Sex-toy parties in the privacy of home

Carin Kronheim, a sex-toy party salesgirl, greets all of her clients with a smile and not a smirk.

Kronheim knows how to make her customers feel at ease while showing them the latest in sex-toy products.

She starts the night at her client's house by playing a game, passing out 10 pieces of candy corn and pink M&M's to the seven wide-eyed women in the room.

"Every time I mention a sexual organ, you have to eat a piece of candy. First person to finish their candy wins," Kronheim instructs the audience.

Ten minutes later, the game has been won. Kronheim extends the purple bag filled with prizes to the lucky winner, who in turn pulls out a small bottle of lotion.

Now that everyone in the room is feeling comfortable, Kronheim brings out the toys.

There they are, in every shade of the girly rainbow. There's purple, scented candles, a red heart-shaped massager and of course, baby-pink sex toys.

The party guests are then allowed to touch, grab, sniff and even taste some of the sex toy products. Nothing is off-limits; nothing is "taboo."

Sex-toy parties have become increasingly popular among American men and women. According to a study presented to the American Sociological Association, Americans spend about $1.2 billion dollars a year on sex toys.

In recent years, the adult toy industry has seen a huge surge in the number of female-owned sex toy party companies, like Athena's Home Novelties.

These companies often model their business strategy after the "Tupperware party" method. After the sex-toy show, salespeople are supposed to recruit men and women to work for their company, usually by showing them a brief informational video and answering questions.

Kronheim is just one of 2,000 "goddesses" working independently for Athena's Home Novelties, a sex-toy party company based in Rhode Island. Selling sex toys literally door-to-door gives Kronheim, a UCF marketing sophomore, the freedom to set her own hours while making a little extra cash on the side.

Because of the increasing number of parties, sex toys are becoming less scarce in the bedroom. Sex-toy parties offer women a chance to explore their own sexuality in the privacy and comfort of their own homes, without judgment from others.

"I think it's a healthy thing for a woman to acknowledge her own sexual desires, and realize that other women out there are too," Randy Fisher, a psychology professor specializing in human sexuality said. "Sexual openness and communication are good things.

"If [a group of women] have a cooking club, you wouldn't ask 'do you think it's healthy for them to get together and swap recipes?' "

Perhaps the reason why many women don't want to attend a sex-toy party is because they're afraid of what the party will be like, Fisher said.

"It's not what you would think," Kronheim argued. "A lot of people think it's going to be cheap and trashy, but it's just so much fun and everything is done with class."

Sex-toy parties are usually thrown at a residence by a hostess. The salesperson arrives at the party, demonstrates each toy in a show-like format, and then afterwards, takes each customer into a separate, secluded room. The customer then has the opportunity to buy whatever she (or he) wants privately.

Sex-toy parties are usually hosted by women, Kronheim said, but they can also be hosted by couples, homosexual men or homosexual women.

"It's more comfortable [at sex-toy parties]," Christine Steele, a UCF graduate and recently married woman said. "You don't feel like people are watching you ."

All products are then shipped to the hostess' residence in separated boxes. It is the hostess's responsibility to call each guest and let them know their special package has arrived. The only thing the hostess will ever find out is the size of the individual's box.

But while buying sex toys at a party is private, it can sometimes be expensive.

The "butterfly kiss" vibrator, Athena's number two best selling product, costs $25. More specialized products, like the "sex stool" will cost a hefty $100 plus shipping costs, according to Athena's catalog.

Comparatively, buying the "butterfly kiss" at Fairvilla Megastore, a local adult-entertainment store, will cost about $19, according to the Web site.

However, buying a sex toy at an adult store underneath harsh fluorescent lightning can be a little too daunting. Buying sex toys from a goddess gives the customer the opportunity to ask questions she or he may be too afraid to ask at an adult store.

"If you want to buy a toy, you're not going to go up to the guy that works there and say 'hey which one of these anal beads is the best to use?'" Kronheim said. "You don't even want people to know you're buying it."

In order to become a goddess for Athena's, Kronheim had to undergo extensive training that required her to learn the male and female anatomy -- literally inside and out.

"We're really big on education and making sure you know how to use a product," Kronheim said. "If a customer asks 'can I put this here,' I want to be sure I can give the answer."

And sex-toy parties can be profitable for adult stores like Fairvilla as well. According to Fairvilla's sex-toy buyer Debra Peterson, sex-toy parties help women and men feel more comfortable about going into an adult store and buying sex toys.

"There are still people who are afraid to go into a [adult] store," Peterson said. "Yet, [sex toy parties] touch women. You may not be able to do that anywhere else."

For more information, go to athenashn.com/2312. To contact Kronheim, email her at goddess.carin@hotmail.com.?