Michelle Temminghoff is the founder of Passionfruit, The Sensuality Shop, in Richmond, Melbourne. Not only does Michelle stock the most stunning array of lingerie, but she has a wide range of sex toys, lubes, erotica, and even runs educational workshops. I'm thrilled Michelle is joining me in this week's episode to talk about what every woman needs in her bedside drawer.
Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcast and more.
Broadcast: March 10, 2021
Duration: 44:13
Here's a snippet of the full podcast...
Let's start with an empty drawer…
Amy: Imagine a woman walks into your store and announces that she has an empty bedside table. She’s really excited to explore and start to prioritise her sexuality, but she doesn't know where to start. How do you recommend she fills her drawer?
Michelle: This is something we get pretty much every day. First of all, it's going to sound really boring, but it's actually the most exciting thing that you can do for yourself or share with a partner - lube. It’s actually a really underrated product and it's a whole category of self-care that is completely ignored. It really is so amazing. It’s the best thing that you'll ever do for yourself, it doesn't matter what your age is, how lubricated you are naturally.
To me, that is the number one. I call it your first sex toy.
Amy: Okay, I've learned a lot from you over the years around the different types of lube. Can you give us a quick rundown because it really matters, doesn't it?
Michelle: It really matters – you don’t want any old lube going inside your body, it's not just a topical ointment. You might be worried about your skincare and what goes into your cleansers and moisturisers, but you should be more concerned about what goes into your lubricant because it is going inside your body. It's going to get into your bloodstream and can really upset the natural, delicate environment of the vagina. Be very careful about the products you use - make sure you're only getting the best product available. That would be my first tip.
Connecting your mind and body.
Amy: Ok, so we've got lubrication in the drawer. What else does your customer need?
Michelle: I love a product called 'On For Her', which is a clitoral arousal oil. It contains all natural ingredients and it's just this very warming product. So as soon as you put a drop on the clitoris it totally warms up the area, it gives you a buzz – it's just amazing. It gives you this great connection between mind and body, your genitals. Because sometimes we can be a bit disconnected from our body. It's one of our best-selling products
So, 'On For Her' is my second recommendation, and then I probably would put a massage oil in there too, just because I'm a huge fan of massages. For me anyway, I have to feel relaxed to be able to enjoy sex. So, if I can get a massage first, if my partner can give me a really great massage it can really help. So, anybody out there who wants to arouse their partner or just have a really good night, get your massage skills in order and get a really good massage!
Choosing a sex toy.
Amy: So, what about toys?
Michelle: If you are new to toys, you can just get something like a clitoral stimulator. It's nice and small and fits in the palm of your hand. It's not overwhelming, you don't have to insert anything. It's just going to give you beautiful stimulation on the external area of the vulva, to get you to orgasm much quicker. As we know, for some it can take a long time to become aroused, which is really normal, but sometimes it's nice to have that little bit of extra help as well.
Amy: Do you recommend a specific product on your website, or are there several?
Michelle: Go to the website and pop ‘Staff Picks’ into the search bar. All of our favourite picks will come up. As for toys, this can be just an external toy, an internal toy or a rabbit style toy, which is an internal, external type toy. So, once you figure out what type you want, if you just want external, or maybe you want internal, or maybe you want a bit of both, then it's much easier to make your choice.
And then, for penises there's something called a cock ring or an erection ring, which I always recommend as well. You can buy them for $25, a non-vibrating one. It's worn at the base of the penis and it really just holds the blood in – this makes it more sensitive and the erection will last longer. When the man does climax, it takes longer for the blood to flow out of the penis because of that constriction, so it elongates the orgasm.
Time for some reading.
Michelle: If I could say one more thing to put on your bedside table, it would be a nice little book.
Amy: Ah, yes. Do you have a favourite recommendation?
Michelle: One of my favourites is 'Best Women's Erotica'. They bring one out every year. They're all short stories written by really, really good authors. And because they're short, they take around five minutes to read, you can really just get into it and figure out 'Did that really turn me on or did it not?' And it's a really great way of learning what does turn you on. So, if you find one that you really like, head towards that genre.
Amy: Michelle, thank you so much, this is been so super useful and I'm sure, really empowering, for so many women listening. Can I ask, where can the listeners find you? I reckon there are a few people that are pretty desperate to do some shopping!
Michelle: Come into the store if you can. I think it's a good year for sexual self-care!