It’s noon and I’m in the middle of telling a room of complete strangers things about my sex life that not even my boyfriend knows. All around me are women doing the same thing, airing their deepest desires and eliciting sympathetic nods. To my right, our instructor — a sex, love and relationship coach — is letting out orgasmic sighs that punctuate the chatter like air horns. To round things off, we finish the session by engaging in some “sex magic”. That is, sensual meditation that involves “connecting to the flow of energy” in our clitoris. Just your average Sunday.
The pursuit of pleasure in London has become big business. Everything from female-centric masturbation workshops to spanking classes — and even clitoris-focused book festivals — command high prices and draw dedicated followings. At the London Edition, sex columnist and broadcaster Emma-Louise Boynton regularly sells out her Sex Talks (an event series where alongside expert speakers she covers once-taboo subjects like self-pleasure and the orgasm gap).
