Whether you’re interested in enhancing your solo sessions or looking to spice up sex with your partner, sex shops are a great resource for the toys and supplements you want. Online shopping has become popular as a discreet way of shopping for sex-related merchandise, but shopping in person provides benefits like professional opinions and size-accurate displays. 

A quick Google search will reveal that Boston doesn’t offer a wide variety of shopping options. A number of stores have gone out of business in the past few years, especially as the pandemic limited the number of customers willing to shop in person. While Boston may not seem like the most sex-positive city, the stores that are there are committed to safe and fun sex. Here are two sex shops in the Boston area that really stand out:

• Good Vibrations, Cambridge, MA.

Located just about a three-minute walk from the Harvard stop on the Red Line, Good Vibrations is tucked between coffee and bagel shops on a cozy street. The store itself is clean and full of natural light. Bright, empowering displays greet you as an employee checks your ID (you have to be 18+ to enter). The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, with sex-positive material spread throughout the store.

Good Vibrations offers a range of sex-related products— electronic and silicone toys like vibrators, dildos, and plugs take up most of the shelf space. One wall on the back of the store is dedicated to BDSM gear, while the front of the storehouses has more novelty and gift-like items. Sex-themed tarot cards and a wide range of sex education books catch the eye, and a plethora of couples-themed sex games are great options for those in relationships. The price range is fairly high, usually around $50-$200 for toys and $25-$150 for other items.

The real value of Good Vibrations, however, lies in its commitment to safe and inclusive sex education. Many of the products sold are made for– and oftentimes by– LGBTQ+ people. A number of the employees are also licensed sex educators who are more than willing to help you find the perfect toy for you, no matter your gender, sexuality, or disability. 

• Hubba Hubba; Cambridge, MA.

Just off of busy Massachusetts Ave, Hubba Hubba immediately catches the attention of passersby. Its street entrance is bedecked with neon signs and lingerie-adorned mannequins. The inside of the store is very similar; colorful lights, racks of leather, and old pornographic posters give it a very pink-punk type of feel.

Less focused on sex toys and more on apparel, the store offers a whole host of sex accessories. Lingerie, harnesses, garters, masks, corsets, and more take up the most space. There’s also a large selection of fetish gear, including whips, collars, and leashes. The abundance of kink-specific pieces make the store a great resource for sexworkers, strippers, or anyone interested in entering the scene.

Hubba Hubba is also a social justice-oriented space. Pride flags and pronoun pins are sold by the register. The tags on every piece of outsourced merchandise indicates if it’s BIPOC, female, LGTBQ+, or locally made. Their commitment to appealing to a niche audience and supporting marginalized businesses really emphasize their brand’s focus on inclusivity.