Other Good Lubes

Over the years, we’ve tested dozens of different lubes, and some of them are pretty good if not exactly the best in any particular category. For those, we have this section.

Other Good Lubes

Over the years, we’ve tested dozens of different lubes, and some of them are pretty good if not exactly the best in any particular category. For those, we have this section.

LubeLife Water-Based Lubricant for $8: Not only does LubeLife make a stellar silicone lube, but their water-based lubes are great too. At the moment, I’m really enjoying their most recent water-based lube—they have a long and impressive line of these types of lubes—that’s surprisingly long-lasting for something that’s water-based. It’s also super smooth, feeling 100 percent natural, never gets that awful sticky or tacky texture that some water-based lubes develop over time, and upon tasting it, I noticed it had a very slight sweetness to it. While I haven’t used this lube during oral sex, I can definitely see it being a major asset in my performance.

Playground Free Love Lube for $18: If you’re susceptible to UTIs, bacterial vaginosis (BV), or similar infections, then this is the lube for you, as it’s been scientifically proven to both reduce and prevent such vaginal issues. Free Love is also free of glycerin and fragrance, both of which can lead to yeast infections and general irritations. Although Free Love is extremely smooth and makes for a great complement when trying to avoid friction, the biggest selling point is that it will protect you from infections that some other lubes just can’t.

Dame Arousal Serum for $30: I’m not a huge fan of warming or tingling lubes and have yet to try one that makes me a true believer. But Dame’s Arousal Serum comes close. This is a warming, tingling, water-based lube that uses peppermint oil, cinnamon leaf oil, and ginger oil to provide some extra sensation during sex. If you have sensitive skin, I’d leave these products alone, but if you don’t and want to try a stimulating lube, this is the one I’d recommend. Try it on a non-genital area first to ensure you know how your skin will react.

Maude Shine Water-Based Lube for $25: This used to be our top pick. It offers a silky-smooth texture, though it’s on the thicker side for a water-based lube. Thicker water-based lubes typically last longer between applications. Using the thumb test, this lube gives you a slick but smooth cushion between your fingertips, which is a good indicator that it’s going to keep things nice and slick.

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Julie Bornstein thought it would be a cinch to implement her idea for an AI startup. Her résumé in digital commerce is impeccable: VP of ecommerce at Nordstrom, COO of the startup Stitch Fix, and founder of a personalized shopping platform acquired by Pinterest. Fashion has been her obsession since she was a Syracuse high schooler inhaling spreads in Seventeen and hanging out in local malls. So she felt well-positioned to create a company for customers to discover the perfect garments using AI.

The reality was much harder than she expected. I had breakfast recently with Bornstein and her CTO, Maria Belousova, to learn about her startup, Daydream, funded with $50 million from VCs like Google Ventures. The conversation took an unexpected turn as the women schooled me on the surprising difficulty of translating the magic of AI systems into something people actually find useful.T

Her story helps explain something. My first newsletter of 2025 announced that it would be The Year of the AI App. Though there are indeed many such apps, they haven’t transformed the world as I anticipated. Ever since ChatGPT launched in late 2022, people have been blown away by the tricks performed by AI, but study after study has shown that the technology has not yet delivered a significant boost in productivity. (One exception: coding.) A study published in August found that 19 out of 20 AI enterprise pilot projects delivered no measurable value. I do think that productivity boost is on the horizon, but it’s taking longer than people expected. Listening to the stories of startups like Daydream that are pushing to break through gives some hope that persistence and patience might indeed make those breakthroughs happen.

Fashionista Fail

Bornstein’s original pitch to VCs seemed obvious: Use AI to solve tricky fashion problems by matching customers with the perfect garments, which they’d be delighted to pay for. (Daydream would take a cut.) You’d think the setup would be simple—just connect to an API for a model like ChatGPT and you’re good to go, right? Um, no. Signing up over 265 partners, with access to more than 2 million products from boutique shops to retail giants, was the easy part. It turns out that fulfilling even a simple request like “I need a dress for a wedding in Paris” is incredibly complex. Are you the bride, the mother-in-law, or a guest? What season is it? How formal a wedding? What statement do you want to make? Even when those questions are resolved, different AI models have different views on such things. “What we found was, because of the lack of consistency and reliability of the model—and the hallucinations—sometimes the model would drop one or two elements of the queries,” says Bornstein. A user in Daydream’s long-extended beta test would say something like, “I’m a rectangle, but I need a dress to make me look like an hourglass.” The model would respond by showing dresses with geometric patterns.

