The legendary Hitachi Magic Wand, with its robust vibrations and large head, is known as an effective vibrator for all sorts of genital configurations. The release of a rechargeable version was met with much (deserved) fanfare, which only bolstered my desire for more people to experience this fantastic toy.



So I reached out to Zinnia Jones, trans activist, writer, sex toy user, and creator of Gender Analysis, to see if she wanted to try it. Zinnia was already a fan of the original Magic Wand, so SheVibe graciously sent her the Magic Wand Rechargeable. She, too, found it a worthy upgrade. Read on for her experience with hormone therapy, masturbation, and the Magic Wand.

As a transgender woman, hormonally transitioning meant almost totally revising my understanding of my body’s sexual response. Although it’s now been four years since I started taking testosterone blockers and estrogen, it only took six months before I began experiencing changes in how the very structure of sex works for me.

Before I transitioned, there was nothing notable about getting off; the usual grip and up-and-down motion sufficed, and climax was easy, albeit brief and underwhelming. I didn’t have much reason to explore beyond that — I just wanted those insistent daily urges, almost alien in their presence, to go away already.

Hormone therapy gave me exactly that in a matter of weeks, and it was so freeing. But I soon realized there was more: I had previously been so inexplicably anxious and uneasy about being seen and touched during sex, yet now it was an emotionally comfortable space for me. I could finally relax and be in the moment, let go, and have real enthusiasm and confidence in exploring. Sex was just plain fun, like I had always wanted it to be.

Still, there was one issue: my original genitals, and sexual sensation generally, weren’t working quite the same as before. I still haven’t had genital surgery, and I knew that various dysfunctions were to be expected when applying estrogen to this anatomy. (I prefer to call it a “clit,” as many trans women do — the penis and clitoris are homologous and develop from the same structures.) Getting off had been a familiar feeling: a wholly predictable buildup, clear and sharp peak, and immediate comedown. Now I sometimes just… didn’t get there. What took five minutes before suddenly began to take an hour or two, and there were many times when I simply gave up on it. That itself was new — finishing was once practically mandatory, while now I could easily call it off at any point.

But when I got there? Oh, it was so worth it. Coming used to be something that felt hollow and unrewarding, limited to that one area and no further, but now it resonated across my entire body. It felt like my skin was vibrating. Massive, rolling pulses of energy would surge through my chest and face and legs, and even better, I could make it last three or four times as long as before. It was incredible to feel this for the first time. The sensation seemed so much more me.

Enter the Hitachi Magic Wand

As amazing as this newfound ability was, I couldn’t exactly invest two hours any time the mood struck. My arms just will not hold out for that long. Against this backdrop, I turned to an old standby that’s long been suggested to cis women, and more recently to trans women as well: the Hitachi Magic Wand. I had never put much effort into trying vibrators on my clit before, but the sheer volume of recommendations from other trans women convinced me to give it a shot.

I had little clue what it might be like — I only knew it plugged into a wall socket and could vibrate at either 5,000 or 6,000 RPM, and I was willing to use as much power as needed to get a better sense of what my sexual response patterns were even doing anymore.

It took a bit of time for me to get my bearings with the Magic Wand; the intensity was enough to cause over-stimulation (but not orgasm) in a matter of seconds if applied too forcefully. I found that the most effective area of my clit to focus on was around the underside of the head while moving it around slightly. (It was easy to rub the skin a bit raw if I wasn’t careful.)

Hitting just the right spot was difficult at first because my clit would often slip around, but underwear really helped with holding it in place — and gently dampened the vibrations. A towel or blanket was even better for spreading it out into a less concentrated area, and for women who experience dysphoria with their original genitals, this may help provide some distance.

I learned I had to work my way up, varying how firmly I pressed it to my body, slowly building up until I was right there. When I finally got to that point, my orgasm felt something like the plunge of a rollercoaster — the twitching and trembling across my entire body left me struggling to catch my breath. The wave of sensation was so crashingly forceful, there were times when it was actually a little scary to bring myself over that edge.

