India’s first offline legal adult play toy shop opens in Goa

Goa: India is perceived as the land of Kamasutra, yet talking about sex is considered taboo in the country even today. People don’t talk about sex in public and sex education is a myth in schools. Shedding these inhibitions, a shop in Goa has ventured into sex toys and is now India’s first legal sex toy shop.

Kama Gizmos, a sex toy shop and wellness products store in Goa, is India’s first official brick and mortar sex shop. It was launched on February 14. Located in the Calangute stretch, Kama Gizmos is the outcome of the coming together of two competing sex products retailers-Kamakart and Gizmoswala. The store stocks sex toys, viagra-like sprays, novelty condoms, and other stuff that people can physically check out before getting familiar with.

As per the report by Vice, the online sale of sex toys went up by 65% during the lockdown against coronavirus in India. That has changed as the buyers can now directly walk into the store and check out stuff for themselves.

Kama Gizmos is well lit and looks like a mega medical store.

Nirav Mehta, the co-founder of the shop said, ” We have purposely not made it flashy or like a dark underground dungeon, which is how most shops like this abroad are,” further adding, “We have modeled it like a medical store, while all our certificates are on the wall. We do this to avoid any political backlash.”

Despite India being the origin for Kamasutra, erotic art in caves and temples, the country’s political climate has conditioned people to categorize all things related to sex as immoral and indecent. So to some political parties are also known for beating up couples for PDA, including holding hands or expressing one’s sexuality in public spaces.

Reports state that obscenity laws in India have made it nearly impossible for legit sex shops to operate but Kama Gizmos was able to come into existence as India’s first physical store via lesser-known loopholes.

The import of any obscene book, pamphlet, paper, drawing, painting, representation, figure, or article is prohibited, which may be interpreted to include adult toys and products, according to the law. Mehta informed, “This law is in the grey space, but essentially, you can sell any [sex] product as long as it is not obscene.”

Explaining the packaging of products, Mehta said, “We purposely chose toys and products with packaging that did not have nudity or show women in a demeaning manner, so it does not violate any obscenity laws,”

Currently, the store’s best sellers include marshmallow flavored, glow-in-the-dark, and vegan condoms; Swarovski-studded vibrators, penis pumps, crystal condoms, leather BDSM sets, cock rings, and roleplay costumes of a sexy cop and maid.

Unconventional products including a frisky-shaped vibrator are imported from Canada, Netherlands, or China and the packaging features no explicit content.