Safer Practices When Douching With a Shower Shot

Shower douches can be incredibly convenient but riskier than other cleansing methods. In this edition of Queeries, Bobby Box sprays his knowledge on how to douche with a shower shot safely.

While I generally caution against using them, I will confess that I do have a shower douche, or "shower shot." I casually dated a plumber early last year and, like magic, a douche nozzle suddenly appeared next to my shower head.

Douching has been easy breezy ever since, and my anal preparation time has reduced by at least 50 percent. I'm reluctant to say that I'm a fan of this convenient contraption because shower shots do carry significantly more risk than your standard douche bulb. Knowing this, I made sure I did an exhaustive amount of research before I introduced this piece of hardware to my hole.

Unfortunately, I discovered that there is very little research on douching with a shower shot, and what little information I was able to scrape up was written by a blogger with little professional experience or background in anal health and anatomy. Fortunately, I'm close with some accredited anal experts and doctors who have more or less acted as Jedis throughout my journey from gayby to power bottom.

To create the credible resource ambitious bottoms deserve, I spoke with anorectal surgery and sexual health PA, Jonathan Baker, to speak on the risks and safer practices when using a shower shot.

WHAT IS A SHOWER SHOT?

Let's start with the basics: What the hell is a shower shot? Well, Urban Dictionary has a surprisingly detailed definition, describing the shower shot as a "douching system that ties into a main waterline by a diverter flow valve at the threaded connection between the shower head and the water spout."

Essentially, it is a hose and nozzle that connects directly to your shower head. Installing one is fairly straightforward, but if you need guidance, there are dozens of tutorials on the internet. Some are even filmed by your favorite OnlyFans creators if you want some eye candy distracting you from your lesson.

WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF HAVING A SHOWER SHOT?

Now, while convenient, shower shots are definitely not for beginners, as they can be difficult to regulate the water pressure and temperature. These factors make your sensitive rectum more susceptible to serious issues like distention (prolapse), which can occur when either using too much liquid or forcing liquid in too quickly. Think of it like you're over-filling a water balloon, but instead of latex, it's your much more valuable rectum.

"I routinely recommend against the use of shower attachments because they are hard to control and there is simply no way to know what is happening internally," Baker says. "Besides, no matter what you do, there will always be some stool bacteria on the skin. Having a pristine anus is simply impossible."

Baker, like many in his profession, generally cautions against douching in any form unless it's completely necessary, since introducing water into the anal canal removes the natural mucus of the rectum, which makes the area drier when you want to do the opposite. Douching also disrupts the anal microbiome, which reduces the integrity of your anal lining. Both of these outcomes make your anal canal more susceptible to scratches, tears, and infection, including STIs.

"Anal sex rarely causes hemorrhoids, but enema use commonly does," Baker adds, mentioning that if you are to douche, he recommends using a small enema bulb and supplementing with fiber. "Among my patients to get hemorrhoids from sex, they also consistently report having prepared for sex with an enema, and shower attachments are often the culprit."

For these reasons, only folks who are very well-versed in bottoming and anal anatomy should even consider using a shower shot. Think of the shower shot as a bottom's hygienic equivalent of fisting.

SHOWER SHOT SAFER PRACTICES

The first thing you want to do with your shower shot is to familiarize yourself with the way it works, especially the unit's water pressure valve. See how sensitive it can be, as even the slightest twist of the valve can cause the device to erupt with enough pressure to powerwash your ceiling.

Baker says that if you were to hold the nozzle vertically, you want the water to spout no higher than an inch, so make sure that is the case before introducing it to your butt.

Given that the rectum is roughly six to seven inches long, you should only need half a cup to one cup of water to clean any debris in the rectum. "Anything more than that might get forced upward and dislodge unformed stool further up in the intestines, which isn't necessary unless you're getting fisted or using larger toys," Baker says.

When it comes to utilizing the nozzle, you have a couple of options. First, you can rest the nozzle against the anus and allow the water to work itself inside the rectum. I've personally found this is much easier to do in the squatting position as it naturally spreads the cheeks and opens the anus.

Second, you an insert the nozzle no more than an inch or two, just beyond the sphincter muscles, until you deduce that you've introduced roughly half a cup to a cup full of water inside the rectum. Use a silicone-based lube to help with insertion, as most nozzles are thick and made of hard metal.

Again, it's important to play around with your shower shot before using it so that you have a better understanding of how long it takes to fill a cup to a cup's worth of water. Practice makes perfect, and the state of your hole is at stake, so don't play around. If you feel discomfort or cramping after douching, it means you've used too much water.

Baker says the liquid should be kept in the rectum for around a minute. Keeping the liquid in too long can result in it traveling upward into the intestines, which, again, may dislodge unformed stool and cause discomfort or cramping.

As you might have gathered, less is more in the matters of anal douching. The less liquid that comes in and out, the better. Baker says that with proper hydration and fiber supplementation, most people should require no more than three rinses in a session. As for the water's temperature, aim to keep it lukewarm. Too hot can burn and irritate the area, and too cold can cause cramping. You should also test the temperature with your hand before putting it anywhere near your rectum.

It cannot be emphasized enough that the shower comes with more risk than other douching methods. During our chat, Baker shared with me that he had two patients with bad hemorrhoids from overusing a shower just that week. So consider this guide to safer practices an effort at harm reduction. I just want what's best for your bum.