Sexy gifts ‘cos it’s giving season
As the nights get longer, and we spend more time cosying up under blankets with twinkling fairy lights and crackling fireplaces, there’s no better time for getting in the mood. To help you set the scene for a sexy festive season, our sex editors compile a last-minute gift guide for (literally) giving and receiving this holiday season.
We live in a sex economy: scroll through Instagram; bam, there are influencers promoting sex toys. Go into a health store…you guessed it; sex toys! Whether you’re a pillow princess looking to stuff your stocking; a nutcracker looking to jingle your bells; or you’re simply struggling to find a sexy gift for a loved one amid the buzz of the sexual wellness industry, Sextras curates a gift guide to help you step into the suit of sexy Santa this Christmas.
And haven’t you heard? Sexual wellness is just as important as any other kind of wellness, so we’ve got salves, creams, lubes and elixirs from Marea Wellness and Momotaro Apotheca to help set you up for a healthy sex life. To then really get down to business, check out some mood lighting by Maude and Custom Neon; ethical porn subscriptions by Aurore and AORTA, and sustainable, innovative sex toys from Rubjoy and The Natural Love Company.
Stocking stuffers and sexual wellness
As the winter months roll around –and most of us walk around with that inevitable sniffle – we’re reminded of one thing: health really is wealth. Just as you’d stuff a stocking with soaps, creams, and makeup, there are a ton of options to opt for that can help support your partner’s sexual health, and set them up for a rich and fulfilling sex life.
Marea Wellness
Hormonal balance is key to a healthy sex life – if our hormones are out of whack it can impact our libido, cause vaginal dryness, and throw our menstrual cycle completely off. While it might be best to not give this to someone unless previously discussed (lest they take it the wrong way!), Marea Wellness’ products are dedicated to preventing hormones from taking over our lives.
Their science-backed elixirs and teas help support people suffering from emotional and physical side effects that can come with painful periods and PMS. Plus, they come in a selection of tasty flavours so they go down easily, too.
Try out their PMS Elixir (which comes in citrus lemonade or tropical flavour) from £13, or their That Time of the Month PMS & Period Blend Tea for £12.
Momotaro Apotheca
Nothing could get you less in the mood than if you’re experiencing vaginal discomfort. But fear not, it can be relieved! Whether you’re dealing with dryness, itchiness, thrush, UTIs, or bacterial vaginosis, Momotaro Apotheca have a range of salves, probiotics, lubricants, tonics, and suppositories to help temporarily ease symptoms. It’s probably not something your vulva-owning partner would buy for themselves; help start the conversation about them finding vaginal wellness.
Shop their Salve for $37; Suppositories for $30; and Probiotics for $31.
Yoxly
Speaking of sparking conversations, Yoxly is on a mission to destigmatize sexual health with their at-home STI testing kits. It might not sound super sexy, but gifting a loved one an STI Test Kit could help promote shared responsibility for sexual health and encourage open communication and trust in your relationship.
Basic tests are £39; prices go up to £109 for their Comprehensive eight-STI test.
LUVISS Water-Based Lubricant
The winter months can be dry; adding a good quality lubricant to your shelf will help keep things silky down there through the winter months. Made from nourishing ingredients like aloe vera, chamomile, and green tea LUVISS’ water-based lube is not only soothing, but actively hydrates your genitals. Plus, it comes in glass bottle packaging, so it can sit proudly and discreetly on your bedside table.
LUVISS’ 100ml bottle is £22.
Lights, candles, ambiance: set the mood
If we’ve learned anything from How to Build a Sex Room, it’s how important the ambiance is to our sex life. Sometimes sex is not so much about the act, as it is about the experience of feeling close to your partner.
Custom Neon
Who needs to communicate that you want sex, when you have a light on the wall that says exactly what you’re thinking? (We’re joking, we’re obviously pro-communication here at Sextras). But to help you set the vibe of the room, Custom Neon makes sexy custom LED neon lights and signs. From seductive phrases to passionate quotes, all you have to do is ask nicely and they’ll design custom mood lighting for your space!
Mini signs start at £82. Artistic Nude is £389; Kiss Me a Lot Everywhere is £389; Don’t Tell Me What to do Unless You’re Naked is £509. Find more signs here.
G Spot
You know what they say – buy a girl a drink before getting into bed with her. We all know at this point that alcohol is a vibe-killer when it comes to sex; so what could be better than a functional alcohol-free drink from Gillian Anderson’s (aka everyone’s favourite sex therapist, Dr Jean Milburn) brand, G Spot? To help stimulate yours, Arouse (£16.50 for six) is a sparkling passionfruit, pineapple and habanero soft drink, enhanced with aphrodisiac adaptogens and nootropics like butterfly pea and l-arginine to tease blood flow into those key sexual areas. Choose from three other similarly enticing flavours, or opt for the G Spot Friends with Benefits Box to try three at once!
Six packs are £16.50; 12 packs are £29.95. Shop all four G Spot flavours here.
Maude
Sex is about stimulating all five senses; this doesn’t have to start in the bedroom. Once you’ve enjoyed a tasty drink, and some good conversation, wash off the day with a ph-balanced body wash and bubble bath from Dakota Johnson’s brand, Maude. Kickstart intimacy by taking it in turns to lather up your partner, and when you decide to finally venture into the bedroom light one of their all-natural soy massage candles. They come unscented or in three scents (your choice of amber and lemongrass, pepper and cedarwood; or eucalyptus and sandalwood) and are made with skin-softening jojoba and soybean oils to arouse the whole body.
Burn candles start at £25; wash is £18.
Christmas sex toys & gift sets
Whether you’re taking your first venture into the sex toy universe – from anal beads, to vibrators, and dildos – or you’re a seasoned explorer, we curate a smorgasbord of options to enhance your sex life this holiday season. Or if you’re looking to spoil a special someone, opt for an entire gift set to give them options, and keep them on their toes (or keep their toes curled, at least).
Rubjoy Robot
It’s lazy season after all; this doesn’t need to stop at your sex life. Tired of that achy wrist you get when masturbating? Or do you want to pretend someone else is doing all the hard work for you? Well my friend, if you’re looking to add something new to your masturbating routine, the Rubjoy may just be the thing to gift yourself this Christmas. Using cutting edge robotics, this hands-free masturbator is the first of its kind.
The Rubjoy comes with a stand that you place under your buttocks, making the experience completely hands-free, so you can sit back, relax, and really while away the testy (pun intended) winter months. You can even pair it with an app that enables you to curate your own saveable motion patterns, to really take the work out of masturbating.
Rubjoy Robot is £317; now on sale for £238.
The Natural Love Company hampers
Not just committed to creating functional (and frankly beautifully designed) sex toys, anything from The Natural Love Company is ideal for the eco-warriors among us as their plastic is recycled from oceans, and they offset every gram of carbon they create.
Whether you’re buying for a sex-toy novice, or a seasoned collector, The Natural Love Company has a whole range of hampers. Their Beginners Hamper (£114.95) contains Cassia (a dual-ended wand vibrator and G-spot dildo); Tansy G-curve (a smooth glass curved dildo); Elemi (a recycled plastic bullet vibrator) and a organic vegan aloe vera lube and toy cleaner.
Or their Anal Fun Hamper (£104.95) is perfect for anyone looking to explore the possibilities of anal play; for the extravagant, the Oh F*ck It Hamper (£499.95) is the ultimate pleasure chest of their 15 best selling products.
So Divine Christmas pleasure gift sets
So Divine has compiled their best-selling products in their Christmas gift sets for the indecisive givers and receivers among us. For penis-holders, their gift set comes with a premium water-based lubricant, pleasure cup, and vibrating cock ring. For vulva owners, the set offers a suction simulator, a bullet vibrator, water-based lubricant, and sensual orgasm gel.
If you’re looking for something you can both enjoy, or something to gift your sex-positive couple friends, their couples gift set combines the best of both worlds, and features their So Divine Pearl Mini Massage Wand, Thriller 2in1 Vibrating Ring, Afternoon Delight Bullet Vibrator, Water-based lube, and Sensual Orgasm Gel.
The Pleasure Gift Set for Him is £45 (products worth £58.99); the Pleasure Gift Set for Her is £45 (but contains products worth £86); and the Pleasure Gift Set for Couples is £45 (but contains products worth £70.95).
Ethical porn & app subscriptions
A year is a loooong time; what you like at the start of the year might not be what you enjoy by the end. Set your loved one up with a year of sexual satisfaction with a subscription service to their favourite erotica site, or gift them a hamper of sex toys to keep them experimenting with new ways to get off the whole year round.
Aurore
Are you or your partner looking for a new way to get off in the new year? Try Sextras Podcast featured erotica site, Aurore, which features stories written by and for women and LGBTQIA+ people based on their personal sex stories.
“All the stories on Aurore are meant to be based on real experiences,” says founder Carly Pifer on our podcast. “Reading other people’s experiences of being their wildest, most open self can encourage your own exploration; the stories are just inspiring to be more slutty or seek more pleasure.”
A subscription to Aurore offers you a new erotica story each week, as well as gives you access to over 200 archived stories and audio that give you a sneak peak into what others are getting up to in their sex life, and a few ideas to try out for yourself!
Monthly subscriptions are $8.99 per month; their annual subscription is $69. Read a sample story here.
OhMiBod & Chill
This one’s for our readers in long-distance relationships. If you’re looking for new interactive ways to keep your sex life going while apart from your partner, or simply a discreet way to get off in public (if that’s your thing), female-owned sex toy company OhMiBod has a subscription service that gets you an app-controlled vibrator and subscription.
For an introductory fee of $29.99 you’ll get their exclusive wearable &Chill panty vibrator (usually $129), as well as a month of free access to the OhMiBod Remote app, which allows your partner to control your vibrator from any distance or track your orgasms (like a sexy find my friends).
If you decide to keep those good vibes going, it’s the gift that keeps on giving. You’ll get a discount on sex toys, lubes, books and BDSM accessories on their retail site, Lovelifetoys.com; and if you choose to continue your subscription to the app (for $9.99 a month), your subscriber discount will increase every three months until it reaches a maximum of 40% off at the one-year mark.
For being a very good subscriber, after three months you’ll also be rewarded with “Chiller” VIP status and get access to the “Chill Zone” – a store of specially curated products, where you can shop once every three months.
Sign up for $29.99 (and $9.99 a month hereafter) here.
AORTA films
It’s no secret you should be paying for your porn at this point, and as an alternative to *certain* porn sites, queer, indie, and ethical porn studio AORTA offers one, three and twelve month subscriptions to hot, kinky and opulent porn.
We’re all sick of seeing overproduced, stereotypical depictions of sex; AORTA’s short videos and art films showcase performers with a whole range of bodies and identities. Experimenting with different performance contexts, this award-winning studio prioritises safe and enthusiastically consensual working conditions (something we can only hope for from all porn!).
One month memberships are £15; three months are £38 and a year is £76. Become a member here.