A Map of Independent Sex Shop Boutiques

I’ve put together a little map woman-owned sex shops across the world.  These aren’t your stereotypical sex shops.  They are clean, friendly and educational environments.  Along with selling body-safe sex toys, most also have book corners and have a cozy cafe feel.  The first sex-positive shop was Eve’s Garden in 1977 followed by Good Vibrations in San Francisco.  When they first opened these shops had a strict no-men allowed policy.  Eventually, they relaxed the rules when they realized how needed they were by everyone.

Sally’s Toy

Sally's Toy is Hong Kong's first female-friendly intimate lifestyle online sex toy shop. Here we've listed the Central location, though the brand has 4 locations covering Causeway Bay, Tsuen Wan, and Tsim Sha Tsui too. Started back in 2010 by partners Vera Lui and Picco Chu, Sally's Toy is a chain of small sex shops that sell knowledge first and products second. When it comes to products, you'll find vibrators, dildos, BDSM equipment, condoms, lubes, dental dams, men's sex toys, erotic books, and LGBT+ sex toy products. Founder Vera Lui says she started Sally's Toy when partner Picco gave her a vibrator back in 2010 and she didn't know how to use it. After hours of online research, she had her first-ever orgasm and never looked back! Since then, she and Picco have been on a mission to encourage Hong Kong women and men to find their inner "Sally" - the open-minded sex-positive individual that so many of us want to be. As well as running 4 Sally's Toy shops in Hong Kong, Vera and Picco also make information YouTube videos and articles about sex toys, intimate hygiene, and more.

Located in: Hong Kong
Opening year: 2010
Website: https://www.sallystoy.com/
Phone: +852 3175 7408
Address: Winning House, Room 302, 3/F, 10-16 Cochrane St, Central, Hong Kong
Hours: 12 PM - 8PM

The Art Of Loving

Opened in 2002, The Art Of Loving is a sex-positive store selling a combination of sex toys and erotic artwork. It's currently the only place in Vancouver that hosts sex-themed seminars and live demos, helping to educate their customers and promote positive sexuality in the local community. The Art Of Loving stocks over 1,000 pleasure products, including women's vibrators, men's sex toys, and lubes. Over 1,000 people annually attend sexual education seminars held on the premises by co-owners Vera Zyla and John Ince. Their classes have covered everything from kissing to BDSM and impact play, with their business almost being closed down in 2003 due to the controversy surrounding their "How to 69" live demonstration. Continually challenging stigmas in their local community and attracting media attention, The Art Of Loving is a brilliant female-friendly sex shop that combines erotic art with sex toys and customer education. If you're looking for a sex store where you won't be judged or made to feel uncomfortable, this unique boutique is the place for you.

Located in: Vancouver, Canada
Opening year: 2002
Website: https://www.artofloving.ca/
Phone: 604-742-9988
Address: 369 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC V5Y 1P8, Canada
Hours: Mon - Thurs: 11am to 7pm Fri: 11am to 8pm Sat: 10am to 6pm Sun: 12pm to 7pm

Cupid’s Closet

Cupid's Closet is located in sunny Los Angeles, and only a short distance from the beach.  It's owned by Brittany Kubik and her husband, and received an AVN award for "Best Boutique" in 2017.  
Unlike many other sex shops in LA, they only carry high quality, body safe products. Their staff is certified in Sexual Health and the shop is as much a sexual health resource as it is a sex toy shop.  
"Our vision was to create an adult store that is clean, comfortable, and be able to give individuals a memorable shopping experience.  We are very woman friendly, body positive and sex positive. Everyday our goal is to bring more conversation, attention, and support to this part of our health that so many people stigmatize." - Brittany
In 2019 they also opened a second location at 12201 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025.

