From 3-minute red light therapy masks for your vagina to ungodly amounts of food delivery, it feels like we’re outsourcing everything nowadays. What’s next? Outsourcing our orgasms? So when I read the words “intimacy concierge,” I had to fight the urge to roll my eyes. Meet Arya, the intimacy concierge service that gives you access to everything your relationship needs to elevate (according to science, of course). It allegedly gives you everything at your fingertips, from monthly curated boxes with luxury sex toys to guided experiences with kink, relationship expert-backed advice, and most importantly, an AI chatbot that provides relationship and intimacy coaching. Basically, it’s supposed to be all-inclusive couples therapy—without the awkwardness.What Is Arya EXactly?Arya itself says it’s “a membership for couples,” all couples, straight or queer, who want their intimacy to be part of their lifestyle. Our mission is to make it easier to communicate, explore, and reconnect, both in and out of the bedroom.”As someone who’s always down to try something twice, I was very skeptical of this. But by the first “Scene” (more on that later), I immediately wished I could send it to all of my kink-curious friends. (Spoiler: because it’s couples-based, you can’t bring your girls in, but we did have a time recapping over brunch).So, is this worth it? Or just another gimmick? Well, after consulting with my concierge, I’d like to say that if you’re a couple that’s already busy between business, kids, and everything else life demands, you’ll likely find Arya helpful. Here’s why. Want to try role play or something new? This will help you connect the dots without feeling burned out about another responsibility. Everything is curated based on your communicated needs, so the guesswork is done. Hate AI? Skip this. (opens in a new window)Arya Couples Concierge(opens in a new window)Available at Buy Now(opens in a new window)How I Tested AryaI tested this with my lover on a Friday in the spirit of date night. We tested everything from “scenes,” which are curated sensual experiences you can share or do separately, to the actual concierge who dropped tips and added in an extra bit of communication that, spoiler, I personally enjoyed. I personally wanted to make sure that this didn’t just drop us off at a random kinky destination. But more so, he walked us through options for elevating our partnership and making sure we never get bored in the bedroom. I know, huge goal, but as someone who loves sex, we have a lot of it, so I wanted to get ahead of the “lull” long-term couples hit. The only element we didn’t test was the boxes, as ours haven’t been shipped yet. We can definitely do a follow up review on the box quality if that’s of interest. And most importantly, I wanted to ensure the education aspect was truly helpful and not awkward to dive into. Here’s what I found..Permission to break the rules?Why, yes! The best advice my therapist has ever given me was to “give myself permission to have fun.” I’ve carried this advice with me since—especially in the bedroom. This has led me to the craziest sex stories and experiences. This experience has shown me that I should bring that same energy into my romantic relationship as a prompt for fun. We started off cuddling at home for some skin-to-skin, aka physical touch, which is both of our love languages. The usual pillow talking, with bits of our upcoming experiment and some jazz sprinkled throughout. I’ve tried wellness apps for my personal sex life, like Rosy and Feeld‘s special in-app perks, which genuinely helped me feel more comfortable with spicy topics, but Arya was the first experience I’ve tried that was built for two. So while I was excited to test, I realized I was also a bit nervous about allowing myself to have fun. 10 points for triggering self-reflection, which some lovers struggle with. Then, we began setting up the app for our partnership. This is where the app asks you about your intentions. Full disclosure: We set our intention as “To break the routine and be more playful.” Other intentions you can select are:”We care about each other but feel like roommates, not lovers.”“We (or just me) want to go even bolder.”