A sex doll rental service that started in Calgary is opening a second location in Langley on Friday.
Randy Wiggins, one of three partners in Natrl, said the service is quite popular in Japan and is growing in Europe.
“We rent to some men who are painfully shy. They are very introverted. It’s difficult for them to meet women,” he said.
There is no storefront for the rental service. Everything is completed online. The company organizes pick-up and delivery.
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“You can book it online, pay online,” he said. “Everything is done very discreet. There’s an actual box that you can fill out for any specific instructions you want with the delivery.”
The life-size dolls can be booked for two hours at a rate of $189, or overnight for $289.
People choose the doll they want to rent based on information on the website. The doll Minnie is described as a “petite,” 22-year-old from Vietnam, who entertains foreign tourists who visit the red-light district. Others include, Anastasia, a blonde from Russian; Lara, a retired veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan; and a fantasy doll, Bella with pointy elf-like ears. For those interested in a male doll, there’s Cameron. The company plans to add more dolls in the near future.
The dolls are made from a material called thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), according to the company’s website. The material “has many properties in common with skin.”
“Things are going well in Calgary. We launched there in November. We always had expansion plans. We were always going to grow it,” he explained.
Once a doll is returned after a booking, it is taken through a “rigorous multi-stage cleaning process, completed by trained and certified employees,” according to the company’s website.
An antibacterial soap and hydrogen peroxide are used on the interior and exterior of the doll. Afterwards the doll is examined with a black light and an ultraviolet light.
Wiggins will be running the Langley-based operation, while his son along with their other partner will continue in Calgary.
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“We’ve also rented dolls in Calgary to people who have [a disability],” he said. “We rented a doll out to a [man] who had a stroke, so he’s got some limited mobility. He found that with the doll it helps his confidence.”
It is mostly men who use the rental service, but Wiggins said there have been some women and couples as well.
The age of those who have rented from Natrl range from 21 to 70.
“The demographics have surprised me,” he said.
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