I’ve seen the Liberator Throe on various sex blogs in the last year or so, and it’s intriguing, but I had no idea if it would be worth the hefty $80 pricetag. I mean, it’s just a blanket, right? And what if it was all crinkly or plastic-y, that wouldn’t be comfortable to fuck on top of at all.
But thankfully, that is not at all how this “blanket” really is.
The point of this is to protect your sheets, couch, floor, car seats, or wherever, from getting covered in lube and come. If you’re thinking, huh? Why would I need to protect my furniture and sheets from things like that? Then this probably isn’t necessarily for you. But some of us have very messy, juicy sex, or have lovers who ejaculate on a regular basis. And this has meant that I no longer have to worry about the big ol’ wet spot we often leave behind. Instead, we just bundle up the blanket, pull up the covers, curl up together, and toss it in the wash the next day.
I’ve got the Liberator Throe in black microfiber. One side is soft and slightly fuzzy, the other is smooth silk. The Liberator website says this throe is “reversible,” but in my experience if you have the smooth-side-down, it will slip all over the place, which is bad for both a) keeping traction while fucking and b) keeping the various liquids from getting all over everywhere. So I’ve found it isn’t quite as reversible as it claims to be. Also, the fuzzier side doesn’t particularly absorb liquids the way the silk side does. Not sure why – it’s not that liquid goes through the fuzzy side, it doesn’t, but it doesn’t absorb and wick away the liquids the same way. It’s 100% genuine polyester with a nylon “inner moisture barrier,” which really does work.
Kristen & I have been using this when we fuck for the last few months, and I wouldn’t want to be without it, especially with a partner who ejaculates. Though I really love the way she comes and squirts, I’ll be honest, I don’t really like thinking about the ways that it is absorbing into my blankets and mattress, or couch or car seats, and having this down means that that is just not on either of our minds anymore.
Just the other day, Kristen said, “I never thought I was paranoid about ejaculating, but this has really been a relief.”
It’s worth it. In fact, we’re going to order a 2nd one to keep at Kristen’s house.
Details:
Purple, red, black, blue, tan, white tiger, or leopard
Shag or microfiber
5’ x 6’
Machine washable
100% polyester (nylon interior barrier)
Buy it on the Liberator website, or at your local feminist sex toy store.
I find that polar fleece works really well and is a LOT less expensive for this kind of thing. It's really absorbent and wicks moisture really well – like it's supposed to if you're wearing a polar fleece base layer/jacket for hiking or what have you.
As unsexy as it is, my gf and I bought a washable incontinence pad off amazon for approx. 15$ to deal with this (i have friends who said "just put a towel down"…only to get a blank stare from me because that would be monstrously ineffective) and it also works very well.
I bought a LuvLinen (luvlinen.com) a few years ago – like Kristen, I did not anticipate what a relief it would be. Like the item you're talking about, it's not crinkly or plasticy, it's machine washable, and it's way better than using a towel. It's less sexy looking than the liberator throw, and smaller, but for $35 it's a better deal, particularly if you're looking for a portable or back up item.
I, too, own the Liberator Throe and I can’t quite figure it out! Sometimes it is impervious, and sometimes I remove it post-sex to find my bed just slightly less wet than without it. I seem to ejaculate enough for it to seep right through (it’s not running off the sides as the sides are all dry)! I don’t know if the way I washed it once changed the barrier in the middle, or if using it on one side is more effective than the other…what I do know, though, is that I sometimes need a second barrier and, yes, this does take some of the spontaneity out of sex for me. It has been especially difficult living in an apartment without laundry on-site. Anyway, my mattress is pretty stained at this point. I will continue to try barriers, but is there any way of cleaning and resurrecting it? It’s only two years old and I’m not ready to get rid of it yet!
J-Z: I don’t know what to tell you about the Throe, that sounds very different than my experience. It does seem for me that having the shiny side up is more efficient than having the fuzzy side up, partly because with the shiny side down it tends to slide around, but it doesn’t seem like y moisture seeps through like you’re describing. Maybe you have a deficient one, somehow? I would contact Liberator and see if they will replace it, it might have a warranty of some sort.
Secondarily, I recommend a mattress protector like this one (as my friend who sent that link to me said, ignore the creepy baby). If your mattress is already stained maybe you don’t care, but even still there’s no reason to have more stains on it. It’s pretty cheap and incredibly effective, so even if you do happen to soak through the sheets, it won’t be in the mattress. Sheets are so much more washable, after all. When Kristen and I bought a new mattress last fall I really wanted us to be extra careful and keep the new mattress in good shape as long as possible.
I agree it takes some of the spontaneity out of it, but also, ejaculating is awesome, so it’s a small price to pay, in my opinion. Hope that is helpful!