May-Bee’s by Fascinations

Another reviewer felt the store now caters only to straight women and he couldn’t begin a conversation about anal beads yet this is so far from my experience there as to make me wonder what he saw. My partner has shopped without me and purchased toys that are in the BDSM Dungeon in the Glendale store (just off Colorado, on Virginia). Much of the men’s wear is appealing to non-​straight men, women’s lingerie comes in «plus» sizes, leading to happy cross dressers and larger trans people.
Frankly, most (or many) shopping venues have atrocious or blasé music but I don’t recall any negatives– and my partner and I are both musicians. Still, if it’s offensive, talk to the staff, talk to the manager, email the company. It’s hardly worth getting pissy and writing them off–
The stock is excellent and the employees are knowledgeable and straight forward. They relocated within the last year so the store is close to triple the size it was and has a bright, open façade with a normal public entrance instead of the goofy back door feeling the old place had. Clothing is a big part of the floor space now– street wear (for women) and lingerie for men and women. The toy displays are generally nicely done and include a table to place your choices to compare and ask questions. If anything, the selection is overwhelming– not a bad thing.
There are aspects of the business that mean they aren’t perfect, mostly because toys are a very individual thing. What works great for someone may be a total failure for someone else. Even reading reviews can’t define what your experience will be so it’s important to think about what you like, your anatomy and the ergonomics of the toy. Take the time to really check out the items since many are over $ 200 (although many are also less than that) and up and they don’t accept returns even if it’s unopened unless there’s a manufacturer defect. They are very clear about that (so someone who dinged a different location for that wasn’t paying attention). The more preventable problem is that sometimes an item isn’t charged. I suspect the floor models get a lot of wear, drops, etc. When the expense of the toys is factored in with what is likely a slim profit margin– think economy of scale, especially since they’re a Colorado retailer– I can understand why not every model is on the floor. I’m very happy we have a respectable business locally so we don’t have to guess what works and wait to see if we guessed right.

It’s true, they won’t let you return items. Be warned. Don’t buy anything you don’t know you’ll love and don’t buy gifts… even if it’s unopened and in the box.

Tonight was my first time going here and I was pleasantly surprised. What a great experience. The man helping me was super knowledgeable and friendly and he didn’t push me to buy anything expensive. Will definitely come back!

Go elsewhere. …sales people super unfriendly. .I just wanted a place for some simple things, nothing hard core. Plus now I’m stuck with a stupid blanket they encouraged us to get and try, ‘return it if you don’t like it’.
Watch out… no returns. Most shops of this genre encourage you to try their products and assure you you can return them. The girl told us we could and as it turns out… she neglected to say, only if dedective. We were loyal customers too. Guy was not even trying to be nice.

Go elsewhere. …sales people super unfriendly. .I just wanted a place for some simple things, nothing hard core. Plus now I’m stuck with a stu

