The shop that knows the erotic desires of Manacor turns 15.

ManacorGimena Araujo (Buenos Aires, 45 years old) was still a teenager when she arrived in Mallorca from Argentina. Her parents anticipated the economic crisis of 2016 by a few years and settled on the island. "I've spent more than half my life here. I had my children here," she explains naturally and prudently. So much so, that she declines the suggestion of having her photographed for the article. "I want it to be just another business in Manacor, but I try to maintain the anonymity of both my clients and myself. My family isn't as shy as I am."

At first glance, she doesn't resemble the imagined stereotype, but that is, after all, the secret to the longevity of Provócame, the erotic shop that for 15 years has been understanding and advising the erotic desires of the people of Manacor. "In 2010, when I opened, there was nothing with erotic products in Manacor," she says, recalling a small sex shop Located next to the coast near the Torre de ses Puntes, "which closed around 2008, two years before the shop opened." However, shortly after, it had to compete with La Maleta Roja, a franchise it opened on Ciutat Street, specializing in parties and legendary events. Tuppersex For a while.

But the competition couldn't hold out, and Provócame maintained its unique monopoly in the city. Araujo continues explaining: "We started more as a costume shop for birthday parties and bachelorette parties, with a shelf of erotic products… which ended up being much more successful than the first ones. Now we also have sensual lingerie and cosmetics, and we're doing really well."

She insists, however, that "not everything is sexual," but that many of the items she sells "are also therapeutic and recommended by physiotherapists, to improve the pelvic floor, for example." Natural products, stimulation products, and over-the-counter medications coexist with dildos of all sizes, dilators, edible underwear, and aphrodisiacs.

The stigma and taboo surrounding these types of shops still cause many people to see and understand them in a way that is no longer accurate. In fact, I plan to soon change the main sign at the entrance to a friendlier one that includes the word love shop,"To change things up a bit," adds Gimena, who has accumulated many anecdotes during her 15 years in the middle of Carrer Major in Manacor, next to Plaça de Sa Bassa. "Sometimes we get bachelorette parties or even demons come in to dance for Sant Antoni."

"We've made sure the window display is visible but not offensive, with lingerie and a few products that won't cause any problems." The entrance door is opaque and doesn't allow a glimpse inside. "We try to advise and reassure anyone who arrives feeling a bit nervous and wants to ask questions. We have extensive knowledge of the products we sell. Obviously, I haven't tried them all, but I know how they work. The important thing is to be respectful and approach it naturally."

It was when COVID ended that sales rose spectacularly, especially on their website, "although we usually do more in-store than online. What customers do is look at what's available online and then come here to examine it more closely and ask what material it's made of." Regarding the customers who come to the erotic shop, Gimena is clear that "Germans are the least embarrassed to ask; although that taboo of the past and the evolution of sex education have meant that since I opened, buying erotic items has become more normalized." "Even so, there are still people who don't know exactly where the clitoris or the male G-spot is."

Less shame

However, interestingly, "the older the people who come in, the less embarrassed they are to ask for things." Women going through menopause or men who need stimulants for libido and erection problems no longer feel so inhibited when it comes to finding solutions and tools that suit their circumstances; "they feel that, when the time comes, they no longer have to give so many explanations."

There is indeed a reason why Gimena chose to open an erotic shop 15 years ago in Manacor: her aunt had already run one in the Santa Catalina neighborhood of Palma for 10 years. During that time, she has seen how sexual tastes, although similar at their core, have changed and become more sophisticated: "Vibrators, Ben Wa balls, and whips still sell a lot. But not costumes, which are declining in popularity and which we don't wear as much anymore. Now, for example, we can also sell cigarettes here."

When asked if clitoral suction devices are still being bought after all these years, Gimena Araujo has no doubt: "Of course they are! They were also a huge hit after COVID, when everyone wanted one. The product's popularity is still growing. There are men's versions too, by the way." "They helped us a lot in all the stores. Since then, they've been a great way to get people to sell and buy other things. Now there are generic brands, shaped like various animals..."

"Enhancers, delay sprays, vibrating balls for the external area, vibrators that can be operated remotely." What Gimena appreciates most "is that there is now complete confidence in the materials and the safety of the products we carry. Perhaps they are a bit more expensive than the prices on certain websites, but the quality is incomparable. With edible underwear, for example, I wouldn't risk it..."

She won't be working until she retires, but rather, "sooner or later I want to open a pizzeria, it's my dream." For the time being, Provócame will continue to be open Monday to Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.