UPDATE JANUARY 2023: This DVD is no longer in production. This review remains as a reference for anyone who’s seeking information about this program. While you’re here, why not check out my femdom advice and BDSM advice?
My submissive and I have had fun in the past playing with some of the massage oils that we’ve tried, but neither of us has ever had any formal training when it comes to giving massages. While our massages feel great, I still think there’s other things we could learn to do if we only had the information and practice. That’s where this better sex kit comes into play: When I was offered the chance to review it from Better Sex, I had to take it. Learning how to give a better massage sounds like a great skill to have.
The Joy of Erotic Massage DVD is a DVD produced by Sinclair Institutes. I’ve seen some of their videos in the past, and they’re almost always very educational. The DVD runs about sixty minutes total, and most of the DVD is spent listening and watching about some of the massage techniques. The “host” of the show is Louise-Andree Saulnier. I put that in quotes because all she does is talk for five minutes at the beginning and say good-bye at the end of the movie. For the most part, we listen to a male with a really deep voice throughout the movie.
The movie is set-up quite nicely. There isn’t any sort of “chapter dividers” during the movie itself, but you can still select the chapters from the menu. The chapters are “Massage Preperation”, “Back Massage”, “Foot and Leg Massage”, “Front Torso Massage”, “Breast Massage”, “Arm and Hand Massage”, “Head Massage”, “Female Genital Massage”, “Male Genital Massage”, the end, and lots of product recommendations from BetterSex that will work great for your massages.
Throughout the movie, you will be watching two different couples on the screen – both of different races and regular movie-type body types – give each other massages while the male with the deep voice will be talking in the background about what’s going on. The voice will be taking about the different strokes the couple is using as well as why the stroke is pleasurable for the receiver.
The neat thing about this movie is how slow going it is. While this movie could be just sat down and watched, the movie does go slow enough to actually allow you and your partner to actually perform the massage moves while the couples on the screen do them. The voice-over voice is deep enough and sensual enough to actually enhance your mood instead of dampening it.
The DVD will be teaching some general techniques as well as some specific techniques. For the most part, it talks about how to sensually touch your partner and what parts are specifically sensitive to touch. It’s a good general DVD about massage, and it will give you some specific techniques to relax and touch your partner, but don’t expect something clinical like a massage class. It won’t give you “Go from point a to point b with a light touch then knead at point C”. It will, however, give you general instructions that will feel pleasurable when done on your partner.
Don’t expect the DVD to purely be genital massage or body massage. It thoroughly explains body massage techniques, but then it does move on to genital massage tips as well. You’ll watch one of the males and one of the females reach orgasm through the techniques. Both couples, if I haven’t mentioned this before, do stay nude throughout the entire video.
The DVD also includes some bonus features. There’s a Behind the Scenes feature, a condom-use commercial, an included short video on Tantric Tips to Prolonged Orgasm, and sexual health information which includes information about what sexual health is and why the Sinclair Institute decided to teach it. The bonus features aren’t anything amazing, but they are worth a watch – especially the Behind the Scenes one.
The included massage oil is the Better Sex Essentials Massage Oil in a plastic bottle. The bottle includes four ounces of massage oil and can be operated with the pop-top. I’d recommend pouring all of your oil from this bottle into something else or not being concerned about the slippery bottle. I can easily imagine how plastic could become slick if your hands have massage oil on them. The oil doesn’t have any sort of scent to it either – even when I smelled it directly from my hands.
The massage oil that is included works great for massage. It was stick, stayed slick, and didn’t get sticky during the time we were using it. After about a half-hour of not being touched though, Jor reported that the area with the massage oil did feel sticky. However, during use, it stayed slick and sensual, and as long as you both bathe together after your massage (which the DVD recommends as well) then the stickiness won’t be a problem at all. However, throughout our entire massage, I didn’t feel like the massage oil was greasy at all, and he didn’t feel like it either.
The ingredients for the massage oil included Golden Jojoba oil, Sweet Almond oil, Olive oil, Sunflower oil, and Safflower oil. All body-safe materials. However, oil-based lubricant (which is what massage oil is) isn’t compatible with latex or any other barrier protection methods, and some women can find oil-based lubricants can be painful for genital use. If you plan on turning your massage into sex or a massage near the genitals, the movie suggests (and I do too) that you switch to a water-based lubricant. If you need a water-based lubricant, the Better Sex Essentials Liquid Personal Lubricant works well too.
Between the two, this kit was amazing. It’s great that they were packaged together, and they make for a very affordable way to renew the romance and love between the two of you. We felt much more connected after our massage, and it was nice to cuddle for awhile afterwards. When you consider that the DVD will give and give (unlike an expensive dinner), this is a great purchase for a date night.
