In mid-2020, with Covid at street level, health personnel became a revered hero of confined Spain. Doctors and nurses had been doubling shifts for months and risking their lives with no compensation other than applause on balconies, messages of support and handouts from businessmen like Amancio Ortega. The masks, protective equipment and other aids were a gesture of thanks to which they were soon joined by another: that of Amantis, an erotic store that wanted to satisfy, above all, the sanitary ones.

"We gave health professionals 1,000 clitoral suckers that ran out in a matter of hours. We collaborate from our approach" describes Cristóbal Icaza, CEO of Amantis, to LOC. Owner of one of the most recognized sex shop chains in Spain, he knows that sex is health since he opened his first establishment in the late 90s.

"The idea was to make open-door stores, a nice space. Something that was revolutionary then." describes about its beginning. At a time when opaque glass sex stores, explicit pornography and erotic booths were common, his company decided to bet on open premises with transparent windows. Showing their star products to passers-by.

Cristóbal Icaza (seated right) with part of the AmantisCedida team

"We started in Chueca, because it is a contemporary and tolerant neighborhood. It was well accepted," he explains. "Now we are in shopping malls and well-known streets. Our first jump out of Madrid was Barcelona, in Grácia," he says. Today, they have 10 open throughout the country: eight in Madrid, two in Barcelona and one in Valencia. In addition to online sales.

"People are surprised, but this is a family business. I started with my father, the original idea was his," he describes. Currently Cristóbal is in charge of this business that closed 2022 billing six million. "Last year alone we sold 30,000 litres of lubricant," he says. Although to date, his biggest success has been the famous Satisfyer the favorite clitoral sucker of influencers. "In the boom of 2019 we ran out of stock."

SPAIN AND SEX

When you enter an Amantis store, the toys that accumulate on the clerk's counter are striking. Dildos stand out, of all sizes, colors and shapes. Then there are vibrators, not all of them are phallic, not even just for female users. The rules of the store allow you to try the genre in the hand to perceive its touch, its different speeds and movements. The classic are usually bought with a good lubricant. Hence, pools can be filled with the boats that are sold.

"It is true that women are coming mainly to try the clitoral sucker, because it has been recommended by their aunt, their mother or their friend. It is a very normalized toy, "says Esperanza Gil, one of the sexologists who works for the company. "But once they try the Satisfyer they are also encouraged with new toys and to experiment more."

A recent study by the Ministry of Equality concluded that women still prefer penetration to self-stimulation. However, in the galaxy of sex shops another language is spoken: that of internal or external stimulation of the vagina. Regardless of the body, member or object used.

An Amantis store insideCeded

"In this sense there is a 50/50, but it is true that erotic toys are evolving from human forms (penis, vagina, breasts) to fantasy objects, and even with a sense of humor. The last thing that has come to us is in the shape of an alpaca," he reveals.

According to the expert, her clientele has neither age, sex nor specific sexuality. "A lot of women come for us to recommend and advise, but also heterosexual and homosexual couples. The other day a lady in her 70s came in who wanted a vibrator to give to a friend..."

"We also organize workshops attended by single people or couples of all kinds: from young to mature. We now have one about anal sex called 'Del ¡Au! to Wow!'" he says. "More and more straight men are interested in trying anal sex. He's taking the pegging a lot, that is, that she puts on a harness and penetrates him."

Since the first Amantis store opened its doors twenty years ago, Spain has changed. The new times run faster and faster and immediacy has gotten into even our bed. But when you look at the shelves of any erotic store, there are things that do not vary: fine lingerie, role-playing, the importance of safe sex, the sadomaso world still faithful to the whip and leather after the fever of 50 shades of Grey ... and to be wrapped up in the gift for a friend.

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