Originally Posted by Phil_gretz

I'd be careful about the WTB or Terry saddles, as they often add unnecessary padding.

For me and my butt, the trick(s) are flat sit bone area (that means flat in the cross-wise direction, not cupped and not arched), flat sit bone area fore-and-aft, and firm (either with no padding or minimal padding). Also, there's narrow, but I can tolerate a bit of width if the rest is correct. A Brooks B-17 or equivalent is about as wide as I like to go. I like the older B17N.

After riding for now nearly 50 years, my butt is pretty well conditioned to ride on anything. That is, as long as the saddle is properly positioned, and pitched to flat on the sit area. I don't require special padding or any such thing in my shorts or tights, mostly a bit of moisture wicking and some airflow. Tri-shorts are a nice compromise.

The OP might like the Brooks. The modern production ones have flimsy (pretty thin) leather that breaks in quickly. I don't prefer them (modern ones) for that reason alone. Of course, the OP didn't share the bike type or saddle to handlebar drop, which would've been helpful...