Billy Peek, manager of Inserection on Cheshire Bridge Road, agrees about the hare that never loses to the tortoise.
“Usually our top sellers for women are the Jack Rabbits,” he says.
At a vendor conference last week, Westfall, who is straight, got to see some of the new trends in sex toys. The basics still survive — vibrators such as the bullet as well as vibrating cock rings — but newer tub toys are being introduced, she said, as well as lubricants that cause warming and tingling sensations.
Peek, who is gay, says this time of year — February and Valentine’s Day — is popular for individuals and couples seeking toys they want to satisfy their partners, or themselves.
For men, nothing beats a Fleshlight, Peek says. Also created in the late 1990s, it is basically a tube that looks like a big flashlight, with a flesh-like material in it. Now, that tube can have any kind of opening you like — vagina, anus, mouth. The most popular among gay men, obviously, is the anus, mouth or a generic opening. No going blind with this Fleshlight, though.
“There’s not a whole lot of toys for men. You have dolls and strokers,” Peek says. “The Fleshlights are very popular. I have two Fleshlights myself — an older model and a newer one.”
Peek and his partner have a variety of dildos, vibrating butt plugs and cock rings they like to play with. There are also many kinds of lube out there that he enjoys trying.
New on the market and growing in popularity are luxury toys, such as the brand LELO, which have a design aesthetic that may be more pleasing than the basic plastic vibrator encased in plastic packaging.
“We cater to all people — gay, straight, lesbians, transgender. And this time of year we make sure to stock up on everything,” Peek said.
And we can’t stress it enough — if you have sex, practice safer sex. Know and discuss your HIV status, be tested for other STDs, and protect yourself and your partner. Either don’t share toys, or cover them with condoms and clean them carefully.
Top photo (counter-clockwise): The LELO and mini-vibrators are among the top sellers for women. For men, nothing beats the Fleshlight, available in mouth, anus or vagina. (Courtesy photos)