Glass Kandi: Another reason to replace the rabbit

By Sarah C. Jiménez

Glass Kandi emanates the raw, real sweetness of sex with high-end glass toys that, when used right, will last a lifetime. These days, it seems everywhere you look, happy-go-lucky, goody-two shoes sex-shops have been selling the “fun” in sex: things like cheery, animal-shaped silicone dildos and weird crap like bubblegum lube. One step into the classy boutique at Glass Kandi, however, makes the passionate nakedness of sex feel…well, sexy again.

Formerly known as Glass Dildo Me (until a neighborhood merchant complained about the name), the interior of the Tenderloin shop is a complete 180 from the gritty streets outside. Under elegant chandeliers, wondrous glass collectibles made for lovemaking adorn the shelves, literally sparkling. There are simple, elegant pieces. Light-up toys, floggers, glass plugs, double dildos, corkscrews, and kaleidoscope-like pieces. And even a line of food-related toys made to look like eggplants, bumpy cucumbers, fat jalapeños, and sausage links. Dildos come in various sizes fit for your body and in different textures; be it smooth, ribbed or bumpy. No two pieces -- being handmade and glass-blown -- are exactly the same. (Though most toys are priced between $100 and $200, with some as high as $449, some hover around the affordable $59 range.)

Owner Samantha Liu, with that comforting air of an astute old-soul, knows how to sell a fit that’s right for you—more complex than any shoe you’ll ever buy—and with that non-judging, professional vibe so prevalent in this open-minded city. “It’s all about glass art,” says Liu, as we hang out in the shop with her cute lil’ pooch, Chicken. Eying a “grapevine” that could easily be used as a table centerpiece, I ask her the question all glass dildo virgins probably do: “Why glass?”

Liu smiles. There’s sanitation -- silicone toys tend to trap behind germs and bacteria in their miniscule pores, unlike glass, which is easy to clean. And a major perk is having the option to heat or cool your piece during foreplay for new temperature sensations during sex. But today she just shrugs, beautiful and dreamy as always (pardon my chaste schoolgirl cliché-ness), and answers quite simply, that those who don’t have glass pieces are just “missing out.” Indeed.

Glass Kandi
Mon.—Fri., 4 p.m.—9 p.m.; Sat., 12 p.m.—9 p.m.
569 Geary, SF
(415) 931-2256
www.glassdildome.com