Located in: Los Angeles, California
Opening year: 2014
Website: https://cupidscloset.com/
Phone: +1 310-410-9080
Address: 8340 Lincoln Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
Hours: 11 AM - 11 PM

The Pleasure Chest

In LA, there's the Pleasure Chest, which was one of the first boutique style sex shops in the USA (created in 1971). It's a pretty historic sex shop, and you can find pictures of lots of celebrities visiting it in the 80s, like Joan Jett. It's also where they filmed the infamous rabbit vibrator scene from the show the sex and the city. Pleasure Chest even inspired Queen, whose 1978 song “Let Me Entertain You” contains the lyrics:

  • " If you wanna see some action
  • We get nothing but the best
  • The S & M attraction
  • We got the Pleasure Chest"

It was created by Duane Colglazier and Bill Rifkin, two gay men who wanted to make sure people had a good time buying sex toys.  “We treat our customers just as though they were walking into Gimbel’s to buy a table and chairs,” said Rifkin in a 1972 interview.  Sadly, both of the founders died in the 90s from Aids, but the shop is still run and maintained by Duane's nephew. In 2008 they added PleasurEd workshops to their shops, which has offered nearly 1500 free classes on topics ranging from oral sex tips and tricks to bondage as meditation and queering your sex to over 30,000 attendees.

Located in: LA, California
Opening year: 1971
Website: https://thepleasurechest.com
Phone: (323) 650-1022
Address: 7733 CA-2, West Hollywood, CA 90046

Los Placeres de Lola

Los Placeres de Lola or "The Pleasures of Lola" in English, was created by Marisa Aranda, Sara Perez and Raquel Traba and has been a beacon of sex toy positivity in Spain and Europe.  In addition to the cozy boutique vibe, their shop is full of erotic art and offers free tea.  You'll also find silicone toys on full display, feminist porn by women, and erotic novels. Raquel Traba also created BS Atelier in 2012, which makes simple yet exquisite dildos in Spain's coastal city of Valencia.  Each one is designed and hand-crafted by women with degrees in fine arts, Shevibe has a collection of them here that ships quickly to North America. Here is a quote from their website: "Los Placeres de Lola is a place dedicated to sexuality, without elitism, for everyone, for people who want to extend their personal development in this important part of our everyday lives that is sexuality. Ladies and gentlemen, enjoy our fantastic world ....."

Located in: Madrid, Spain
Opening year: 2005
Website: http://www.losplaceresdelola.com/
Address: Calle del Dr. Fourquet, 34, 28012 Madrid, Spain
Hours: Noon - 10PM

Q Toys

Sex toys were illegal to own and sell in Texas up until 2008.  Someone could own an automatic rifle, but a woman selling vibrators? She went to prison. Texas has come a long way in the last ten years though, especially in progressive Austin where Q Toys is one of the progressive sex shops leading the charge.  They carry all the good stuff like Fun Factory, Njoy, Nobessence, Vixen Creations, Tantus, and Crystal Delights, all out of their boxes and on display. They offer a sex toy recycling program that let's you turn in your old rubber and silicone toys in exchange for a $5 gift certificate to use in the store.  Recycling is sexy! They are also part of the coalition against toxic sex-toys, they only sell body-safe products that don't contain phthalates or mysterious plasticizers.

Located in: Austin, Texas
Opening year: 2012
Website: http://www.qtoysaustin.com/
Phone: (512) 551-8351
Address: 6800 Burnet Rd, Austin, TX 78757
Hours: 11AM - 8PM

Awakening Boutique

This shop opened in August 2018, and it's the first sex-positive sex shop in Denver!  The boutique is covered in exotic flowers and, like most women-owned sex shops, has its own personal vibe. The owners, Tory Johnson and Rose Kalasz, are natives from Golden, Colorado.  After living in Seattle, they were inspired to make a Denver sex shop that women would feel comfortable in. “The main thing we told each other is we don’t want it to look like anything that exists right now, we want it to look like a boutique. We have a ton of plants — it’s very botanic and green. It was very important to us that it was not neon, not plastic. I like the word erotic as very natural and a kind of primally sexual experience, not pink and fake,” said Kalasz in an interview with 303 magazine.

Located in: Denver, Colorado
Opening year: 2018
Website: https://www.awakeningboutique.co/
Phone: (720) 279-4311
Address: 2936 Larimer St, Denver, CO 80205
Hours: 11AM - 7PM

G-Spot

Located in Moscow, G-Spot is both an erotic art museum and sex shop boutique.

