s not a surprise you want! Be cautious about that, especially if you’re not in a position where you can move away from the water stream if it suddenly turns scalding.

You could also talk with the adults⁠ (adults: People whose age in years exceeds the legal age of majority, people considered to be adults by law, or people who a culture or individual considers to have reached an adult stage of life.) in your house about your water heater settings. Many households keep their water heater at a much higher temperature than the recommended 120 degrees Fahrenheit. You don’t have to announce that this is a masturbation-related concern; you’re doing the double duty of protecting everyone in the house from potential toilet-flushing surprise burns.

A few more precautions

Wherever there is a stream of water, people may be tempted to experiment. Pools and hot tubs, for example, often show up in pop culture, but they are actually not great places for sex⁠ (sex: Different things people choose to do to actively express or enact sexuality and sexual feelings; often this involves genitals, but not always. ) , even with yourself.

The lube washaway effect is even more notable when completely submerged. This means you need to apply a lot of lube to overcome this, and you can’t do it once you’re in the water. That gets messy, and then there’s the problem of putting the lube and your body fluids into the water. It’s not dangerous in any way (we can’t catch STIs or get pregnant from hot tubs), but it does, at some point, get a little unmannerly.

You also don’t have much control over the forcefulness of the jet coming from a hot tub/pool. Sometimes, they are mighty. While showerhead designers assume that people will use their product to direct water at all their parts, that might not be the understanding of hot tub jet design engineers. Jets are not designed for close-up genital action.

Finally, while you can’t get an STI⁠ (STI: Sexually transmitted infections: illness, infection and/or disease which is often or can be transmitted through sexual or other intimate contact, like HIV, Chlamydia or Herpes. Some people call STIs STDs.) from a hot tub, you can get skin bacterial infections such as folliculitis if it isn’t correctly maintained. Add to this the potential microtears from vigorous rubbing, either from your own fingers or from the forceful jets, and you have the potential of an unpleasant skin infection⁠ (infection: When harmful microbes, or germs, or harmful levels of microbes/germs, enter the body and multiply, causing illness. The common cold, flu viruses, sexually transmitted infections, chickenpox, impetigo, rabies and diphtheria are some kinds of infections.) .

Is this kind of infection likely to happen? Not at all! But it’s the kind of thing you want to avoid.

Plus, you have your shower at home, which is private and maintained by you, and — as you’ve discovered — lots of fun!