The Sexploratorium: Denver’s Center for Pleasurable Sex Ed

Stina French (she/they) wears many hats. She’s an ex-professor who taught a human sexuality course,  a creative writer, a performer, a self-described polyamorous kinkster, and “sister rainbow scream” on Instagram. She’s also a host of Listen to Your Skin, a virtual reading series that immerses her in erotica that straddles the line between literary prose and triple X content. French has even put together an anthology of the erotic tales shared at Listen to Your Skin, and Q Publishing, OFM’s parent company, will be releasing the book in early October.

But her newest hat is that of Headmistress at the Sexploratorium, where French’s kinky background and affinity for erotic writing are very transferable skills. The Sexploratorium is a queer, femme-owned, pro-pleasure, and pro-sex center for adult sexual education founded by French’s former human sexuality co-professor, Fawn O’Breitzman, and Fawn’s partner, Casey O’Breitzman.

Fawn and Casey originally wanted to open a walk-through, touch-centered educational sex museum in 2019 — think Meow Wolf, but for sex ed — but COVID wreaked its historical havoc and shattered that tenuous idea (for now). So the pair returned to the drawing board, choosing instead to redefine sexual education in a more traditional classroom setting. The Sexploratorium, which also functions as a center for erotic art, shopping, and events, opened on South Broadway on August 1 of this year.

The center offers a continuing rotation of classes with titles like “Transgender Identities 101”, “Dry Mouth, Wet Pussy: Cannabis and Sexuality,” and “Introducing BDSM/Kink Into Your Relationship.” Classes are offered on a sliding scale dependent on length, with a range of $30 to $50 for an hour-and-a-half class and $60 to $90 for a three-hour class. Course offerings are rated mild, spicy, or hot, with mild courses being mainly informational with no physical intimacy between participants, while hot classes could include nudity or modeling of sex acts. The center also offers queer-specific events, like the “Body Boundary Basics with Queer Cuddle Puddle” course and speed dating intended for a diverse range of sexual identities.

Although the center only offers programs for adults, the sex education that the Sexploratorium provides is part of a larger trickle-down effect — some of the classes are for parents who want to learn how to talk to their teens about sex, and others are continuing education for teachers, mental health professionals, and medical personnel. “People in these professions are often given very little training when it comes to sexuality, despite the fact that it’s a huge part of our lives,” Fawn says. “Even many doctors become uncomfortable discussing the sex lives of patients because they experience the same shame and discomfort that many people in our society grow up with. My hope is that we can combat some of the ignorance and shame that stops people from being effective in their professions.”

As Headmistress, French is one of the main teachers at the Sexploratorium. The first class she taught was “the kissing class,” where she reviewed the cultural, chemical, and more academic aspects of kissing — and then pulled out a game of spin the bottle. “A guy came in that night, and you can tell when people have shame, right, in their bodies, and he seemed really awkward. His body was all tight and closed in,” French says, explaining how the physical components of her class impacted the students. “And by the end of the class, his body language was open. He was hugging people goodbye. He kissed a couple of dudes on the cheek … So watching that arc of the alleviation of shame is a lot of what we’re trying to do here.”

French and Fawn teach most of the classes at the Sexploratorium, but some (like the transformative tantric yoga class French raves about) are taught by guest teachers. In fact, the center welcomes applications from qualified individuals who have a class they have been dying to lead.

As multi-faceted as French herself, the Sexploratorium has an artistic side that can’t be overlooked. Queer art and renderings of vulvas and naked bodies line the walls, and French makes it clear that she wants the center to be Denver’s go-to place for unique, high-quality erotic art. It even has a rotating gallery space where artists Michaela Macasinag and Steffie Notion will be displaying their art through October.

“We take subjects that have previously been banned from academia and help people explore them without shame or embarrassment,” Fawn adds. “I hope that the Sexploratorium becomes a place where parents, partners, professionals, and people in general can come to get their questions answered and explore their own sensuality without judgment.”

Head to the Sexploratorium, 1800 South Broadway, for the space’s art opening at 5:00 pm on September 17. Tickets are free and available here. The chocolates in the featured image (by Sugar High Baked Goods) can also be purchased at the Sexploratorium.