Located in: Moscow, Russia
Website: https://tochkag.net/

Japi Jane

Located in Santiago Chile, Japi Jane is one of the loveliest sex shops south of the equator.  There's lots of plants and flowers inside, powerful genitalia artwork, and gorgeous interior design.   This is definitely one of my all-time favorite shops. The store was started by Jane Morgan who is like the Joani Blank of Chile.  After spending time in Germany she brought fun factory vibrators to chile and set up shop in 2006.   Her store became a big success and has helped a lot of people get more information on pleasure and how sex shops don't have to be taboo.  The shop also carries books, board games, and feminine hygiene products like menstrual cups.

Located in: Santiago, Chile
Opening year: 2006
Website: https://japijane.cl/
Phone: 56-2-2234-4917
Address: Chile, Av. Luis Thayer Ojeda 059, Providencia, Región Metropolitana, Chile
Hours: 11AM - 9PM

Sh!

Sh! Is a sex shop that's hard to keep quiet about, especially since it's one of only a couple sex-positive shops in the UK.  When they first opened in 1992 they had a strict no-men allowed policy.  Since then they've relaxed their rules a bit and have one floor only for women or couples, and another floor that anyone can visit. Most toys are displayed out of their boxes for you to touch and explore before you buy.  In a bit on the website, their staff recommends testing a vibrator's strength by placing it on the tip of your nose. They also offer sexuality classes that cost a few pounds to get in.  Topics range from bondage to oral sex, and some like Orgasmic! are women-only.

Located in: London, UK
Opening year: 1992
Website: https://www.sh-womenstore.com/
Phone: 44-20-7613-5458
Address: GWG8+VG Hoxton, London, UK
Hours: 11AM - 7PM

Sexploratorium

Sexploratorium is as awesome as the name makes it sound.  Their shop, the biggest sex-positive store in Philadelphia, has two levels.  On the first level you'll find all the sex toys on full display, and on the upper floor is where they have workshops and guest speakers.

Located in: Philadelphia, PA
Website: https://sexploratorium.wordpress.com/
Phone: 215-923-1398
Address: 317 South St. Philadelphia, PA 19147

Early to Bed

In 2000, the owner Searah Deysach was surprised how little the staff at Chicago XXX novelty stores knew about what they were selling.  So, she decided she would make a place where all genders could feel comfortable, and Early to Bed, Chicago's first sex-positive shop was born!  EtB went on to win 7 awards for 'Best Sex Shop' from the Chicago Reader.

Located in: Chicago, Illinois
Opening year: 2001
Website: https://early2bedshop.com/
Phone: (773) 271-1219
Address: 5044 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640

Come As You Are

Come As You Are is the sex shop co-op.  They are the world's only cooperatively owned sex shop, each employee gets a stake in the company and votes on business decisions.

Located in: Toronto, Canada
Opening year: 1997
Website: https://www.comeasyouare.com
Phone: (888) 504-7934
Address: 2-6 Ripley Avenue Toronto, ON M6S 3N9 Canada
Hours: 9AM - 5PM

Babeland

Along with Good Vibrations, Babeland was one of the first feminist sex toy shops.  They helped create new sex shop norms like warm lighting, sexuality book corners, and toys on display.  Employees working on the floor are called SESAs, which stands for sex educator and sales associate.  They receive special training so they can help educate people on how to use toys properly. They also have a shop in New York City, making them one of the few progressive sex shops with multiple locations.  In 2017, they were purchased by Good Vibrations, however, the store, staff, and website remain the same.

Located in: Seattle, Washington
Opening year: 1993
Website: https://www.babeland.com/
Phone: (206) 328-2914
Address: 707 E Pike St, Seattle, WA 98122
Hours: 11AM - 10PM

Self Serve

Self Serve was started by Molly Adler & Matie Fricker in 2006.  They only sell non-toxic body safe toys, and even have "Toxic Toy Awareness Month" where they offer free classes educating people on the dangers of phthalates.  They have several classes a week on a big variety of topics, from How to squirt, to bondage classes, to special guest workshops. Their journey to opening the first sex-positive shop in New Mexico wasn't easy.  In 2006, the Albuquerque zoning laws required shops carrying more than 25% sex-related products, to be outside of busy shopping neighborhoods.  But the pair wanted to be in Nob Hill, a cozy neighborhood near the University.  So they decided to only carry 25% sex toys and 75% other products like chocolate, lotions, massage oils, and books.  Whenever they wanted to add a new sex toy they made sure to add 3 non-sexual products to the shop.

