Source: BLEX / Blex App
If you’ve ever had a question about sex that you deem to be sensitive and don’t know who to turn to with it (aside from perusing forums via Google and getting tips from people who aren’t experts), there’s an app that can help.
Blex, a blend of “Black” and “sex” of course, is hoping to help the community not only strengthen their sex lives, but improve initimacy and romantic relationships. It was created by Toneisha Friday and Carl Smith, former fiancés turned business partners who saw the need for such a resource during their time together.
“Carl and I were looking for a solution like Blex but could not find it,” Friday told us via email. “I was living in Singapore and he was living in Seattle so a virtual coach was the only way we were going to tackle our intimacy issues. After doing research and hitting a dead end, we created Blex. We knew what we wanted from a coach, but conducted further benchmarking with other couples to ensure this would be a viable solution.”
The app, launched privately in 2019 and now a full mobile experience, features sex and relationship experts and coaches to help users speak confidently and anonymously about whatever issues they may be having and to answer whatever questions they may have.
“Our coaches range from holistic healers to relationship and intimacy specialists to certified sex therapists, all with a combined experience of more than 50 years,” she said. “Our coaches help strengthen lost intimacy, address sexual health issues like STIs, and offer support in communication amongst partners.”
There is also an educational blog with a whole host of resources and articles, and a message board filled with other Black women and men (the “blexCommunity”) whom users can ask questions to while remaining unknown. In addition to that, there is a quarterly sexual kit available to those with the app, filled with “melanin-mindful products” to help aid in healthy sexual experiences. The app is free to use, however the coaching sessions are available in different packages to fit your budget, starting at $50 for two sessions.
Through a variety of means, the Blex app is, overall, helping to strengthen relationships and celebrate Black love. Its growing community is a testament to its success in doing just that.
“Our mission is to create products and solutions that empower our people to feel invigorated about discussing their sexual health, to confidently lead a healthy sex life, and openly flex their sexual curiosity,” Friday stated. “We believe that you can’t have healthy sex unless you have healthy relationships. This even applies to the relationship you have with yourself.”
“At Blex Technologies, we focus on a holistic, intersectionality approach that is centered around the connection points of one’s sexual experiences, and this includes the way individuals regard and behave toward one another,” she added. “Blex is a resource that touches upon many of those connection points and critical conversations often deemed taboo so that the Black community can live their sex lives to the fullest.”
Blex is available through the Apple Store app.
