My favorite thing about being an adult is arguably the endless opportunities to acquire more and more sex toys. I have almost twenty toys in my ever-growing collection and I’m always looking for more. However, not all adult stores are created equal. I’ve been everywhere-from seedy places where I’d never step foot again for fear of infection to places that are so incredibly clean and neatly packaged that it’s hard to tell the devices are for use in sex or in a suburban cooking infomercial.

You can get all sorts of toys online at Amazon and other sites, but there’s nothing like scanning a wall of dildos for just the right fit. And when it comes to things like butt-plugs and gags, size matters: it’s best to know what you’re getting into before you spend all your money.

I bought my first vibrator from Spencer’s: a huge mistake on my part. Sex toys from novelty shops are often cheaply made of porous material that if not cleaned properly— and they can be difficult to clean—can absorb bacteria that can lead to infections in places you do NOT want infections. Also, the staff at Spencer’s is trained to sell you things with superhero logos on them, not things that are going to go inside your holiest of holes. Chances are they won’t know what you need even if you explain what you want.
Please, do yourself a favor and just go to a sex shop.

Sex shops should be safe, clean, and— most importantly— sex positive places where you can find the product that suits you and enhances your sex life without feeling gross about being sexual and/or kinky. Reasonable prices don’t hurt either, especially on a college budget.There are three located within three miles of campus: Fascinations, Adult Expectations, and Continental Adult Shop.

Fascinations is a pretty big shop located on Speedway Blvd. It’s clean and the staff is pretty friendly, but it’s aimed so entirely at middle-class, heterosexual women that anyone else might feel a little uncomfortable. There’s a huge selection of lingerie that’s a few steps up from what you might find in the Target intimates section, a straight-male centric porn selection, almost no anal toys at all, and a kink/BDSM section that consists of mostly fuzzy pink handcuffs. This is definitely not my favorite place, but acceptable if you’re looking for a dildo or a simple sexy outfit. They also get points for cleanliness and organization.

Continental Adult Store is a little north of Grant on Campbell and is the smallest shop of the three. For its size, it has a pretty good selection of basic toys including anal plugs, strap-ons, dildos, sex dolls, and vibrators. The staff was friendly and offered help without pushing, which is perfect for people just wanting to look around. One thing that Continental has that the other stores don’t is a “Video Arcade”, which is a dark back room with stalls where you can watch a variety of porn. I don’t mind shops with viewing rooms, but I know people who get very uncomfortable around them. On the plus side, it’s a clean, small, discrete shop where you can probably get one or two decent toys on a small budget of about $30.

Adult Expectations absolutely wins the prize for best shop near the university. It is by far the biggest shop; their jack-rabbit vibrator section alone is about the size of Continental Adult Store. They have an absolutely enormous selection of toys for all bodies and kinks. They are probably the only store on the list where you can get exactly what you’re looking in the BDSM and anal departments. The staff was very friendly and informed me that in the back there was a wonderful place perfect for the college budget: a clearance section. Adult Expectations is also very clean and has toys that range in price from $10 lube to the almost $200 Lelo Vibrating Egg set. It felt very positive and friendly. A friend and I comfortably browsed for almost half an hour and when we left without buying anything, the staff was as kind as when we first walked in. This is a great one-stop shop for most your sexy needs.

Remember that you and your pleasure are the most important part of shopping and the store and its staff are solely there to help you feel your best. Don’t be embarrassed. Keep looking around and asking questions until you’re one hundred percent happy with what you buy. Never settle for less.