Review
Neither an old-school sex shop nor a plain online store: Passage du Desir has established itself since 2006 as a reference for intimate wellbeing in France, spanning design-led physical stores and a well-stocked online shop. History, catalogue, delivery and reputation: our full review of the retailer.
Published November 10, 2026 · 8 min read · By the editorial team
Curious to discover Passage du Desir?
Passage du Desir was born in Paris in 2006 with a clear ambition: to move the sex shop away from its dated, slightly seedy image, replacing it with a bright, welcoming concept store open to everyone, no judgement. The brand describes its mission as the ‘sustainable development of couples’: fighting routine and reigniting relationships, rather than sticking to purely sexual offerings.
Since opening, the retailer has expanded across France: around twenty physical stores, in Paris (several addresses including the Marais), Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, Dijon, as well as spaces set up directly inside shopping centres like Westfield La Part-Dieu or Les 4 Temps, alongside brands like the Apple Store. A deliberate location strategy that reflects the brand’s wish to normalise this kind of purchase.
Product-wise, Passage du Desir covers a wide spectrum: sex toys for her, for him and for couples, naughty board games, lingerie, intimate cosmetics, massage products, gift boxes and romantic gadgets. Both storefronts and product pages deliberately avoid overly explicit visuals, a choice regularly noted in press coverage and city guides devoted to the brand.
On most product pages, Passage du Desir advertises delivery within 48 hours, often free, with a France-based after-sales service. Like almost every retailer in this sector, shipping is done in neutral packaging with no mention of the contents on the outside of the parcel, a logical point of care given the nature of the products sold.
The online store carries the full catalogue available in stores, with filtering by category, brand or use. Product pages are generally detailed, with technical specs, materials and, for a large share of items, customer reviews displayed directly on the page.
Press coverage and city guides that cover the retailer almost always highlight the same point: a sober, cosy atmosphere, far removed from the codes of a traditional sex shop, which puts both curious first-timers and regulars at ease. Several articles report customers pleasantly surprised by the welcome and in-store advice, especially around new store openings.
On the product side, the retailer favours a tighter selection over an endless catalogue, with a quality standard it applies across the board. This shows up in the site’s product pages, generally thorough and educational, with customer reviews viewable directly for most items. We didn’t find an independent, reliable overall rating covering the whole retailer: our review is therefore based on the brand’s positioning, its catalogue and the feedback available product by product, which we detail in our own individual reviews.
The main appeal of the retailer is offering, in one place, a wide catalogue and a reassuring shopping experience: detailed product pages, viewable customer reviews, fast, discreet delivery and the option to collect or exchange in a physical store for those who prefer in-person contact. That’s a real edge over online-only shops, or older physical sex shops that are sometimes less transparent about product composition or origin.
Prices stay in line with the premium sex toy market (Lovense, We-Vibe, Fleshlight…), without consistently being the cheapest on the market: the positioning is clearly about trust and shopping comfort rather than discounting.
Yes, like almost every retailer in this sector, parcels are shipped in neutral packaging with no mention of the contents on the outside.
It depends on the store: the network has around twenty locations across France, so it’s best to check the return policy at the time of ordering.
The site carries essentially the full catalogue available in store, generally with a wider selection online due to shelf space constraints in each store.
Passage du Desir has succeeded in making the purchase of sex toys and naughty items more accessible and less intimidating, both in store and online. The catalogue is broad and well documented, delivery fast and discreet and the network of physical stores is a real plus for anyone who’d rather see and touch before buying. It’s a safe bet for discovering reference brands like Lovense, We-Vibe or Fleshlight with no bad surprises.
