Can you spot the difference?

Thanks to their oh-so-discreet design and petal-provided pleasure, rose sex toys have enjoyed increasing virality since their clock-app debut in 2022. While I can personally attest that these rose-shaped suction toys’ popularity is deserved, a just-launched lily-shaped vibrator gives it a run for its money—or at least makes the argument for a full-on bouquet of stimulators.

Introducing: The Zalo Calla ($69). Ahead, learn all about this three-in-one, discrete cordless vibrator, including how it compares to the rose and my personal review on how I added it to my masturbation practice.

About the Zalo Calla

Named for the calla lily, a trumpet-shaped flower with a finger-length extension in its middle, the Calla ($69) is a three-in-one vibrator from luxury sex-tech brand Zalo.

The Calla may be modeled off of a flower, just as the rose toys are, but the sensation delivered by this lily couldn’t be more different than those delivered from roses. Most rose-inspired toys use unique air technology to create a suction sensation against your clitoris that mirrors the sensation of cunnilingus. The lily-shaped Calla, however, is a vibrator.

The floral end of the Calla features an elegant, flexible petal that can be used for broad stimulation. Simply flatten the textured inner petal against your external erogenous zones of choice and enjoy the sensation of the petal shivering and shaking against your hot spots. At the center of the quivering petal is a tongue-like spike that can deliver more precise pleasure. This inch-long silicone nubbin contains a powerful motor that allows it to vibrate at breakneck speeds against whatever external area—clitoral glans, penis, nipples, etc—you want to sensate.

The stem, meanwhile, can either serve as a non-vibrating handle that keeps your hand from numbing out when you’re teasing your, ahem, petals with its petal or as a vaginal or clitoral vibrator when powered on. No thicker than a pinkie finger, the stem side is far thinner than G-spot vibrators or internal massagers. As such, it cannot provide a similar sensation of vaginal fullness, nor can it stimulate as much as the vaginal canal (For reference, popular G-spot vibrator Lelo Gigi has a 1.5-inch diameter which allows it to stimulate a large surface area).

However, its pencil-thin size may be a benefit for those who do not enjoy the sensation of being stretched, as well as those who physically cannot handle something girthier—for instance, those with hypertonic pelvic floor (like me!), dyspareunia (pain during penetration), vaginismus, or another pelvic floor dysfunction.

The Zalo Calla: My honest review

One famous fictional sex columnist may have closets of hoity-toity-couture to show for her career, but I have closets overflowing with sex toys. Given the volume of pleasure products at my disposal and filling the shelves around my apartment, it shouldn’t surprise you that discretion isn’t the main thing that I look for in a sex toy. Is a penis my favorite shape for a sex toy? No. But generally, I’m not more apt to use a sex toy that looks like an electric toothbrush (e.g., the Zumio), costume jewelry (e.g., Unbound Flick), or pickle (e.g., the Emijobator Pickle), for example, than one that looks like, well, a sex toy. Rather, I let the sensation I’m craving dictate my choice.

However, as a certified sex educator, I know that discretion is an essential feature for many vibrator buyers. “Someone may feel more comfortable having a discrete toy in their drawer because the appearance is not explicitly sexual,” explains Suzannah Weiss, an AASECT-certified sex educator and author of Subjectified: Becoming a Sexual Subject. So, when I first laid my eyes on the Calla, which my friends at Zalo generously sent me to review, in the manner of one Carrie Bradshaw, I couldn’t help but wonder: Might this lily-shaped vibrator become my new go-to recommendation?

After putting the Calla through the wringer (read: using it over and over and over again), my conclusion surprised me: The Calla isn’t just an excellent option for pleasure-seekers on the market for a discrete toy, it’s also the perfect pick (pun intended) for me!

What I love

The versatility of the stem, hands down, is my favorite part of the Calla. To start, when I use the florets to tease myself, the stem serves as a handle. “A long handle elongates your reach and requires less movement from you, so you can focus on laying back, relaxing, and taking in the sensations,” says sex educator Anna Richards, the founder of the erotic ethical porn site FrolicMe.com. “This can be especially helpful for someone with a disability or chronic illness that limits their mobility.”

It is not common for toys that aren’t wand vibrators to non-vibrating grip. The entire body of bullet vibes, for example, vibrates, which means that your hand can become tingly and numb with extended use. Similarly, rose sex toys with vibrating capabilities in addition to sucking ones typically don’t have a handle. In (my pleasure) practice, the fact that the Calla has a non-vibrating place for me to grip means that I can use it as my horny heart desires without my hand going numb.

Incidentally, the stem is also the portion of the toy that delivers the sensation I most enjoy. While the shimmying of the silicone petal can be a fun way to warm up, it is neither precise nor intense enough for me to climax. Meanwhile, the sensations delivered by the pistil are too intense for me personally. (This isn’t surprising, according to Weiss, who says it is oral sex lovers who are most likely to enjoy this feature and cunnilingus has never been my cream of the crop). The stem, however, can deliver moderate-intensity vibrations that are just right for me. Most often, I use the rounded edge of the stem’s end to stimulate my clit. However, when I am craving penetration I appreciate that the slim profile of the Calla allows me to enjoy it without much warm-up.

The Calla also has other features that I personally look for in a sex toy: A waterproof body, intuitive button interface, and cordless design.

What I don’t love

The Zalo Calla is not a particularly powerful toy. Vibrators, in general, offer a less intense experience than that provided by air-suction toys (like rose sex toys) which stimulate the clitoris directly and unrelentingly. And the toy itself just doesn’t have room for a motor that can deliver ultra-powerful vibrations, like larger wand toys. As such, if you’re an experienced pleasure-seeker or toy-user who knows that you value intensity over all else, you can probably skip this pick.

Final thoughts

Does the Calla deserve a place in your bouquet of buzzy buddies? In my opinion, the discreet design and vibration versatility make the Calla solid selection for vulva-owned looking for a flower-shaped toy—or non-phallic toy more generally. In fact, Weiss says that buying and using this motorized lily may even feel empowering for women and non-binary people. The fact that it is not penis shaped allows it to serve as a reminder that we deserve—and can access pleasure—even outside of men, she explains. so if discretion, versatility, innovation, and/or elegance wind up being what you’re seeking, you can’t go wrong with this one-of-a-kind lily.