Enjoy at “Love Store”
Sexual wellness for everyone
~Report on the current state of femtech seen in Paris②~
Among the many femtech topics, the field of "sexual wellness" is one that is being received freshly in Japan. Sexual wellness, as the word suggests, refers to sexual health.
In Japan, where talking about sex, even among people of the same sex, is considered taboo, the word femtech started to gain attention.
The field of sexual wellness includes various items and services that enhance communication with your partner and satisfy your own desires.
In Paris Report 2, we introduce Passage du Desir, a love store that is bright, fun, and full of humor, rather than a store that sells so-called sex toys and is difficult to enter (creating an adult atmosphere). Masu.
Easy-to-enter sex shell wellness shop
"Passage du Desir" is a select shop for love items that was founded in 2006. It now has six stores in Paris and stores across France including Bordeaux, Lyon, and Marseille, and sales from its online store have been strong during the coronavirus pandemic.
This time I visited a store located in the Marais district, which is known as an LGBTQ-friendly area. When I arrived at the store around 6pm, the store was crowded with couples.
The store carries a wide range of items, from sex toys for self-pleasure to massage gels, lingerie, books, and even funny accessories, and features a bright interior that overturns the conventional concept of a sex toy shop.
The inside of the store was like a cosmetics select shop, and I had the impression that it was easy to enter.
This item that caught my eye was a massage gel with a shunga motif!
It might be perfect as a souvenir for Japanese tourists.
In addition, there are many humorous items in the lineup, such as card games depicting sex techniques and pop keychains in the shape of genitals. The atmosphere is refreshing and makes you feel like you can have fun with friends.
When we talk about sexual wellness, we tend to think of sex as pleasure or love with the opposite sex, but in reality, it doesn't just mean that.
For example, you can find many values in just one piece of lingerie, such as increasing your excitement, enjoying sex with your partner, and keeping your mind and body comfortable.
The store is very aware of this point, and I feel comfortable in the fact that they are offering sexual wellness items in a straightforward manner, rather than unilaterally treating them as ``things that make women sexually attractive.''
Similarly, sex toys are not ``suspicious and obscene things'', but are sold in various types, such as for solo use and LGBTQ toys, as they are meant to enjoy sexual communication.
Some of the self-pleasure items are equipped with the latest technology and cost tens of thousands of yen...!
``Passage du Desir'' was a space where you could feel that ``sexuality'' is seen as something connected to physical and mental health.
Inside the store, customers of all ages and genders were happily looking at the products, and staff members were enthusiastically proposing products, and couples were seriously worried about their products. I was able to get a glimpse of the scenery nearby.
Next time, I will report on the femtech situation I witnessed at a leading department store in Paris!