Two former University of Liverpool students have opened a Christian sex toy shop. Grace H (who wishes to keep her full name private) opened the store last August with her husband Matthew. Together they run one of the most unique online stores, offering adult products to married couples wanting a bit more spice in the bedroom.
Holy Bedroom launched as an online-only platform to offer Christian couples a space to shop for intimate aids without the “distractions” of their non-religious counterparts. The website doesn’t show any models, life-like toys or products that otherwise wouldn’t be welcome in the eyes of a devote Christian’s bedroom.
Grace, one of the shop’s founders, spoke to The Sphinx and explained: “Many people do not feel comfortable in sex shops and, from talking to others, this is amplified with Christians. While there’s obviously a demand for sexual aids, many churchgoers fear they may stumble upon pornography, sinful material or otherwise face temptation while on these websites. As a result, many avoid them altogether.
“Holy Bedroom was launched to create an environment that is comfortable for Christians to explore products for their marital bedroom, without the fear that they may take a wrong turn.”
The website features popular sex toys including vibrators, pleasure rings and an assortment of lubricants. All of the products were handpicked by the owners, who do their best to ensure everything is suitable for their target customers.
HolyBedroom.co.uk, the Christian sex toy shop
Grace explained: “Our shoppers rely on us to do the filtering for them. They want us to hide all of the products that would scare them out of a normal sex shop, so they get straight to the items that make them excited for intimidate time with their spouse. We want our visitors to enjoy the experience of shopping for these pleasures with their partners. It shouldn’t have to be a painful experience.”
Grace added: “Christians don’t talk about sex enough. It’s as if church has given this sacred act a tainted reputation, when it’s part and parcel of married life. We all do it! Sex is a gift from God within marriage and we now have a shop to help couples bond in the bedroom in truly glorious ways.”
The couple admit that they have faced naysayers along the way, but recognise that such a radical concept is bound to ruffle some feathers within their community.
Grace explained: “We’re not telling anyone to do anything – we’re bridging the gap for many Christian couples that may feel as though they simply cannot engage with sexual products in the way that others do. Holy Bedroom shows that there’s a plethora of games, sex toys and activities that God approves of, and you don’t have to search through a minefield to find them.”
Grace and her husband came up with the idea after browsing for sex toys the traditional way, but being frustrated by other sex shops’ “relentless” flirtation with sin, including sadomasochism, devil imagery and disregard for the purity of marriage. They ended up creating what they believe is the UK’s only online Christian sex toy website.
Grace explained: “I might have gone in Anne Summers once or twice when I was much younger, but I would have been red-faced if I ever went into a real sex shop. It actually felt worse online.
“Years later I eventually found American sites specialising in this concept, but couldn’t believe I couldn’t believe there wasn’t another closer to home. I never thought I would be the one selling rabbits, condoms and strokers.”
Grace met her husband Matthew at University of Liverpool, where they both studied in the early 2000s. They bonded over their faith, eventually marrying and having two children together. While they didn’t want to talk about their careers outside this site, they say it’s a world away from what they entered into last summer.
Grace said: “Let’s just say we haven’t told too many of our colleagues about what we do online just yet. We want to inject more joy into the bedrooms of Christian couples. We’re confident that curious churchgoers will be pleasantly surprised if they have a click around our site.”
To find out more about Holy Bedroom, visit HolyBedroom.co.uk.