Oddly enough, I disagree with both the lady and gentleman below who left, respectively, favorable and unfavorable reviews. Let’s dive in!
I’m a pretty unabashed person when it comes to sex. I have absolutely no problem discussing the relative merits of various sex toys with the store clerk, and the staff here made doing exactly that very comfortable for me. I came in at 10:30 on a Saturday night, and the only staff there was a man about my own age. He could not have been more professional or friendly — and I’m using «friendly» here in its normal, «hello we are two people who are going to be pleasant to each other» way, not in any kind of «suggestive and creepy» way.
I happened to be looking for a particular product called the Doxy, and called ahead asking if they had it. They did not, but the clerk told me they had a few similar style products that might be worth checking out. I came by and he remembered me from the call and pointed me to the right section. He also told me that after I called, he’d looked up the product online and thought it seemed superior to several of the ones they had in stock, so he’d be recommending to the manager that they order it. Which is frankly better customer service with regard to product ordering than I’ve experienced in ANY shop. I bought a few toys and asked for a water-​based lube recommendation (he gave me a very good rec — my partner and I both liked it a lot) and commiserated with me that Jo lube is really lousy stuff.
This is where I’m going to disagree with Isaac S. We had a very frank discussion about what goes wrong with a good and a bad lube, and I never once felt uncomfortable, judged, or in any way made to feel like this was anything less than a reasonable discussion to be having in a store that sells the product in question. I think it’s very likely any customer would be treated to the same experience — having gone back a second time now during a busier time of day with three clerks on the floor, all of them were similarly professional, friendly, and un-​judgmental.
The «feminine» aspect of this store is threefold: there is a lot of lingerie/​clothing for sale up front; there are a lot of «Fifty Shades» branded products (which I frankly think you’ll be hard-​pressed to find a single sex shop that’s managed to avoid); and all the less direct products are in the front, whereas the stuff that looks like penises and anal plugs (because they are dildos and anal plugs) is in the back.
I’m not really sure why it’s somehow degrading to go to the back of the store for this stuff — it’s an open floor plan and you can quite literally see the dildos from about three steps inside the establishment. I’ve been in quite a few sex shops and it’s very rare for the toys to be front and center as you walk in the store — most of the time they’re in the back or off to one side. It’s not like you have to go walk behind a shame curtain or something. This location, unlike the old Fascinations, has clear windows, and I imagine there are probably rules about what they are and are not allowed to display facing the street where children could walk by. The place is flanked by an ice creamery and a bookshop. It is not unreasonable to keep the explicit sex toys that cannot be mistaken for anything but sex toys out of sight of the casual passer-​by.
They have a very large toy selection and there’s a table with batteries where you can test the products to see how they work, which I think is a nice touch. On my second trip I overheard one of the (male) clerks explaining to a male customer how a prostate-​stimulating toy worked, so I am pretty sure they’re just fine with helping men find toys. It was a conversation not dissimilar to the one I had:
«So how does this work exactly?»
«Well, you’d insert it anally with this side facing to the front, and this part vibrates for stimulation.»
«Is it designed to be left in as vibrator or would you move it back and forth?»
«Really your call, you can use this toy either way. If you’re looking for one that’s more a vibrator, I’d recommend this one instead.»
Etc. Very matter-​of-​fact, and while obviously you are going to be discussing your genitalia (or hypothetical genitalia with which you may or may not be using this toy), no one is going to make you feel uncomfortable about it.
Things to improve: hey, a good porn selection never hurt a sex shop and also: erotica and how-​to books! They had a few books but nothing I’d recommend, seemed like filler. Maybe put the books in the front of the shop, MayBee? Take out some of the clothes, put in some good dirty reads? You can put a strategic rack of lingerie in front of the bookshelf to shield the passers-​by.

My fiancé and I were impressed with our visit to Maybee. From the outside it appears unapologetic with large windows and lingerie displayed. Once inside I was happy to see a clean, inviting store with knowledgable staff. Yes, as another review stated it is very feminine and you won’t find pornographic videos there. What you will find is lingerie, toys for both men and women, and the usual lube and bachelorette stuff. Any questions I directed at the gentleman working there were met with straight forward and honest answers. The best way to put it, it’s a badass version of Victorias Secret. We definitely plan to return.

I have been a Fascinations customer for years. It was one place where I felt everyones sexuality was respected, and I could have a frank conversation about sex with their knowledgable staff. Fascinations was welcoming, off beat, and the only place I could walk into a start a conversation with «So, I’d like to learn more about anal beads…» ect.
The transition to MayBee is profoundly disappointing. The gender neutrality has been replace with a strong orientation toward the sexuality of straight females to the exclusion of all others (most people).
As a man, I felt unwelcome and unsupported. The store has been reoriented away from being a sex shop toward being a clothing store. The effect here is that the sense of sexual open-​ness is no longer present, as the toys are «in the back». Male sex toys in particular are in the most distant corner of the store.
Porn is no where to be seen, as is anything oriented toward homosexual men and women. I certainly don’t feel comfortable starting a conversation with «So, I’d like to learn more about anal beads…» in what feels like an off brand Victoria’s Secret. The music choice is also extremely off-​putting. Its not just feminizing, its girly. My wife is pansexual, and felt equally unwelcome by the singular straight white skinny female orientation of what was once a neutral open space.
There is now no comfortable place in town to buy adult products. Its a damn shame.

May Bee is a wonderful addition to Boulder! The store has a huge variety of items, from lingerie to clothes to books to supplements, as well as the usual things you would find in a store of this nature. The displays are very well organized, prices are clearly listed, and the prices are a great range from affordable to high-​end. Also, the staff members are very knowledgeable, helpful, and approachable. All in all, a great store!