When Japanese businessman and manufacturer Jiro Takashima crafted a clever invention for addressing men's pelvic health, we doubt he ever imagined being wished a “happy anal-versary” 20 successful years later.
This year, prostate health and anal pleasure brand Aneros will celebrate the company's double-decade status as sex toy industry staples. From sex educators to retail buyers to countless consumers, anyone who knows pleasure products knows what's inside Aneros's familiar black, red and white box. Few, however, know all the twisting tales that encompass the world's favorite name in prostate health.
We are looking forward to 20 more years to come — and more — as we enhance everyone’s sexual health, wellness and lifestyles.
Fronted by company founder Takashima, marketing and sales director Brent Aldon, and product and business development manager Forrest Andrews, this boutique-style manufacturer remains top tier, even without constant new product releases. The company ethos eschews a million-product lineup in favor of delivering delicately crafted quality.
“Aneros always likes to be at the forefront and a step ahead of any brand,” proclaims Aldon. “We are trying new things and stepping out of the box with ideas that may not be normal.”
The brand name is curiously derived from a combination of the words “anatomy” and “eros.” According to the company history, Aneros was an offshoot of High Island Health, a holistic health brand founded in the 1990s. High Island manufactured massagers for treating conditions of the prostate.
Over the course of two decades, this formerly small and innocent brand became a household name in anal and prostate pleasure.
“In the 20 years we’ve been in business, we’ve changed lives, introducing millions of men to new realms of pleasure,” says Andrews, whose career story follows the Aneros timeline from the very beginning.
Forrest Andrews's history with the company starts just a few years shy of the brand's inception. In hopes of curing a decades-long intimate health issue, Andrews stumbled upon Aneros' signature prostate massagers in 2001 and discovered a life-changing cure with unbelievable benefits.
After experiencing what Andrews has since dubbed the “Super O,” he reached out to the company in enthusiasm and walked right into the coveted position of sole product tester. Many of Aneros' signature prostate toy designs were tested and later developed by Andrews, who eventually grew his collaborations with Aneros from product reviewer to R&D consultant to trade show representative.
In fact, if it weren't for Andrews, Aneros' celebrated, curvy prostate stimulators might look very different to the bestsellers you know and love today.
When Aneros was in its company infancy in 2000 — then operating publicly as High Island Health — the brand launched its first anal wellness tool, the PS-New. Conceptualized and manufactured by company founder Jiro Takashima, the PS-New was intended for healthy prostate massage for wellness alone.
According to Andrews, the orgasms were simply a “terrific” side effect, and early customers like him were quick to convince Takashima to see the potential for a new niche in men's sexual health.
Andrews' feedback on the PS-New was so effective that it changed the course of history for Aneros and Andrews alike.
“It was around 2002 when I became involved with Aneros, having noticed that the external arm engaged the body too high on the perineum to make full contact with the perineal acupressure spot,” Andrews recalls. “In 2003, the new style MGX (with a shorter arm) was released and so began my collaboration with Aneros.”
Over 18 years later, Forrest Andrews is now a driving force behind the engineering and aesthetic design that fuels Aneros as the industry leader in men's pelvic and prostate health. As product and business development manager, Andrews leads the team in creating the next big thing in P-spot pleasure and wellness, which he says is still a hands-on process from start to finish.
“It’s been my honor to work with the company founder and continue the legacy he began 25 years ago,” says Andrews.
Aneros director of sales and marketing Brent Aldon is fond of mentioning that products for prostate stimulation are now the fastest growing sector in the entire adult industry.
Andrews credits the demystification of prostate pleasure to the modern explosion of online sexual health resources. The proliferation of online forums — like Aneros' own — and sex-ed articles touting the male G-spot and its ability to create full-body, multiplying orgasms have enticed even the most hesitant of men.
“Back in 2000 when Aneros was founded, sales of prostate products were limited somewhat by old taboos and preconceived notions regarding anal and prostate play,” says Andrews. “Fortunately, there’s been a gradual erosion of this over the last two decades.”
Undoubtedly a significant part of the men's sexual revolution, Aneros butt plugs have opened the doors to an unmatched form of solo or partnered play. Andrews explains that these P-spot tools, like the Aneros Helix Syn or the Aneros Euphos Trident, can activate a positive sensory feedback loop in the body, which transforms any internal movement into instantaneous, involuntary self-stimulation.
“Aneros products are self-powered so they work in harmony with the user’s body. They are unique in this regard,” explains Andrews. “All of our products are specially balanced and configured to produce powerful sensations from small muscular contractions.”
While wearing an Aneros plug, a user can feel ripples of internal sensation from the simplest of muscle movements. The forward motion of leaning into a partner's kiss or the gentle squeeze of the PC muscles while doing the dishes alone are translated into focused anal stimulation.
“It’s this capacity that is responsible for Aneros’ reputation as a catalyst for producing powerful whole-body orgasms or Super Os,” says Andrews. “In this way, our massagers can be use right out of the box with no special knowledge required to produce more powerful, more voluminous traditional orgasms or ejaculations as well.”
Aldon can personally confirm Aneros prostate toys as the real deal when it comes to true pleasure and serious comfort — no matter where you wear them.
As Aldon once told XBIZ in a 2017 interview, he is, in fact, “known as the guy who wears the Aneros on the plane.”
At the advice of Aneros' own online forum members, Aldon undertook several business trips with a little surprise in his seat: an Aneros plug tucked discreetly away during short-hop and long-haul flights alike.
“I like to immerse myself with our users and really get to understand what they are going through especially while using the products,” Aldon told XBIZ in his 2017 career feature article. And immerse he did — for up to 14 hours while flying to Asia.
Needless to say, the verdict of Aldon's experiment played out through subsequent, multiple plane trips with the Aneros plug — ahem — in tow. Aldon says it wears like a dream, even in the most uncomfortable seats on Earth.
Most Aneros fans are as devoted to the brand as both Aldon and Andrews are, and for this reason, the company fared extremely well throughout COVID. Andrews relays that 2020 web sales strongly indicated a significant trend of purchases by new customers.
In the New Year, the team expects to continue this sales boost into the first half of 2021 due to diligent marketing and a close connection with their consumer base.
“Aneros was at the forefront [during COVID], garnering fervent reviews and testimonials from the public and awards from our industry. At the same time, Aneros also maintained a strong emphasis on sexual health and wellness,” Andrews reflects. “So essentially, we went into the pandemic with a strong market position for our products.”
Both Aldon and Andrews also confirm that new Aneros releases are on the map for 2021. Though neither will comment on what the pleasure industry can expect, it’s sure to be worth celebrating — whether from the comfort of one's bed, or 30,000 feet in the sky.
“We are very excited to celebrate 20 years of creating the original and prominent prostate massagers in the industry,” concludes Aldon. “We are looking forward to 20 more years to come — and more — as we enhance everyone’s sexual health, wellness and lifestyles.”
