The quiet city named the BDSM capital of the UK

Metro

13-06-2025

Just past the idyllic Cotswolds, you'll find the cathedral city of Gloucester, known for its towering spires, Roman history, and proximity to the Forest of Dean.
But dig a little deeper and there's a rather saucy story to be told, as new research shows that this seemingly quiet city is actually the BDSM capital of the UK.
It might not be the most obviously kinky hotspot, but as it turns out, Gloucester locals are eager to explore behind closed doors.
Analysing over 200,000 UK-based search queries, 11% of all adult platform searches in the Southwestern city were strictly related to BDSM-adjacent terms.
Wondering where London ranks? The Big Smoke doesn't even make the top 20 list of UK cities, as Salford took home second place, Sunderland third, and Wakefield fourth.
Perhaps the most unexpected locations to make the list were Ipswich and Peterborough, which placed seventh and ninth, respectively, according to research from escort website Erobella.
While Gloucester might've claimed the trophy for cities, there were three UK locations that had an even higher search percentage of BDSM-related terms. The North East came in at 12%, and just outside Liverpool, the Merseyside town of St Helens ranked at 16%.
And if you thought West London was vanilla, think again, because 23% of all adult content searches in Hounslow were strictly related to BDSM. We didn't have that on our bingo cards.
When it comes to Lovehoney's Sex Map for 2025 though, Gloucester doesn't reign so supreme.
Locals aren't quite putting their money where their mouths are, as it ranks 631st out of 907 in terms of sex toy purchases.
They might've placed 652nd for vibrators, but they're certainly not scrimping on the length, as the average one measures 6.8 inches, with a girth of 4.4. Fair enough.
Just an hour away from Gloucester though, and the sleepy residents of Hereford are buying the biggest dildos in the country.
The average toy purchased by residents here is 7.13 inches long, which is roughly the length of a standard pencil, manual toothbrush, or mid-sized banana. Impressive, right? More Trending
Sex toys have been around longer than you'd think, too. As sexologist and expert at sextoys.co.uk, Gigi Engle, previously told Metro, they've been around pretty much 'as long as humans have existed.' The oldest sex toy in existence is 28,000 years old and was found in a cave in Germany.
'People have been using sex toys of various calibre in various ways – [made of] stone, of glass, of wood, of leather – since these materials have been invented,' Gigi explained.
Elsewhere, there's the unproven rumour (which could likely be a myth, but it's fun nonetheless) that Cleopatra used to fill a glass jar with bees for pleasure.
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Sex-enhancing aids are also referenced in the Kama Sutra; Ben Wa Balls (kegel balls) have historically been used in Japan, and there have been multiple archaeological findings that suggest the Romans were just as horny, with a 16cm phallus-shaped toy likely used for sexual pleasure uncovered at a Roman fort on Hadrian's Wall in 2023.
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