“We’re struggling.”As we were answering questions, it told us that we were both answering the same questions, which made us lock the fuck in. It was like a fun game of how well you know each other. Later on, it’ll dive deeper into your “why.” (spoiler: if you want to bring toys into the bedroom or try roleplay, there’s something for you too!)Important note! This is absolutely queer-inclusive. In the early registration stages, it’ll ask you how you define your relationship to best serve your needs, queer or straight. When we finally made it past the registry, we started our review experience by watching a kink sex ed video on bondage. Mind you, this “scene” or curated experience wasn’t even available at first, which built some anticipation. We had to request to use it earlier than its “unlock” date, and the giggle we let out was hilarious. It was like we’d snuck into a Rated R movie, but we weren’t 17-years-old yet—IYKYK.The bondage video was informative, and according to my lover, it’s something he’ll be rewatching for our next sesh. I’m already well-versed in bondage as a former sex worker, but I often struggle with feeling like I know “too much” and may make my partner feel like a newbie, so it was nice to see him develop his own hyperfixation on bondage. I’m curious to see how it’ll alter the vibes at the next BDSM play sesh since he seems so confident in his exploration right now. Then, there’s audio porn from both perspectives of a couple, so that had me seated. My partner didn’t care for this at all, but personally, I don’t give a fuck (is that okay to say?) because I’m an audiobook and audio porn lover, so this just cut out another subscription for me.While listening to the audio porn (from the “for her” perspective), we ended up fucking, and unfortunately, that’s where our review ended. We have weekly check-ins for the week to see how we’d need support (i.e., personal, career, romance), and the recap was so cute (insert teary eyes here).It’s always so affirming to hear how a shared experience brings you closer together. When are the experiences bad? The recap is so messy. But when you have a sweet moment with your lover, revisiting it feels like bliss… and in our case, another orgasm because the sex flashbacks were crazy.As for the concierge, I probably wouldn’t use it again. I think ocuples will find her helpful for reminders (to check in, try a new spicy audio, etc), but I didn’t find myself going out of my way to use it at all.So, does it live up to its claims? If you have relationship goals that seem daunting or too intimidating (cue kink), this is for you. The best way to try something new is to be informed, and let’s just say Arya handles that for you. If you feel like your partnership is in good standing and just want to try something new, Arya is a bomb choice.Subscribing to AryaBest for couples who want to elevate their connection via physical intimacy and emotional connection. The scenes are both informative and seductive to keep you in the mood and encourage fun. Con? Monthly membership fee. Max ROI for couples that need couples therapy, but want a cheaper tool that’s also more fun. Membership options: 1-month ($59.95), 3-month ($43.40/month), or 12-month ($29.15/month).(opens in a new window)Arya Couples Concierge(opens in a new window)Available at Buy Now(opens in a new window)Is a relationship concierge worth the investment?Want to truly roleplay? Maybe you need foreplay tips. For couples kink-curious but commitment-shy, Arya is low-stakes, so nobody has to admit they don’t know anything (which often ruins confidence). As someone who’s tried it first-hand, I definitely understand the allure of concierge, but also understand that there’s only so much one can do.Concierge services like Arya will set you up for success by giving you all of the tools you’ll need for your partnership. Whether it’s spicing up sex with BDSM or just making more time to communicate—effectively—there’s something in here for every step of the way. So, yes, you can technically hit up online forums to find out what exactly is included in the box. But will it make a difference? Probably not. That’s like having a new juicer and not knowing how to put it together. How the fuck are you going to get the most of it? For couples kink-curious but commitment-shy, I’d suggest trying Arya for one month. The sex education included is so thorough and spoken directly by sexperts. It’s not super clinical, our sexpert was literally wearing a BDSM choker while spilling tips.Bottom lineIf you have the budget and a partner who’s curious about elevating intimacy, this is for you. Diving into kink or even communicating about tricky relationship changes can take a toll on seduction. Arya is automatically associated with positivity because, well, you’re using it to grow closer to one another. Personally, I’d try Arya for a month—despite not testing the subscription box. This is a lot of “new” introduced to your relationship, so make sure you’re pacing yourselves. The return on investment isn’t measured in dollars; it’s measured in conversations you wouldn’t have had otherwise. (opens in a new window)Arya Couples Concierge(opens in a new window)Available at Buy Now(opens in a new window)The post I Was Skeptical of AI Sex Concierge Arya, So My Lover and I Tried It appeared first on VICE.