Visit the World's 12 Sexiest Museums

ABC News investigates the world's kinkiest museums.

ByABC News
March 12, 2010, 4:28 AM

LONDON, March 15, 2010 -- "Let's talk about sex baby, let's talk about you and me..." So went the hip-hop trio Salt-n-Pepa's famous words from their hit "Let's Talk About Sex."

Sex. It's a topic that's often touched upon, joked about and skirted around. Increasingly, however, it is on display. From age-old, electric anti-masturbation machines to modern-day S&M portraits, erotic exhibits have taken center stage in the museum world. ABC News has compiled a list of 12 of the world's kinkiest museums that are worth the tease.

1. Venustempel Sexmuseum Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Amsterdam's Venustempel, or Temple of Venus, is the world's first and oldest sex museum. The house of eroticism first opened its doors in 1985 and now hosts about 500,000 visitors each year. With three floors of erotic portraits, photographs, paintings and recordings, the Venustempel embodies the highly sexualized nature of this European city. The museum's 4,000-year-old artifacts showcased in its "Sex Through the Ages" exhibit tests modern-day critics' accusation that today's society is too loose.

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2. Museum of Sex

New York City

Saks isn't the only attraction on 5th Avenue. Sex is a highlight as well. After its ribbon-cutting in 2002, the Museum of Sex has grown in size, hosting 15 exhibits, five virtual installations and more than 15,000 erotic artifacts. Unlike the more touristy, specialty-sex museums, this NYC hotspot is run by a board of advisers whose mission is sex education. In addition to its erotic art, costumes and technology, the Museum of Sex offers temporary exhibitions such as Michael Sullivan's "Sex Lives of Robots," "Rubbers: The Life, History and Struggle of the Condom" and "Action: Sex and the Moving Image."

3. World Erotic Art Museum

Miami Beach

If you're looking for a relaxing place to cool down in sunny South Beach, the World Erotic Art Museum is not the place to go. This world-renowned erotic hot spot showcases 20 galleries of sex throughout the ages. "It's art, not porn." That's the motto of this educational sex stop. Curator Naomi Wilzig, also curator of the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., has designed the museum in such a way as to educate visitors about the many ways to express your internal sexual being.

From the traditional cultural galleries, to the topical galleries of gay and lesbian sex, masturbation and fetishes, the World Erotic Art Museum covers it all. And, on a final note, for all of you Hollywood junkies, this museum has a number of erotic Hollywood memorabila, including the murder weapon used in "A Clockwork Orange."