Ultimately, Bornstein understood that she had to do two things: postpone the app’s planned fall 2024 launch (though it’s now available, Daydream is still technically in beta until sometime in 2026) and upgrade her technical team. In December 2024 she hired Belousova, the former CTO of Grubhub, who in turn brought in a team of top engineers. Daydream’s secret weapon in the fierce talent war is the chance to work on a fascinating problem. “Fashion is such a juicy space because it has taste and personalization and visual data,” says Belousova. “It’s an interesting problem that hasn’t been solved.”

What’s more, Daydream has to solve this problem twice—first by interpreting what the customer says and then by matching their sometimes quirky criteria with the wares on the catalog side. With inputs like I need a revenge dress for a bat mitzvah where my ex is attending with his new wife, that understanding is critical. “We have this notion at Daydream of shopper vocabulary and a merchant vocabulary, right?” says Bornstein. “Merchants speak in categories and attributes, and shoppers say things like, ‘I’m going to this event, it’s going to be on the rooftop, and I’m going to be with my boyfriend.’ How do you actually merge these two vocabularies into something at run time? And sometimes it takes several iterations in a conversation.” Daydream learned that language isn’t enough. “We’re using visual models, so we actually understand the products in a much more nuanced way,” she says. A customer might share a specific color or show a necklace that they’ll be wearing.

Bornstein says Daydream’s subsequent rehaul has produced better results. (Though when I tried it out, a request for black tuxedo pants showed me beige athletic-fit trousers in addition to what I asked for. Hey, it’s a beta.) “We ended up deciding to move from a single call to an ensemble of many models,” says Bornstein. “Each one makes a specialized call. We have one for color, one for fabric, one for season, one for location.” For instance, Daydream has found that for its purposes, OpenAI models are really good at understanding the world from the clothing point of view. Google’s Gemini is less so, but it is fast and precise.

Like cold plunging, sauna use isn’t suitable for everyone, however. If you have any heart, kidney, blood pressure, or respiratory concerns or are pregnant, you should avoid the sauna, for example. If you are unsure, you should always consult your doctor before use. And regardless of your level of sauna experience, if you feel lightheaded, nauseous, or uncomfortable in any way, you must leave the sauna immediately to avoid overheating or dehydration.

Traditional Sauna Vs. Infrared Sauna

How long you spend in a sauna also depends on what type of sauna you have, be it a traditional dry sauna, infrared sauna, or perhaps a steam sauna. The temperature of your sauna also matters, as the higher the temperature or humidity, the less time you can safely stay inside.

The two most popular sauna options include the traditional Finnish-style dry sauna that functions on high heat with low humidity at around 160 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit (70 to 100 Celsius). A typical session can last around eight to 10 minutes and is widely recommended three to four times a week for general health and relaxation. Pure Saunas suggests capping your sauna session at 20 minutes. Longer than that can lead to dehydration or overheating.

Meanwhile, an infrared sauna uses infrared light to heat the body at lower temperatures between 120 and 150 Fahrenheit (50-65 C). As the heat feels milder, Pure Saunas suggest a time range between 20 and 30 minutes. While experienced sauna users may be able to go to 30 minutes, it’s safer to keep to sessions under 20 minutes.

The Benefits of Heat and Movement

Aside from counting down the minutes on the sand timer, there’s another way to “be” while in a sauna. Space may limit you, but gentle intentional stretching in the sauna not only feels great but can be beneficial. A study by Harvard Medical School found that a hot yoga flow may even ease depression, for example, which is an indication of how well heat and movement go together.

“Learning to move and breathe calmly in heat teaches you to self-regulate and to stay centered when things feel intense,” says Nick Higgins from Hotpod Yoga. “It also elevates the heart rate and circulation, giving a gentle cardiovascular boost even during slower, more mindful flows. Whether you’re flowing through yoga or sitting, that mindful relationship with heat can be both grounding and transformative. Warmth encourages muscles to soften and lengthen, supporting flexibility and joint mobility while reducing the risk of strain.”

Your fellow sauna buddies may not appreciate you attempting a full-on sun salutation in such a tight space, but there are a few subtle yoga poses you can try.

“Certain stretches feel more accessible when the muscles are warm and supple, such as hip openers like Pigeon Pose, gentle backbends like Cobra or Bridge, and hamstring stretches like Forward Fold,” says Higgins. “The heat helps you ease deeper into those postures with control rather than force, which is key to safe, sustainable flexibility.”