To step foot inside Melbourne’s High Tide is to find yourself transported to a state of calm. Low lighting casts a warm glow over the floorspace, illuminating dildos, lubricants and vibrators arranged on the timber shelves like sculptural works of art. There’s no curtained-off section leading to a back room of kinky delights.
Here, the products are out in the open, inviting you to pick them up and turn them on. It used to be the case that entering an adult store would see you peel off the street and into the shadows, clambering up a narrow staircase before being assaulted by neon lights and sexualised imagery.
Now, modern stores like High Tide have adopted a new aesthetic. “Intimacy, sex, masturbation – all these things are incredibly natural. They have natural tones, natural textures, a natural tempo and warmth,” says Paige Aubort, co-founder of High Tide. “We really wanted to invite that back into the shop because that’s what it should feel like.”
Alongside partner Søren Poulsen, Aubort looked to create a space that was relaxed and welcoming, from the furnishings to the second-hand wood sourced for a lived-in feel.
Such thoughtful design elements haven’t just transformed the experience of shopping for sex toys, they’ve elevated sex to essential self-care, something to prioritise just as one does mental and physical health. “You want people to feel empowered by their sex toys,” says Aubort. “You want them to think, ‘I have this thing and it’s just mine.’ That can change the way you walk through the world and how you perceive yourself and what you feel can be yours and what can’t be taken from you.”
Acts of pleasure have now become big business. Once confined to adult stores and hushed conversations between friends, sex has entered the mainstream as an integral pillar of wellness.
In Australia, the sexual wellness market was last year valued at $655 million, and is expected to grow to $975 million by 2033, according to Imarc Group. Spearheaded by the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle website Goop, even the toys themselves have transformed.
Garish designs you’d avoid at a hens’ party have been steamrolled by sleek, sophisticated devices with luxe offerings that reflect consumer demand. “More people are recognising that their sexuality is not separate from their health, but deeply connected to how they feel, relate and move through the world,” says Lara Maree, psychosexologist and relationship therapist.
David Jones expanded into the market in 2021, with a curated “sexual wellness” category sitting alongside lifestyle products.
A year later, Sephora followed suit, reflecting a larger shift among mainstream cosmetic retailers like Mecca and Adore Beauty, all of which sell vibrators online. “By placing vibrators next to skincare serums, we are saying pleasure is part of how we care for ourselves,” says Maree.
“It becomes something you can talk about with the same ease as your sleep, your supplements or your fitness. For many women, this is the first time their pleasure is being acknowledged in a public and normalised way. It validates what many of us in sexual wellness have been saying for years: that erotic wellness is health care.”
It’s an ethos now reflected across modern adult stores, with Passionfruit in Fitzroy and Hall of Harper in Surfers Paradise leaning into design choices that serve to destigmatise sexual pleasure. Founded by sisters Mollie and Charlotte O’Sullivan, Hall of Harper was born from their own frustration with traditional sex shops. “I knew I wanted it to be a luxury experience, I didn’t want it to be overwhelming, and I knew I wanted to empower you as soon as you stepped into the store,” explains Mollie.
Inside, guests are treated to an upscale boutique where floral arrangements frame lingerie and sex toys are showcased like fine jewellery. According to Kate Moyle, psychosexual therapist, author and host of The Sexual Wellness Sessions podcast, the changing decor of sex shops reflects a change within the consumer herself.
“We have seen a real shift with increased openness and reduced stigma around sexual wellbeing, which was always a more hidden and separated-off part of health,” says Moyle.
“The aesthetics previously were considered to be erotic dark colours and sexually charged, whereas now there’s much more focus on the wellness side of the conversation and that this isn’t a part of our health which needs to be denied or for us to be ashamed of.”
Just as a visit to a wellness spa will likely see you experience a service and then leave with some products, these modern stores don’t limit themselves to retail alone. Both Hall of Harper and High Tide want to position themselves as a community hub and educational resource, with the former offering private bookings where guests can browse products in a safe, judgement-free space alongside a team trained by certified sexologists.
“These appointments have become especially meaningful for our community; we often welcome queer couples, partners or groups of close friends supporting someone through a life transition, like the loss of a partner or how to reconnect post-kids,” says Mollie. “It’s about more than shopping, it’s about making room for care, comfort, education and connection.” Prior to opening High Tide in 2023, Aubort asked herself: “Toys – in terms of the material, the design, the people making them – have evolved; surely the spaces have also physically evolved with them?”
At the time, she couldn’t find any examples to point to. Now, she and Poulsen are being the change they want to see, helping people discover their sexuality or reclaim it, and embrace the tools required for their sexual wellbeing to thrive.
As Maree notes, it’s an essential service. “These beautifully curated, modern stores are doing what traditional sexual education never did. When someone walks into a store that feels more like a wellness sanctuary than a hidden corner shop, it changes the conversation. It tells people their pleasure matters, that questions are welcome, and that there is no shame in being curious.”
A-List Approved
As celebrities champion pleasure as self-care, these celebrity-backed toys will help you put desire front and centre.
Cara Delevingne’s Pick: Lora DiCarlo Sway
$234.95 from The Iconic
Best for: Enhanced muscle relaxation
Sway is a dual-ended warming massager with two vibrating points, customisable intensity and patterns, waterproof design, and medical-grade silicone, offering simultaneous internal or external stimulation for enhanced pleasure and relaxation.
Dakota Johnson’s Pick: Maude Vibe
$80 from Get Maude
Best for: Discreet use
Discreet, chic, and surprisingly powerful, this patented three-speed vibrator is made for precision play. Its elegant, elongated silhouette and flutter-tip design deliver pinpoint external stimulation (with the option for gentle internal exploration). It’s not just a bedroom essential — it’s a design icon, displayed at both the MoMA Design Store and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.
Gwyneth Paltrow’s Pick: Goop Double-Sided Wand Vibrator
$171 from Goop
Best for: Deep vibrations
This double-sided wand delivers 64 vibration combinations with a deep, rumbly wonder-ball on one end and a slim, flexible tip on the other. Made from silky body-safe silicone, it’s rechargeable, water-resistant, and chic enough for your nightstand.
Lily Allen’s Pick: Womanizer Liberty Rechargeable Clitoral Stimulator
$149.95 from Lovehoney
Best for: Clitoral stimulation
The Womanizer Liberty 2 is a compact, travel-ready stimulator with eight intensity settings and soft suction technology. Waterproof, rechargeable, and discreetly designed, it’s made for easy packing and spontaneous moments wherever you are.
Demi Lovato’s Pick: Bellesa Boutique the Demi Wand
From $90 at Bellesa Boutique
Best for: Beginners
The Demi Wand was designed for all bodies, with five vibration speeds, a compact 4.8” form, and a waterproof, rechargeable build — making pleasure more comfortable, accessible, and inclusive than ever.
Words: Jess Campbell
