by Nina Gan
It’s official. We have hit rock bottom in terms of reproduction.
While Singapore is billed as one of the best countries in the world to have a kid in terms of education and health, it’s not exactly high on the list of inspiring places to ‘get it on’. If you’re feeling at a loss, maybe all you need to do is visit one of these ‘educational’ museums.
Needless to say, you’ll need to be at least 18 (and not a prude, and ideally married or planning to, or just really, really curious), to visit these places.
Museum of Sex, NYC (USA)
Located on the famous Fifth Avenue, you’re not looking for Saks, but MoSex. In addition to thousands of erotic artifacts and an art collection, this museum engages visitors through interactive displays including an adult-themed bouncy castle and a climbing wall studded with, erm, rude shapes. There’s an aphrodisiac-themed cafe, and the shop has some creative gifts… all in the name of sex education.
Love Land, Jeju (Korea)
Located on an island popular with honeymooners, the aptly-named Love Land is not just a museum – it’s an outdoor theme park that sprawls with plenty of salacious sculptures that visitors often (hilariously) pose with. Initially made with the intention of giving newlyweds a crash course on intercourse, the park features hands-on displays and sex-ed films. Even the cheeky restrooms are naughtily-themed.
Sex Machine Museum, Prague (Czech Republic)
The very specific collection at the Sex Machine Museum has over 200 tantalising ‘tools’ (many accompanied by dummies) that were used in boudoirs around the world over the ages. You’ll find palanquins, harnesses, chastity belts, and strange vibrating things. It’s definitely an eye-opener to the history of titillation, and if the tools don’t keep you entertained, the collection of antique videos will.
Atami Adult Museum, Shizuoka (Japan)
In the prosperous 80s, Japan was awash with ‘hihokan’ (sex museums) which populated hot spring resorts. Thanks to their gaudy and downright silly displays – from phallic sculptures and rude carnival games to mannequins doing all manner of acts – many have deservedly since closed down. Atami is one Japan’s last hihokan, and it feels more like you’re visiting for the retro aspect (think Haw Par Villa with a Japanese bent) than anything.
Museum of Eroticism, Paris (France)
This Museum of Eroticism houses 5 floors of erotic art and antiquities from around the world, including Aztec fertility dolls, Nepalese temple carvings and Japanese woodblocks. One floor is dedicated to ‘maison closes’ (legal brothels of the 19th and 20th centuries), and short black-and-white films are also screened on the premises. There’s also a revolving collection of modern art, and all the displays are tastefully – rather than racily – done.
Icelandic Phallological Museum, Reykjavík (Iceland)
While not a sex museum per se, this Phallological Museum houses the world’s largest collection of penises and penile parts. It boasts a collection of 280 specimens taken from all manner of animals, from the largest (blue whale) to the smallest (hamster), and preserved in all manner of ways, from pickled to dried and embalmed. It claims to also have penises of trolls and elves. Curious?
Red Light Secrets, Amsterdam (Netherlands)
Housed in a former brothel, Red Light Secrets is a museum for anyone interested to know what goes on behind the scenes of Amsterdam’s famous red light district. You’ll learn what it feels like to actually ‘sit in a window’ (there are 290 ‘Red Light Windows’ in Amsterdam), see the different ‘working rooms’, and hear first-hand accounts about the trade. It’s near the Sex Museum, but this one is more educational rather than titillating.
