UPDATE AUGUST 2024: This wood dildo is no longer in production; it looks like Nobessence has closed up shop. This sex toy review remains as a reference. While you’re here, why not check out some additional educational info – like online submissive tasks, beginner pegging positions, saran wrap bondage, and enema 101 info.
The NobEssence Intrigue is a beautiful piece of art (and an adult toy!) made by NobEssence. The Intrigue is hand-crafted toy which means that measurements will differ slightly, but it is about ten inches long, 1 3/4 inches wide at the curved end, a little over 2 inches wide on the straight end, and it features two different ends to make this a double-sided dildo. My NobEssence wood type is Laurel, so that’s what you can see in the pictures. It’s a deep, beautiful brown color. To see it more under natural lighting, watch the video as it features it in mostly natural lighting.
The packaging for the NobEssence Intrigue is a large, sturdy box that comes apart in the middle. The box won’t hold together if turned upside down, but it is a really unique box that looks fantastic for gift-giving. Inside, the Intrigue dildo is held in by some elastic straps, and it is cushioned by soft-lined fabric as well as foam to keep it safe. I do recommend keeping your toy in this box for long-term storage – or at least finding it a storage bag that will protect it from scratches. The toy doesn’t need to be protected from drops and bangs as much as glass does, but it does need to be protected from scratches to avoid harming the coating of the wood.
I like the way that NobEssence chose to feature the two different ends on the same toy. With some dual-ended dildos, you end up with two ends that are relatively similar and provide relatively the same sensation.
That’s not the case with this dildo. Each different end will give you a different sensation. The larger end is made to give you a more filling and thick sensation while the smaller end is made to feel filling in a much more strategic way. The smaller end’s design resembles the NobEssence Romp in terms of shape – except the Intrigue seems a bit thicker than the Romp.
What I love so much about NobEssence sex toys is how slick they are. Because of the Lubrosity coating the NobEssence uses on their sex toys, the dildo is completely slick to the touch. This means that it requires very little, if any, external lubrication in order to use this wooden sex toy. If you are already lubricated, you really don’t need any external lubricant. Because the toy is so slick, it has absolutely no drag to it, and it slides in comfortably and is very easy to thrust. If you enjoy drag to your toys or enjoy more drag-like sensation to your material, this may not work well for you, but as for me, I love slick toys, and this is fantastic.
The biggest question I always hear about wood sex toys is “Will I get splinters”? I understand your concern, and until I bought a wooden sex toy, I honestly was worried too. It’s one of those things you really have to see for yourself to understand, but the NobEssence toys are covered in their Lubrosity coating which makes the dildo extremely smooth and soft to the touch. Again, just watch the video, and you can see how the light reflects and shines off of the toys. Your hand glides over the wood with no splinters (you honestly can’t really feel the texture of the wood either in most places, so again, it’s very well-coated), and once you add lubricant, everything glides like a dream. Again, I can’t convince you over text and through video, but I promise that, as long as you have a high-quality wooden sex toy like NobEssence, you won’t be getting any splinters from your sex toy.
If you enjoy filling sensations, the larger end has you covered. At its largest point, it really is about the size of the NJoy Eleven dildo. That’s a big toy! This end is about four inches long with a large diameter of about two inches (or more depending on where on the toy you measure). It curves slightly towards the tip which allows for a slightly easier insertion, but the toy doesn’t give you much of a lead-up into the huge size of the shaft, so make sure you have well-lubricated your toy and prepared yourself for the large size of the NobEssence Intrigue. This is certainly not for the faint of vagina/butt, and you’ll definitely feel very full while using it. It is a very straight shape as well, so it doesn’t have a g-spot curve or anything like that, but again, it’s very filling while using it.
If you enjoy more targeted or smaller sensations, the smaller end of the NobEssence Intrigue may work better for you. It includes two main “bulges” of the toy, and one of the bulges is slightly larger for a more filling sensation while the other bulge is slightly more curved. This end is much more manageable for most people, and it feels quite pleasurable as well. I love the shape of it; it’s like the shape was made very natural for my anatomy, and it slides in comfortably and rests there. It’s not like it’s shaped like it isn’t supposed to be there – they really did shape this end for optimal pleasure, and it shows. This smaller end is, by far, my favorite end of this toy. By far.
Cleaning your NobEssence Intrigue is pretty easy. You just want to wash it with warm water and mild, non-abrasive soap. It can also be wiped down with an anti-bacterial cleanser such as 10% bleach. Do remember that it’s water-resistant, so while it won’t harm it to be in water, I probably wouldn’t soak it. It’s compatible with all types of lubricant, and as it doesn’t pick up lint or hair, you don’t need to be extra careful about where you store it. Just make sure you don’t store it near sharp objects as they could scratch the finish of the toy and really hurt it. As long as you keep that in mind, though, you can store the NobEssence Intrigue wherever you’d like.
Overall, if you enjoy filling sensations but also want to enjoy not-as-filling sensations sometimes, the NobEssence Intrigue provides both sensations for you. It can be large and filling, and it can be small and targeted, and it does both sensually with its filling body, slick material, and beautiful design.
