The Adventures of a Sybian Engineer

Everyone has heard of motorized sexual aides becoming more “connected”, with Wi-Fi-enabled machines, dolls and so on. But not many people know that you can become a Sybian Engineer by accident. It happened to me, and these are the crazy events that led me here!

Part I. I was in New Orleans minding my business

I was at Naughty N'awlins in New Orleans to attend the Sexual Freedom Parade and listen to a few mentors on the latest news and technologies. While there, my husband and I volunteered to help with some of the productions of the events.

Now Naughty N'awlins is a sex-positive convention and one of the largest events of its kind in the world. Thousands of people attend this event each year. Many are looking to explore their sexuality in a sex-positive environment. It features seminars, classes, entertainment and various other activities throughout the event. One of the most talked about events is the Tantra Center. This is where all the event play areas are hosted. The 20,000 square foot space has numerous themed rooms, such as The Dungeon, The Bi-Play Room, The Plus One Room, Ladies Only Room and The Toy Room.

Part II. How I got roped into being the Sybian Engineer

My husband, Gelsomino, and I volunteered to help the producers Bob and Tess Hannaford. What that was going to entail we weren't sure of at the time, but we soon found out. We helped with the Tantra Center set-up, and we helped with registration at the front desk. The rest of the time, we merely helped answer questions about classes and ongoing events. On our third day, we were asked to assist in the Tantra Center while it was operational.

We showed up for our shift that evening and waited for our briefing and instructions from the shift supervisor. During the briefing, the questions were posed, “Does anyone know what a Sybian is and has experience running this sexual aide?” My husband, not knowing the context for the question, immediately chimes in “WE DO”. Immediately, the shift supervisor reacted with excitement as I looked at my husband, saying “what did you just get us into”. As it turns out, I was crowned with the dubious title of Toy Room Engineer, more specifically the “Sybian Engineer”.

Part III. What it’s like to be the Sybian Engineer

First, let's tackle the question – what is a Sybian. Dave Lampert invented this sexual aide in 1979 but did not go into full production until 1985. Over the years, we have had Sybians at our clubs for members to experiment with. So I have vast experience with the use, maintenance and cleaning of this machine.

So back to the Tantra Center. It was 10 minutes before the doors were about to open, so I immediately found my way to the Toy Room to set up. All while going over in my head what questions I was going to ask those who signed up for the experience. So I finally settled on my top 3 qualifying questions. 1. Have you ever tried a Sybian? 2. What type of stimulation do you prefer, Clitoral or Vaginal? and 3. Are you a squirter? I figured depending on the answers, I would know their experience level, if I needed additional padding, and how I was going to create their new adventure.

The doors opened and I was all set to go. A few people peeked into the room and asked what items I had. Others just waived or gave me a thumbs up in approval. Then my first adventure seeker asked if anyone can sign up. I replied enthusiastically, “Yes!”. Then they asked again, lowering their voice to a whisper “Anyone?” I again replied, “Yes, anyone.”

You see, my first adventurer was a he, and had no experience with prostate play. Some of you are still caught up in your heads with “He”, yes I said he. I had to rethink my qualifying questions on the fly. I exchanged pleasantries with “Joe” and then asked, Have you ever tried a Sybian? Have you ever experienced prostate stimulation or anal? His replies were no to both. So I immediately went over my suggestions for the attachments that could be used. “Joe” looked them over, while I was donning new gloves and picked two.

Before we proceeded with the experience, I asked “Joe”, what level of privacy would they like? I wanted to confirm where their boundaries were, all while making them feel comfortable and safe in their decision. And now it was time to start, as I handed them gloves, lube and a condom.

“Joe” and I talked thru various levels of vibrations and rotations before we found what worked for them. During this time, we had some people who respectfully entered the room and took seats to watch. A few minutes later, “Joe” tapped out and said no mas. I provided some aftercare and reviewed the experience with him. I could tell the level of excitement and release “Joe” had by the change in his voice. He was no longer whispering, but rather speaking his truth out loud about how it felt with those in the room.

Part IV. Enjoyed the Sybian

As others kept asking “Joe” questions about his experience, I maintained the Sybian for what now appeared like a line down the hallway of eager participants. I had moved on to my next adventurer and started to qualify them when I saw “Joe” starting to leave the room. I yelled out, “Did you enjoy the ride?” and “Joe” came back in and enthusiastically said, “YES! Thank you”. I walked up to them and asked them if I could hug them. As he extended his arms, I whispered in his ear, “It was an honor to be your Sybian Engineer”.

Marilu is a board certified sexologist and sex educator. Click here to read more.