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Apololgies in advance for the title of this thread.

If you're ever in Adelaide SA, trot over to Goodwood Road, specifically number 96 and have a peep in the doorway. There you'll find a magnificently clean, tidy, respectable unashamed sex shop with wonderful staff and a grown up vibe.

I'm comparing that with my one and only trip into a sex shop in the UK which served only to reinforce all my preconeptions about why I never visit sex shops. The UK one was small, ugly, staffed apparently by a 15 year old lad and his suitably ammused mates, were selling softcore dressed up as hardcore for ridiculous prices and the whole thing had a vibe of 'dirty old men doing pervy things'.

With the opening of the new Hustler high street sex shop come cafe stores in the States, and my experience of a PROPER 21st Century shop downunder, I've come to thinking - what of the scene in the UK? Does anyone know of any decent shops? Plans for changes? I apreciate that the UK laws prohibit things to a large extent, but the miserable state of many shops in the UK can only be self-induced, and there must be a way to encorporate the current mail order imports of hardcore into the shop scene.

Any thoughts?

Well, Maxim's has a good reputation......it's the Puritan in the british soul: look how long it took for Bookies' shops to become civilised.
Go do penance for the Smashey & Nicey title. Enough, already.

Hi Matt...

Any thoughts?

Just the one... If I were to slip & slither, the tip of my tounge, up and down another girls slit n clit...
Its commonly refered to as my having "Gone down" on her...

Well, if I were to be in Australia, and wanted to do the same thing...
Would It then be referered to, as my "Goinng Up" on her ???

Luv Lay...
xx


(In a silly, yet undeniably happy mood !)

London has some very decent sex shops, brightly lit,
"couples friendly," good product and helpful staff.
The rest of the country may eventually become this
way but only if local authorities get a bit more
liberal in the granting of licenses, allowing some
competition to be introduced.

Its self-induced only in that we vote for the politicians
who make the decisions and their political instinct is to
not fiddle with the status quo, for fearing the wrath
of some fringe group. The relaxation of R18s was done
with such a minimum of fanfare, there will still be people
who are unaware of the change.

Must agree with lurker, some decent shops in london (central)
Dont like the way that when you have made a choice, they still give you the hard sell of "if you buy another two films, blah blah," when you say NO once and are then asked another ten times in 30 seconds can be a bit of a pisser. but hey thats just a small point.
also nice to see many women in these shops. I was never around when it was seen as crime to visit a sex shop.
It still amuses me when i see a guy in a sexshop acting all sheepish and keeping his head down, Different era i suppose.

One of the funniest clips i have ever seen was from the sixties, when the novel Lady Chaterleys Lover was released and a camera crew filmed a line of people waiting to buy the book.
The look of horror on these peoples faces at being caught buying an erotic novel was priceless.

I have never understood what this Taboo thing is with sex.

Personal recommendations, for Soho and environs at least, are Harmony on Charing Cross Road (there's a smaller one in Berwick St apparantly but I haven't been in) and Pirate, on Brewer St. Both clean bright and friendly. Harmony even has a loyalty scheme, complete with card!