Powered by two AAA batteries, the Mimi Lil' Massager is great for delivering a relaxing massage anywhere on the body. It's casual design means you needn't be embarrassed to pull it out in public to relieve an aching muscle, and it's small enough to fit in any type of bag or glove box.

Mimi measures roughly 3" (7cm) across by 1-1/4" (3cm) high and is made of a hard ABS plastic that contains no phthalates or latex. The surface is very smooth so there's little to no drag when you move it across your skin, though ABS is compatible with any lubes or massage oils if you choose to use one.

Designed like a fat little powder puff, the shape and size make it comfortable to hold whether it's in your palm or squeezed between the thumb and fingers. One side has three long indentions to rest your fingers in, and on the other is a round indention in the middle that's nice to rest your thumb in. Gripping it that way lets you use the edge of the disk, or you can cup it in your palm and use one of the convex sides to massage a wider area.

The power button is in front of the thumb indention and fairly close to the edge of the toy, so it's convenient but not so easy to press that you have to worry about accidentally turning it off during use. Its operation is simple; one press to turn it on and one to turn it off.

Mimi's single speed of vibration can only be described as "average." In general, it can be felt easily through clothing, but isn't earth-shaking enough to numb the hand while using it. There's a noticeable difference in the intensity of the vibrations depending on how you use it though. The vibrations on the edges and on the side where the power button is are the same, but it's slightly weaker on the side that has the indentions for your fingers.

Mimi makes a medium-pitched buzzing sound that can be easily heard throughout the room, and possibly through a closed door. For everyday massage use it's fine, but we found the noise level to be borderline distracting when we used it over the shoulder and chest areas during one of our sensual massage sessions. It was sort of like hearing an angry bee hovering way too close in an otherwise serene setting.

We did have an issue with the toy that we felt was worth mentioning though. To get to the battery compartment, flip the toy over to the side that the power button is on (we call that the back) and you'll see the words "Open" and "Close" in raised letters toward one edge. If you put your thumb on these words and push toward the center of the toy, the entire back slides off. This cover seems to fit tightly, but when we used Mimi with lube during clit play (and later with an oil for body massages) we found that both seeped up under the seam into the battery compartment. Neither got on the batteries because they're more toward the center and have a small raised ridge around them, but it wasn't fun to clean out.
This obviously wouldn't be an issue for you if you plan to use the toy without lubes/oils, but it's something to keep in mind if you do.

As far as caring for this toy, it's not waterproof in the least so you should remove the batteries before cleaning it and you can't submerge it. You can use soap and water, toy cleaner, or even a bit of isopropyl alcohol to clean the Mimi; just be sure the battery compartment is dry before its next use.

Michele says:
Since the Mimi is listed as a clitoral stimulator that's the first thing I tried to do with it, but it didn't work for me that way. If I use it flat against the labia area, the vibes are both too weak and too spread out to get me anywhere near orgasm. I had pretty much the same problem when I turned it on its side and used the edge; nice for initial arousal but not pinpoint enough to really get me going. It might be enough for people who don't require quite as much clitoral stimulation as I do though, and it feels nice and relaxing on other areas of the body.

Alan says:
I enjoy this massager for general "dry" use, but I'm disappointed that the design is just all wrong for full-on sensual massages (the kind that uses body oil). You might get away with it if you avoid getting lube around the edges or the back, but that's not always easy to do. For one, sensual massage usually entails massaging *everywhere*, and you're not likely to avoid tilting the toy on its sides here and there. For another, the side that's ok with the oils is the one that the finger ridges are on, which is also the side with the weaker vibes. A bummer either way.

Still, since not everyone will want to use the toy quite like Michele and I did (again, it's pleasant for dry massages), we're going to go ahead and give it four stars.