On assignment for COED, this week I took a historical romp into the wild and wonderful world of vibrators. Good Vibrations in San Francisco kicked open its doors on Thursday for the grand opening of the Antique Vibrator Museum. The exhibit covers the "weird and wonderful" world of vibrators from the 1800s to modern-day.
For singles the new year means a new year of opportunity to find the perfect partner, or at least a few quick flings. But location can be as important as anything for finding that just-right mix of attractiveness and chemistry.
America The Kinky? Thanks to Craigslist ads and online dating profiles, AlterNet has singled out where in the U.S. people like to spice things up.
In a recent "chivalry smack-down" between five major cities, young women and elderly men were stationed on high-traffic corners and loaded up their arms with boxes until they were visibly struggling to hold them. Which cities were the most helpful, and which gave the struggling shoppers the cold shoulder?
It's been a couple weeks since you and your latest match on eHaromy have started corresponding, and after a few late-night GTalk sessions, the two of you are finally ready to meet in person. Do you test the waters over flights of beer? Or do you pump up the romance with a picnic in the park? Decisions, decisions—this one more challenging because your date is more or less a complete stranger.
Infidelity, jealousy, separation...they aren't just human problems. Members of the animal kingdom also face such relationship afflictions. Consider, for example, Harry and Pepper. Since 2003, the two male Magellan penguins have been a happily paired gay couple well-known to visitors of the San Francisco Zoo. In addition to nesting together, Harry and Pepper became parents when they incubated an egg laid by another penguin in 2008. But things turned sour earlier this year when Linda, a recently widowed female penguin, befriended Harry.
Have you ever wondered what goes on in your neighbors' bedrooms? Well, we're here to tell you. No, we didn't go all Patriot Act on strangers. We just read the results of Trojan's recent sex survey. Turns out, if your neighbors are like 75 percent of Americans 18 or older, they have had sex within the past year. Which means, if Trojan's random sample of 1,000 people is indicative, a quarter of adult Americans have not had sex within the last 12 months. Of course, unsurprisingly, both the frequency of sex and reported satisfaction with it goes down with age. Sigh.
National Masturbation Month was founded in 1995 by San Francisco sex toy store Good Vibrations. The owners decided to dedicate May to the art of masturbating after former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders was fired (by an uncharacteristically prudish Bill Clinton) for suggesting at a 1994 United Nations conference that masturbation should be taught. In respect of the month, The Center For Sex and Culture also hosts a sticky event each May called the Masturbate-a-thon. The Masturbate-a-thon is exactly as it sounds—people masturbating and competing with on another for a series of prizes. This year's talent (the event was held on May 4th in San Fransisco) included a man who shot his load five-feet-four inches and a guy who played his skin flute for 9 hours and 58 minutes before the finale. Almost ten hours of stroking it. No way!
BDSM torture area. Check. Voyeurism peep hole. Check. Dad, grandma and sister on the payroll. Check. Welcome to the Power Exchange, a sex club unlike any other in San Francisco, California. Like a lot of sex clubs, there's a place to get spanked and a plethora of comfortable, water-resistant furniture. But unlike any we've come across before, it's family owned and operated and has been since 1995. That said, we don't think we'll be bringing Aunt Josie there anytime soon.
San Francisco Chronicle’s Violet Blue had a Q & A with a sex worker currently working the San Francisco market. Quite an interesting read, we must say. Lots of details.
We may never out-fetish Tokyo’s love hotels—the Hello Kitty boudoir is just not meant for export—but Stateside hospitality is getting hotter. DO NOT DISTURB signs are making a comeback as hotels roll out sexy amenities designed to spice up your stay.
