What Does Urethral Sounding Feel Like?

Urethral sounding is a medical procedure whereby probes, called sounds, are used to increase the inner diameter of the female or male urethra and locate any obstructions that might be blocking its primary function.

Sounding has now become better known as a kink where people stick metal rods and other items inside their urethra. Sounding is becoming popular, as evidenced by the more than 38,000 members who belong to the sounding subreddit.

But what does urethral sounding feel like? Is sounding painful?

And this goes without saying: Great care should be taken during any exploration of the urethra, and you should not ignore the precautions we'll talk about here before exploring this trend.

Does urethral sounding feel good?

Several sounders love the sensation for two reasons: the taboo nature of what they're doing and how it stimulates multiple parts of their genitals.

"Sounding feels like nothing else, really," said Reddit user and moderator SoundingMod, a cisgender man and artist in his late 20s. "First, the feeling inside the penis itself is very intense. It's a feeling of fullness, of defying the norm or pure sexual stimulation."

Another sounder, who went by his username, uninterestedframer, loved the taboo aspect, too.

"There is also a penetrative side to it, which for a straight cis male, feels very alien yet so erotic," he said.

The way the sounding rod hits multiple parts of his penis—and prostate—makes it especially desirable.

"Usually, masturbating or sex feels great on the head of the penis, but sounding triggers sensations that are felt up and down and deep inside, rather than being merely topical," he explained. "Also, using a curved sound seems [to be] the only direct way to stimulate the prostate, which turns everything up by a magnitude of 10."

According to Luck, an 18-year-old male, the practice of sounding is all about your perspective.

"People seem to dread catheterization at hospitals, but it's mostly the mindset," he said. "It gives an electrical-like, pulse-like feeling all up your shaft, which feels out of the world if you can find yourself enjoying it."

John, a 39-year-old from California, uses lube to make the sounding experience more comfortable.

"I don't feel the rod going in, per se, because of the lube," he wrote. "Sometimes there's friction and that's something I want to avoid."

While you can practice sounding with a partner, many do it alone. But that doesn't mean solo sounders wouldn't be interested in trying it with a partner who's into it.

"[I] would like a partner to participate as long as they're comfortable with the practice," John said. "It's not for everyone. However, I believe that it would be the most intimate thing I could do with a partner since sounding is somewhat niche."

What does female urethral sounding feel like?

"All a person needs is the desire and a urethra," John explained. "I've seen people of several genders practice sounding."

While any gender can enjoy this kink, it's most popular among men.

"I can't say much of the experience of sounding without a penis or prostate," SoundingMod said. "But their absence and a higher risk [of a urinary tract infection] due to a shorter urethra seems to make sounding less popular to these other people."

While any gender can enjoy this kink, it's most popular among men.

People with vaginas are more likely to get urinary tract infections (UTIs) because their shorter urethra allows bacteria to reach their bladder more easily, according to the National Kidney Foundation.

Plus, sounding is generally more pleasurable for cisgender men.

"I think it's probably more pleasurable for males as the prostate is touched through the urethra, and that spot gives lots of pleasure when touched," Luck said. "The fact that males' urethras are several times longer allows for deeper movements and more sensations."

Is urethral sounding safe?

Some people had incredible sexual experiences when they started experimenting with sounding.

"I could almost hear my heart thumping away with excitement," uninterestedframer said. "The orgasm was sudden, unexpected, immediate and completely out of my control."

Many others didn't have it so great, though. They either used the wrong lube, the wrong equipment or got UTIs afterward. Men who practice sounding have an increased risk of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), according to a 2012 study published by BJU International.

You can purchase an array of probes—there's quite a selection on amazon.com—but not everyone uses metal rods. On the subreddit, for example, you can find people using anything from glow sticks to paintbrushes to headphone wires, the latter of which Luck said can get tangled inside you, and that may require surgical removal.

Needless to say, that's another reason why taking precautions is so important.

To help you avoid an awkward discussion with your doctor, SoundingMod has some precautions for sounding:

• Purchase surgical steel and silicone toys, as well as water-based bacteriostatic lube, from a reputable seller.
• Clean your lube bottles, hands and genitals before and after sounding.
• Start with a sound that's small in diameter, though not less than 5 millimeters.
• Insert the sound slowly and softly, and without wiggling it around too much.
• Take the sound out before you ejaculate.
• Wash all of your sounding equipment with an antibacterial solution or boil it in water, and then store it in a clean, dry environment.
• Urinate after using the sound.

Keep in mind, your first time may not go perfectly and that's OK.

"There is a learning curve to [sounding]. And there is always the risk of infection," uninterestedframer explained. 

"But like many things, there is a risk to rewards, and for me, the rewards outweigh the risks. Observe precautions, understand the risks and use the right tools for the right job, and you will be rewarded with pleasure. Ignore the risks, and the consequences could be severe."