On February 8-10th, the Denver Merchandise Mart was home to the Sex Expo, which contained a tag line of life, wellness, and pleasure.

As I walked in, I had no idea what to expect. First, I wondered if my attire was appropriate. Would all the women be in high heels, short skirts, and corsets? Would people move around with leashes around their necks, pulled by their masters?

I do not own any skirts. Denim covered my legs and black converse sneakers kept my feet warm. I felt a bit out of place with my notebook clutched to my hip, but it became like a camera as I wrote down as much as could, capturing the crazy sexiness of the event.

All Ages

The first thing I noticed was the mix of ages—the young to the old. There were couples, singles, men with varying beard lengths, women with varying skirt lengths, lots of cleavage, tattoos and piercings.

My purpose for going to this event was to capture as much as I could for those too shy or unable to attend. I must admit to my own anxiety, but it was soon diminished as everyone seemed extremely nice and not at all forceful in his or her own preferences.

I walked around, checking out the companies representing their own fetish-gear and sexual aids. There was airbrushed art for sale: a woman wearing nothing but a dragon on her shoulder and men in pad-locked underwear writhing over water.

I stopped and spoke with the owner of B.A,R.E Restraints, Beth Weisman-Lovatt,  who traveled all the way from Toronto to represent her line of erotic and fetish gear, specializing in full-figure sizes. Her six-year-old business includes all sizes of custom work clothing and bondage furniture (that she did not have on display, but I was extremely curious to see).

Tim, from 4-Erotica Stores (4-eroticastores.com), spoke to me about the   importance of experimentation and the reason shows like this exist, to really represent all aspects of sexual play.

He defined the term vanilla, which had been mentioned several times during the expo at other booths. I am familiar with the term, but was interested in what it meant to him. “To say vanilla implies that one hasn’t used their imagination beyond the standard method. It [basically] means non-fetish.” 

Something for Everyone

There were booths advertising erotic/hedonistic vacations and sensuality retreats.

There was a workout place called LeeLynn Studios, located on 2553 S. Colorado Blvd. in Denver, that offers movement classes such as erotic cardio and pole fitness and there was Elite Personal Search service (that is “not a dating service, [but a place helping to] hook you up with a lifelong partner.” They have locations all over the country and can be reached through their Web site: elitepersonalsearch.com.

There were plenty of vibrators, lingerie, whips, and accessories for sexual exploration. I spoke with a representative from Fascinations, 4111 E. Virginia Ave. in Denver, who had an interesting product called Lelo, which was a vibrator small enough to fit in your pocket. A bit pricey at $84, I said: “That’s an expensive orgasm.” His response? “It’s rechargeable. A four-hour charge.” Enough said, I guess.

The G-Spot Lounge offered up a variety of food options for those needing to take a hunger break. There was sushi, a chocolate fountain bar, wraps and salads.

There was Oyster Twister, which spotlighted the flexibility of scantily clad women and included audience participation.

A woman would call out: Red foot yellow. Right hand blue. The winner received a movie. (I am guessing not the latest Oscar nominated flick). Each round began with, “Face down, ass up, let’s play twister!” 

Take a Class

The Sex Show offered many workshops such as “Polyamory 101,” “The Art of Burlesque Performing,” “Tantra for Singles,” and “The New Generation of Healthy Sex Toys.”

A seminar I was excited about attending was “Female Ejaculation and the G-Spot.” This was led by Deborah Sundahl who has been studying this subject for ten years.

Before leaving, I couldn’t resist entering The Dungeon. I was greeted by a woman named Mistress Saskia, holding a violet wand, which created tiny electrical waves when touching it or her. She said, “I can conduct it through my tongue and any other place in my body.” Also catching my attention was a long-haired woman in leather who was slowly being tied up by a man in martial arts garb. He took his time making knots all over her body, weaving the rope along her waist and thighs. From his dedication and skill, I began to wonder if he was a former Boy Scout.

“This is a pleasurable sensation, believe it or not. Just think of it as five hours of foreplay,” he said. I wondered who this pleasure truly existed for. Her or him?

If you didn’t make it to The Sex Show, there is always next year. What I was able to take away from it was the wide array of choices we have as sexual beings. I left, realizing that there are things that may not be my cup of tea, but how wonderful is it that there isn’t just one flavor to choose from?