The first time I ever walked into Lotus Blooms, I was going to visit my friend Eva while she worked, and I had no idea what to expect. In fact, I remember thinking that while I was there, I’d pick up a cheap dildo for a burlesque act prop I was building. (Filed under: “Errands normal people do not have to run”.)
I walked in the door and stood there stunned like I’d just been smacked in the face with a velvet bolster cushion. It was pure sensory overwhelm. Everywhere I looked, everything was beautiful. The furniture looked antique. The lights sparkled. The product displays were works of art, arranged against flowers and feathers. Music played softly. While Eva welcomed a customer and instantly put them at ease with warmth and friendliness, I wandered past racks of corsets, tables displaying ropes and cuffs, and shelves of bejeweled steel butt plugs and high-end vibrators, all of it enticing me to indulge myself in sheer pleasure. Needless to say, I realized this was NOT the kind of place I was going to find a novelty sex toy!
I was dazzled. I spent the entire car ride home thinking about how much I wanted to show that store to the world and share the delicious, inviting experience of it. I haven’t lost any of that passion for our beautiful space or my delight every time someone comes in for the first time and feels like they’re giving themselves an amazing gift that makes their life better.
So as I thought about this week’s blog post, I decided I wanted to share some of our photos of the inside of the store and tell you all a bit about what it’s like to visit us in person. I also remember how nervous I was the very first time I ever visited a sex shop, so hopefully if you’re also having some jitters, this little photo tour will help you get excited about coming to see us instead!
Beautifying King Street
We’re lucky to have a creative staff that creates artistic window displays that draw you in right away when you’re strolling down the cobblestoned streets of Old Town Alexandria’s charming Boutique District.
A Space for Sex Education
Right away, you’ll see that this is a space designed to make you feel great about yourself and to embrace having a sex life full of pleasure and joy. We’ve always got our upcoming workshops on our chalkboard—as you can see, we tackle a wide range of topics! We have workshops almost every Sunday from 7-9 PM on everything from oral sex to kink to specialized topics like dealing with pelvic pain.
The Lotus Blooms Educator Family
Here are some of the friendly faces that welcome you when you come in! Everyone who works with us is deeply dedicated to sex education and to working at Lotus Blooms, and I think you can really tell that you’re going to feel comfortable and respected as soon as you walk in the door. We all have a great time working together, and there’s always a lot of laughter and energy because of it.
Sexual Health, Front and Center
We put all our health and hygiene products right up front so you’ll never forget to include lube, toy cleaners, and condoms. You’ll also find massage candles (some of them edible!) and other pleasure-enhancing items that make bodies feel wonderful.
Did you know that all lubes are NOT alike? Even the high-quality ones like the ones we carry differ in their “cushion”, texture, and base (silicone, water, or aloe), and they all have their best uses. Ask any of us for help choosing the right one for you, and we’ll be glad to show you the differences.
Also, many of our candles, oils, and dusts are made by independent, local, and queer-owned companies. We make an effort to seek out and support other small businesses whose values align with ours.
Indulge Your Corset Fantasy with Bound Boutique
Browse our extensive corset collection as well as our other lingerie and apparel, and you’re sure to find something that’s your flavor of sexy. We make our steel-boned, high-quality corsets through our Bound Boutique in-house label, and every last touch is considered, from the steel (not plastic) garter clips to the sturdy, extra-long laces. Ask us to help you get fitted properly and to show you how to correctly lace, unlace, and break in a corset if you’ve never worn one.
Pleasure– and Apparel– for Every Body
Imagine trying on beautiful lingerie in these luxe little rooms! Talk about a “treat yourself” experience. (I should know, I buy things here all the time!) Also, did you know that we carry a full range of sizes from XS to 4X in just about every piece—and that every size is priced the same? We want you to feel great about trying things on, regardless of the size or shape of your body or your gender expression. Does this make you want to do a boudoir photo shoot? Feel free to dress up a bit and snap some selfies! We love when our customers are feeling glam enough to capture the moment.
Walk on the Wild Side
Looking for something a little spicier? The back area of the store is where you’ll find our impact toys, restraints, and other sensory-play items for kinky exploration. We also manufacture a lot of these items through our BoundOne brands, which allows us to make them to our standards for materials, ease of use, balance, and other factors that go into quality toys. We carry a large number of Liberator sex supports as well to not only enhance play, but also to help our customers with disabilities and special physical needs to enjoy sex more easily.
Everything You Need for a Great Night In
There’s a little something for everyone here, and all of it is body-safe, high-quality, and curated very carefully by our staff to meet our customers’ needs and to make sure it’s among the best products available. You’ll find many types of vibrators, a wide selection of anal play toys, top-notch books by the sex industry’s best authors and educators, strap-on gear, and even erotic jewelry.
Your Party Here
Can you picture yourself, sitting here with your BFFs sipping champagne and eating pastel-colored macarons like that “I Want Candy” scene from Marie Antoinette? You can! Plan your private party here, whether it’s a shower, a corset-fitting party, a private workshop, or a meet & greet brunch for your group. Contact us and let us help you plan something unique and fabulous.
Come Back Soon!
When you’re ready to check out, we’ll pack up all your treasures in a discreet white shopping bag with tissue wrapping. Don’t forget to sign up for our mailing list before you go, and grab cards for sex-positive events in the area that you might enjoy.
Hat tip to my colleague Sam for taking all these amazing photos! I hope this little swing around our store has tempted you to come check us out when you’re in the area, and that even if you’ve been to see us before, you’ve discovered something new about who we are. We can’t wait to welcome you!
Do you carry neoprene, latex or leather jock straps in a medium. Looking for something that isn’t cheap to wear with my girlfriend for a pegging session.
Hi John! Check out our harnesses and harness briefs for insertables: https://www.lotusblooms.com/collections/dildos I’m not sure if any of those are the kind of thing you’re looking for, but they’re all very high-quality and popular both with our customers and our educators.
Hello, it’s great to read so many positive reviews about an adult shop . I see you have a very wide range of sizes with regards to lingerie and maybe I missed it but do you also carry shoes? Pumps, Mary Jane’s, boots or booties? And if so do you also carry larger sizes in them as well?
Last but not least is your store trans and crossdresser friendly? Do you carry any items related to feminization or ossification, male chastity etc.
Thank you in advance for your help.
Hi Mitchell! Thanks for reaching out! We have mostly phased out our shoe selection, but we have this style in a women’s size 11: https://www.lotusblooms.com/products/nix-by-hades?_pos=2&_sid=8885b74a9&_ss=r&variant=4971356931
Our store is absolutely trans- and crossdresser-friendly! Our staff is very experienced at assisting all types of bodies to find the lingerie and corsets that work for them. We also have a selection of chastity devices for penises here: https://www.lotusblooms.com/collections/cock-rings-chastity
While we don’t have products that are specifically for feminization, we do have a couple of books focused on trans/genderqueer folks, and a number of our collars and cuffs are very feminine in style. Hope that helps, and we look forward to maybe seeing you in the store sometime!
Do you ever need bondage modeling for the store
I would love to spend a bound in the store to show off products or techniques used for the bondage workshops
When is the next bondage workshop
Hi Lindsay,
We have rope workshops roughly every 6 weeks or so– check https://calendar.lotusblooms.com for our current complete list of events, and keep an eye out for more new workshops to be scheduled soon! We don’t do live modeling in the store, however. When we have rope classes, people are encouraged to come with a friend or partner to practice a little bit on one another, but it’s over clothing and pretty mild. Thanks for reaching out to us!
Is this the the store in old town that is 3. Floors
We are indeed in Old Town, but our store is just one floor.