Seattle Update: As mentioned earlier, we at Babeland Seattle experienced an unfortunate turn of events this Friday morning past. One of our Babes arrived at work, put her key in the door, and upon entering felt the crunch and crackle of broken glass beneath her feet. Upon looking up, she saw that a rock had been thrown through one of our front windows, leaving a rather sizable hole, menacing cracks, one large rock, and a shower of broken glass strewn over our Valentine’s display and across the shop floor. To add insult to injury, the vandal(s) had also made off with five of our most Valentine-hued of the Glass Dildos. As of yet, the vandal(s) remain at large.

While I must concur that the vandal(s) do have excellent taste in toys, I hope that they examine their stolen booty for hairline cracks and fissures; I hope that they don’t boil or run their gorgeous, locally-made toys through the dishwasher; and, above all, I hope they remember to clean them well with plenty of warm, soapy water before using them in an orifice of choice… or with a partner! You may wonder why I am offering advice to folks who took it upon themselves to damage and steal from a small, community-oriented, woman-owned business (not to mention spoil our lovely window display); but, I cannot help it: It’s the sex educator in me.

However, this does give me the chance to segue into something I’ve been meaning to chatter about: The Glass Dildo. A favorite amongst our staff (to paraphrase one of our Babes: All I need are the Laya Spot and a Glass Dildo; then you can leave me alone for two hours and I’ll be happy.) and customers, these gorgeous, silky-smooth glass wonders fly off the display (and now through the window). Made of soda-lime glass by wonderful Seattle-ites, Standard Glass, each dildo is a unique creation, whether in length, or coloration, or the size of the oh-so-perfect for g-spotting nubs at the end. The toy can be warmed quickly by swishing it in warm water, or cooled down in the exact opposite way; and as for durability: One of our sex educators would drop a glass dil on our formerly carpeted floor in order to demonstrate that, no, it wasn’t going to break. (To quote Standard Glass: Glass is strong. Our dildos are annealed in a multi-thousand dollar, computer controlled electric oven.)

Durable, unique, beautiful, and above all functional, I have sold these glass dildos to all sorts of folks: a rabbi looking for something to gift his sweetie with, joyous gay male couples, the solo lady looking for an exquisite treat for herself. And if you’re wondering about the Glass Dildo, and if it really works, just stop by and talk to me or read this great primer on the different types of material. As I recently informed a sexy dyke couple some weeks back, “This toy gave me my first g-spot orgasm without any sort of clitoral stimulation.” They were sold, and purchased one immediately; and if your special someone likes g-spot or prostate stimulation, you’d do well to purchase one for a sure-to-please Valentine’s Day gift…

Just please don’t use a rock in order to get one.

Sundays are a day of worship for some, a morning of brunching for others, and for many more still a fine opportunity for leisurely sex toy shopping expeditions. Several Sundays past, we were paid a visit by one of the Babeland Seattle’s regulars, The Doctor.

A spry woman known amongst the staff for her boisterous peals of laughter, The Doctor is indeed a bonafide medical practitioner; I am told that she is an avid proponent of transgender health care, and rumor has it that she had a part in the classic women’s tome, “Our Bodies, Ourselves.” She has fished more than her fare share of objects from the rectums of unfortunate souls, carefully sealing some of these in biohazard baggies, then bringing them in to drive the “always use a flared base for butt play” point home. She loves sleek and hypoallergenic materials: silicone, glass, medical-grade plastic, and surgical steel. In other words, The Doctor is a woman after our own hearts.

The Doctor was on a mission this Sunday; due to injury, she had been out of commission for some odd months and was in need of an update on Babeland’s new wares. After she had pored over the book selection for close to an hour, I was summoned to give her the low-down on what was new and what was going faster than a plateful of hotcakes on Fat Tuesday. We settled comfortably by the luxury vibes, where each lovely gadget was explained in full detail, and the choice was narrowed down to Jimmy Jane’s deluxe Form 6 and Vibratex’s innovative new Rosebud dual-action vibrator.

The Rosebud won out. A silky pink treat, the Rosebud is the first dual-action vibe made of silicone, and has quickly become a rising star on the sales floor. For those looking for a non-realistic toy, or for those of us looking for less length (but ample girth), the Rosebud is a dream. An adjustable little sea creature of a clit stimulator is a whimsical departure from the much-beloved Rabbit, but still packs the same punch as its leporid counterpart; and as for the shaft, I can clench it firmly in both fists (which I demonstrated for The Doctor), and it still keeps on going. Perfectly shaped for g-spot stimulation, this sweetheart will not give out even if you have the PC muscles of Wonder Woman herself.

Bundled up with her new purchase, The Doctor bid us a fond adieu. I for one look forward to her next visit, along with the chance to introduce her to more tricks and treats to add to her Sunday shopping bag.

I’m really loving the new site, Daily Bedpost. Not least because they keep visiting Babeland! I hope that this partnership continues because we certainly love having them here.

I talk a lot about sex toys on this blog but I don’t talk as often about the awesome condoms that Babeland carries. They’re better than the condoms you can get at the drugstore- I promise. Whether you want the thinness of the Beyond Seven, the nubs on the Babeland condom or the extra room in the Inspiral, there are a lot of different options at Babeland so you can break away from Trojan after Trojan after Trojan.

Although Claire doesn’t mention them in the video, my favorite condom is the Crown. It’s easy to get on, feels great and I’ve never had one break on me in over three years of using them.

Check out what Claire has to say about condoms: