With all the guides to bottoming that LGBTQ+ outlets and men’s magazines publish, you’d think they’d all agree on the basics. But there’s still a lot of misinformation out there—something that anal surgeon and out gay man Dr. Evan Goldstein is looking to dispel with Future Method.
“To clean yourself out for 50 minutes for run-of-the-mill sexual play is detrimental to the way we engage,” Goldstein says. “I try to explain to people that, eight out of 10 times, you’re actually going to be clean regardless of whether you douche or not. Our douche bulbs are smaller on purpose, because we have a tendency to over douche. And when you look at all the products out there from an apparatus perspective, they’re huge! And going way beyond what people actually need.”
Insights like those led Goldstein to found Future Method, a company that educates while it provides updated, better products for anal sex newbies and enthusiasts alike. After seeing patterns cropping up among the 75 patients he sees weekly at his practice, Bespoke Surgical, Goldstein consulted with a cosmetic company and a pharmaceutical scientist to look at what was lacking in the market and refine a product that could be effective and beneficial.
That evolved into their anal douche solution. “Future Method’s cleansing solution is appropriate pH balance, it cleans but it doesn’t irritate, and it also leaves you with a silkier barrier that allows the lubes to actually glide on that membrane,” Goldstein says. “That, in theory, hopefully protects people from irritations and STDs.”
But for someone whose company was just listed by Fast Company as one of the most innovative wellness companies of 2021, Goldstein has been seen a frustrating lack of coverage of anal sex in mainstream media. “I recognize that, for some people, there’s still a stigma associated with bottoming and that if you take it up the ass, you’re somehow less masculine and more submissive. That you’re less in control and more feminine. It’s bullshit and we need to move beyond that.” Just navigating marketing campaigns around prudish social media platforms that don’t even allow the word “anal” took the better part of a year as they refined messaging and packaging to be allowed into the spaces.
Luckily, they received a lot of attention from straight outlets, where the curious outnumber the people who think that because they’ve done something for years, they know the best practices. And the work inherent in building a brand that casts the widest possible net means that Future Method has the process down to an art, allowing a longer runaway to the launch of new products.
While products such as lube and toys are in the works, Future Method turned to a less-saturated market for their second launch: after care. And as with the douche and warnings that using water may be free, but comes at a higher risk of fissures and tears that could lead to STDs, there’s an educational component inherent in the Butt + Body Scrub.
“The goal for me is the before and after,” Goldstein says. “How do we make sure you have a preventive component to what we’re doing but also an understanding that the after is just as important?” To that end, they created an exfoliant that helps wash away the cum, lube, and other after effects of anal sex, as well as buffing the skin.
That was quickly followed by a soothing cream, prompted by the question: What would constitute first aid to the ass?
“From irritation from wiping to post sex from the lubes they use, and exercising and sitting down more, [we wanted to] create a soothing cream that is fast absorbed yet also creates soothing capabilities,” Goldstein says.
And as a counter to the misinformation that is so prevalent among the gay community, Goldstein routinely hosts Instagram videos to explain the scientific breakdown behind his recommendations.
“The goal is to create a consortium where we bring in a unified front,” he says. “What scientific rationale do they have and what proof and where are we with research? I call on the medical community that has failed all of us for so many years as it relates to sexual education. It’s really disappointing.”
Tongue only slightly in cheek, Goldstein adds, “I’m looking to the future, which is to stop bitching about it and do something.”
