When I first entered The Siri House after having a hard time walking around Dempsey Hill to find this well-hidden spot, I was first greeted by a modern eclectic interior filled with plush bohemian furniture. Despite hosting an intimate—and often taboo—female sexual wellness workshop, the atmosphere was incredibly swanky and glamorous.
I recognised the owner of Genvie (previously known as Good Vibes), Meryl, as she ushered another lady and I into the venue. Meryl was someone in her twenties who earned a five figure salary at Kraft Heinz, but gave it up to start something with deeper meaning: her own sexual wellness company. You can read more about her story here.
The host of the pleasure workshop was none other than the founder of sister brand, Hedonist Tribe, Jacqueline Kee, dressed in an elegant yet flirtatious dusty rose bodycon cocktail dress. One look at her you never would have guessed that she sells sex toys for a living.
Jacqueline began by setting the tone, asserting that she wanted the workshop to be a safe space where everyone feels comfortable talking about sexuality and how it should be a judgement-free zone. Each participant’s table were littered with sex toys from her shop Hedonist Tribe, for us to touch and play with.
She began the workshop with a slideshow presentation that introduced the different parts of our sexual anatomy. Then, it was followed by some facts on sex, such as how 80% of women don’t reach climax through penetrative sex.
There were also important and helpful learning points about how it is just not sufficient to merely stimulate the body — the mind should not be neglected as well. I also learnt how there were different types of orgasms such as the oceanic, where you experience multiple orgasms over a period of time.
Sex toys are also a great complement to your sexual journey, because of how helpful they can be for ladies who find it hard to get in the mood with their partner, by using them before you jump into it.
I also learnt how beneficial it was for women to partake in kegel exercises, as it would help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, which support other organs such as the uterus, bladder, small intestine and rectum. It should be practised and worked on before and after pregnancy as it might degenerate over time. What could happen if your pelvic floor weakens is that you might not be able to control your bladder when you are older. There are kegel balls in the market to help with strengthening your pelvic muscles. Body weight exercises are usually paired with kegel balls and doing variations such as the blueberry technique, where you try to pick up a blueberry off the floor and put it back down using your vagina muscles. These can really help! Here is a guide to performing kegel exercises on your own.
Overall, Jacquelin has mentioned how Asia is ready for such openness with regard to sexual wellness and that it is up to us to pass it on. If you are interested you can also lookout for more of these workshops here!