So when the new Magic Wand Rechargeable came out, and Epiphora and SheVibe gave me the chance to get my hands on one, I jumped at the opportunity. For trans women, the new wand came as a groundbreaking development — many have a devout attachment to the Hitachi (even if it’s not “Hitachi” anymore) for all that it’s offered them while figuring out their sexuality, and I’m one of them.

I’m happy to say that the Magic Wand Rechargeable is a more than worthy successor to the original. The chief advantages of the Magic Wand for me have always been both the intense power and fine control it offers, and the Rechargeable features excellent improvements on both fronts. Its lack of a cord really does make a difference — the corded version could be pulled slightly in one direction or another by the weight of the wire, and I was always conscious of its limited range. You couldn’t just put it anywhere when you were in the middle of things; not having to think about that during sex is more liberating than you might think. And trans women won’t have to worry if using it takes an hour or two — it keeps a charge so well, you’ll rarely have to think about the battery at all, and it can still be used while plugged in.

The controls, too, offer even more options: there’s no longer a rocker switch, but instead a dedicated on/off button, a button to select one of four vibration patterns, and a button to cycle between four power options. Although the patterns haven’t done much for me — navigating toward orgasm as a trans woman has meant keeping the timing of things very tightly controlled — I’ve found the new vibration frequency options immensely better when it comes to, well, coming.

I’d always preferred the lower 5,000 RPM setting on the legacy wand, and the Rechargeable offers modes of 2,700, 3,800, 5,400, or 6,300 RPM. I soon learned that the lowest two settings are the ones that work best for me, because it feels as if the beating, thrumming power of the vibrations increases in its strength as the frequency decreases.

It turns out these slower, deeper vibrations are just what I’ve always needed. The original Magic Wand had taken me pretty far, but this is the one that really went the distance.

SheVibe also sent along the Wand Essentials Bliss Tips, a silicone attachment resembling two fingertips and fitting over the vibrating head of the wand (very snugly — wiggle it back and forth to remove it). While I’m certain it was working exactly as designed, this one didn’t play well with my body’s configuration. The silicone tips are very pliable, and it’s difficult to apply any pressure to my clit before the tips bend out of the way. The attachment also seems to reduce the vibration so much that what’s left feels positively gentle. My partner Heather, who was born with a vulva, didn’t get much out of it either.

For those who prefer a much more sensitive touch and find the Magic Wand alone to be a bit overpowered, this might be just what you’re looking for. But personally, this wasn’t going to steer me within a hundred miles of an orgasm. I’ve tried other attachments before, and there are plenty that have been wonderfully effective — it’s definitely worth it to explore what’s out there and find some that work for you.

Trans women should also note that their wand skills may be transferable across anatomies. My girlfriend Penny, who hasn’t had genital surgery, had only ever practiced using it on her own — but the approach she developed was still very effective the first time she tried it on Heather. While I obviously can’t speak from experience, women who’ve enjoyed the Magic Wand before surgery could be well-prepared to use it after surgery as well.

There can be so many obstacles to exploring your sexuality as a trans woman. Being alienated from a body that doesn’t entirely fit, and having your physical form treated by society as both a superficial fetish object and a revolting danger, can put many women off getting in touch with their sexual selves at all. It’s not easy to get a clear look at what you want and what you like, when there are so many other things saying that you are fundamentally wrong.

But the truth is that trans bodies are as amazing and wonderfully unique as any other — and trans bodies can be capable of the most extraordinary things. At the moment of tipping myself over into that quivering warmth and crackling energy, any worries just recede into the distance, drowned out by the seemingly endless roar of ecstasy. From this trans woman: thank you, Magic Wand, once again.

Be sure to follow Zinnia, and get the Magic Wand Rechargeable at SheVibe.