period sex

We Had Sex on Thinx’s $369 Period Blanket So You Don’t Have To

Thinx period blanket.

Good news for people who love period sex: Thinx, purveyor of a seemingly miraculous line of period-absorbing underwear, has officially branched out into bedding with the arrival of its new $369 “sex blanket.” Featuring Thinx’s signature four-layered technology designed to absorb fluids on one side, and plush melodramatic purple satin on the other, the blanket is meant to encourage period sex without the annoyance of staining your sheets. I asked my friend, who asked to remain anonymous, to road-test the blanket and give me her unvarnished opinion.

How do you feel about period sex in general?
I am very pro-period sex. If a guy (or girl, no double standards here) tries to make me feel gross about wanting to have sex on my period, it’s a huge turn-off.

What was your first impression of the blanket?
I was horrified when I saw the size of it because I was like, this is such a production, I don’t want to carry this giant quilt to my boyfriend’s house in a tote bag! But you asked me to, so I did, and he was like, “Why do you have so much shit?” and I was like, “Oh, it’s just a tote bag full of a blanket that absorbs my blood.” It was a bit clunky, and I felt weird bringing it over to his house. Normally when I have sex on my period I’m kind of down and dirty. I thought it was going to be like a hand towel I could just wipe myself off with after. Because while you’re having sex isn’t the problem — it’s right afterward.

Was it easy to use?
If I hadn’t read the instructions I fully would have used the wrong side. There’s a silky purple side that’s quilted and there’s a black side, and I was reading the instructions, which I guarantee is something 50 percent of people won’t do, and in them it said you’re supposed to have sex on the black side and then flip it over to cuddle. And it’s like, well obviously I’m not gonna take the side I just got all messy and flip it over onto my sheets and cuddle. Plus I have to put another tampon in or I’ll bleed everywhere again.

What was the experience like to use it?
It was weirdly Handmaid’s Tale–esque to, like, lay out this ceremonial blanket. Normally you just throw a towel down or worry about it afterward. I was actually embarrassed to use it, because I’m not a girl who owns anything purple and silky, so it felt like a bigger deal than if I had just bled everywhere.

What did your boyfriend think?
I really don’t think it affected him one way or the other. It’s pretty standard procedure for them regardless of what’s happening.

How was it to use from a functional standpoint?
I really don’t get that messy during the process. The blood kinds of stops while you’re having sex, at least in my experience. But it was fully absorbent. It was nice afterward, because normally I have to immediately go to the bathroom whereas with this it was like okay I guess I can lie down and catch my breath for a second. You’re not paranoid about the fact that you’re just leeching onto the sheets. There was some blood afterward and it just sucked it right up. It actually looked dry, and when you would touch it there wasn’t even anything on your finger. It was like a sponge.

Were you impressed with the technology?
I am endlessly impressed and a little disturbed by the Thinx technology. I did it on the heaviest flow day of my period to ensure that I was testing the Thinx technology to its full extent, for journalism. Sometimes there’s clots, and I assumed that those would be residual but everything was absorbed. I’ve used their underwear before, and that’s a bit different; it’s very low-key black booty shorts so you wouldn’t expect anything out of the ordinary if you were a guy, whereas with the blanket it’s like … what the fuck is this?

What do you think of the brand as a whole?
They have a whole marketing thing which is sex-positive, period-positive, female health-positive rhetoric. I read the pamphlet just to see what they were saying, and some of it was useful information. Like, they told you how to approach the sex on your period conversation, because it is kind of awkward if you’re having sex with someone for the first time. So that was nice.

What about aftercare?
It said you have to rinse it with cold water right after you use it, which is a hassle. It’s like this giant blanket in my boyfriend’s bathroom sink. There’s no hot way to do that. I rinsed it out and you can reuse it for three days if you rinse it whenever you use it, and then you’re supposed to wash it. I haven’t washed it yet so I’m probably not going to use it again.

Would you use it again?
I don’t think it’s necessary because there’s really that much blood during sex, except right at the end. I kind of want to rip off the black part and use it as a towel and not be affiliated with the quilted purple silk in any way. I don’t feel it reflected myself; it’s not my brand. They should have other kinds, like blankets for girls that aren’t pretty princesses.

We Had Sex on Thinx’s $369 Period Blanket