Eight years ago, I was nine months pregnant with a 10-and-a-half pound breech baby who wouldn’t turn. I tried everything from having a doctor try to manually turn the baby, to prenatal yoga, to chiropractic. When the chiropractor tried to sell me an expensive foam wedge, my partner turned to me and said, “I’m pretty sure we can get one of these at a sex toy shop for much less.” Later that day, I waddled into Sassy Sensations and found exactly what I was looking for. Not for sex — but to invert my big belly in hopes of warding off a C-section.
The circumstances that led owner Vanessa Fuchs to open Sassy Sensations — a boutique that sells lingerie, sex toys, and lubrication — are almost as odd as the ones that led me to walk into her store. “When you go through a divorce, you go through goofy times,” she tells me from across a small table in the back of her Robinson location (she also has one in Castle Shannon and one in Ohio).
Indeed, in 1997, Fuchs was newly divorced and trying to figure out how to make ends meet as a scrap trader in the steel industry when her friend invited her to a home-based sex toy party. Though she resisted being there at first, by the fourth strawberry margarita, she started to think that she could also sell toys.
After a short stint with in-home parties, Fuchs realized the potential in creating a brick-and-mortar space that, in addition to products, could offer an inclusive, supportive environment for people navigating their sexual wellness.
Her journey hasn’t been without its challenges. Her battle to open the Robinson location included an eight-month court case against local authorities who had her business shut down eight days after it opened. It also included a confrontation with her father, who told her to just walk away from the case. “I said to him, ‘I love you, but if you don’t understand why I’m doing this, then you and I can’t talk about this again,’” she relays. “I didn’t care if it cost me my last penny, I was going to fight them, because I didn’t do anything wrong.” Her efforts were rewarded when she won her case and was able to reopen the store — the same one that gained recognition here in Pittsburgh City Paper’s Best Of PGH.
Over the years, Sassy Sensations has seen significant shifts in the sexual wellness industry including an evolution in product marketing and design, with a noticeable shift towards inclusivity. This change reflects a broader trend in the culture, where manufacturers increasingly recognize their customers’ diverse needs, including those of different body sizes and gender identities.
Sassy sensations has adapted to these changes by offering a wide range of products that cater to all customers, from those seeking pain management solutions post gender-affirming surgery, to those coming to terms with their own desires through exploration, and even to the occasional pregnant woman experimenting with off-label uses of their inventory.