Located in: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Opening year: 2006
Website: https://www.selfservetoys.com/
Phone: (505) 265-5815
Address: 3904 Central Ave SE, Albuquerque, NM 87108
Hours: 10AM - 7PM

Smitten Kitten

When you first walk into Smitten Kitten you’re greeted by a sign with pugs and three rules: 1. Everyone is welcome, 2. Respect yourself and others, 3. Don’t ‘Yuk!’ my ‘Yum!’ When you first enter there is a nook with sexuality books and reading chairs.  This is a good place to hide out if you are nervous about entering a sex shop for the first time.  As you go deeper into the shop you’ll find more lively toys.  First the vibrator section, then the lube and butt plugs, then all the way in the back you’ll find the realistic dildos, strapons, and some BDSM gear. Smitten Kitten is a really important sex shop in the sex-positive scene.  The owner, Jennifer Pritchett, was one of the first shop owners to refuse to sell jelly toys and toys with plasticizers in them.  Many other shops soon followed her lead and only carried body-safe sex toy materials like silicone, glass, and metal.   You can view some of Pritchett's research and sex toy safety guides on her site badvibes.org.

Located in: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Opening year: 2003
Website: https://www.smittenkittenonline.com/
Phone: 612-721-6088
Address: 3010 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55408, USA
Hours: 11AM - 9PM

M’s

It's been hard to track down sex-positive shops in Asia.  The closest thing is M's, a seven-floor sex toy department store, and one of the biggest sex shops in the world.  They have vibrators on display as well as every other kind of sex toy.

Located in: Tokyo, Japan
Website: https://www.ms-online.co.jp/

Liberator Shop

Located in: Atlanta, Georgia
Website: https://www.liberator.com/flagshipstore.html
Phone: (770) 246-6422
Address: 2745 Bankers Industrial Dr, Atlanta, GA 30360
Hours: 11AM - 7PM

Max Black

Located in: Sydney, Australia
Website: https://www.maxblack.com.au/
Phone: +61 2 9557 0122
Address: 1/264 King St, Newtown NSW 2042, Australia
Hours: 10 AM- 5PM

Traveling Tickle Trunk

Located in: Edmonton, Canada
Website: https://www.travelingtickletrunk.com/index.html
Phone: +1 780-469-6669
Address: 9923 82 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB T6E 1Z1, Canada
Hours: 10AM - 8PM

Trystology

Located in: Ventura, California
Opening year: 2009
Website: https://www.trystology.com
Phone: (888) 801-8952
Address: 588 E Main St, Ventura, CA 93001
Hours: 11AM - 6PM

Dynamo

Located in: New Orleans, Louisiana
Website: http://dynamotoys.com/
Phone: (504) 534-8697
Address: 2001 St Claude Ave, New Orleans, LA 70116

Tool Shed

Located in: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Opening year: 2004
Website: https://www.toolshedtoys.com/
Phone: (414) 906-5304
Address: 2427 N Murray Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53211
Hours: Noon - 8PM

Sugar

Located in: Baltimore, Maryland
Opening year: 2007
Website: http://www.sugartheshop.com
Phone: (410) 467-2632
Address: 1001 W 36th St, Baltimore, MD 21211
Hours: 11AM - 9PM

FeelMore

Located in: Oakland, CA
Opening year: 2011
Website: https://feelmore510.com/
Phone: (510) 891-0199
Address: 1703 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94612

Allure Sensuality Emporium

Located in: Cape Town, South Africa
Website: https://www.alluresensuality.co.za/
Phone: 27-82-775-8960
Address: 12 Heather St, Milnerton, Cape Town, 7441, South Africa

She Bop

Located in: Portland, Oregon
Opening year: 2009
Website: https://www.sheboptheshop.com/
Phone: 503-473-8018
Address: 909 N Beech St suite a, Portland, OR 97227
Hours: 11AM - 7PM

Other Nature

Located in: Berlin, Germany
Opening year: 2011
Website: https://other-nature.de/
Phone: 030 20620538
Address: Mehringdamm 79, 10965 Berlin

Good For Her

Located in: Toronto, Canada
Opening year: 1997
Website: https://www.goodforher.com
Phone: (416) 588-0900
Address: 175 Harbord St, Toronto, ON M5S 1H3, Canada
Hours: 11AM - 7PM
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