Meet the Ladies of Quim Rock, Cannabis-infused Self Care Line
Meet Cyo and Rachel, the leading labium behind Quim Rock, a San Francisco based, Cannabis-infused intimate self-care line.
In 2017 we saw a rise in the Republican Party’s attacks against us- to defund Planned Parenthood and to take away our reproductive and legal rights. “Feminism” seemed to have acquired a negative connotation with an utterance that could shut down just about any dialogue. All the while, our hearts were still recovering from the recent election. Yet, this became the year that we fought back. Women all over the world became emboldened, fearless. We marched for equal rights across borders and state lines. We started the #metoo movement to expose and eradicate sexual violence. We rose to political power where we gained a platform and a voice, and people started to listen. Women everywhere began to take matters in to their own hands, and in this instance, their vaginas!
Quim is a 17th century archaic, derogatory British word for vulva, or cunt.
When asked why they chose to bring this term back into use in the 21st Century, Quim responded, “We feel that there is power in reclaiming words that had historically been used to put people down. We love the sound of the word- it’s really beautiful. We definitely wanted something “yonic” for the company name. People don’t really know what it means which is cool because it leads to more questions. Of course our first week of launching the product we got an email from a woman in her 50s demanding that we must change the name of the company because it was so offensive and vulgar. But that’s the thing, if you’re not pissing someone off you’re not pushing the envelope far enough.”
The ladies of Quim Rock specialize in producing a THC lubricant. You heard it right girls, weed lube! It gets your pussy high while simultaneously increasing libido. Double the pleasure, double the fun! When creating their intimate oils, Rachel and Cyo choose a Sativa dominant Cannabis strain that propels the vagina into a sparkly awakened state leading to enhanced sensation and intensified climax. The lubricant is also comprised of a liquid coconut oil base and contains a low dose of tea tree- “mother natures’ antifungal and antiseptic. This in turn not only heightens orgasm and arousal by giving a cooling and warming effect, but it also balances our ever so sensitive PH levels making it a go-to for combatting yeast infections and UTI’s.
“I’ve always had chronic yonic issues,” Cyo tells us. “The first time I had sex I ended up with a horribly long cycle of UTIs and yeast infections. Sex was painful. I spent the last year of college going to every health food store searching for products for vaginal health. I would end up going to the store and thinking to myself, “WTF is going on here?! There are four aisles on male balding yet there are only two brands of organic tampons and one tea tree suppository that has so many yin yangs and faeries all over it that I can’t even take it seriously.” So I thought, enough is enough, I’m going to have to make my own.”
As a little girl, Cyo grew up concocting and making “potions.” She would grind up plants and spices, turning them into facemasks and poultices to test out on her sister.
“I had heard about Cannabis-infused lubrication…I love smoking weed and love my vagina and want it to be happier so I went out and bought this teeny tiny bottle of THC lube. The first time I tried it it didn’t work. Maybe it was because I was hesitant to use very much since the bottle was so small and expensive. I decided to give it another shot. This time I used more and the results were mind-blowing! Within 15-20 minutes it had totally increased my natural lubricant and arousal. But because of the price-to-size ratio of the bottle it just wasn’t sustainable. I thought, could I make this myself?
After that I started experimenting with products of my own. I went on a trip to Georgia and ended up accidentally leaving a sample jar at a friend’s place. She later called me and told me that she had used it and that I was never getting it back. Her partner then jumped on the phone and told me how incredible he thought it was. They both agreed that I needed to start making more to sell. Six months later, we launched our first line of intimate lube.”
Rachel and Cyo were not always involved in the Cannabis scene. Rachel was one of the founding members of an interior design firm and had managed a number of consumer facing companies. Cyo had a career entirely in tech sales, first breaking ground in the Cannabis industry after getting a job at Meadow, an on- demand directory connecting Cannabis patients with dispensaries.
Growing up, the two lived within five blocks of each other in San Francisco, and played soccer as young girls. Yet, college took them their separate ways and they didn’t reconnect until after both had graduated and moved back to the Bay Area.
“I had low-key been looking for a partner to start this Cannabis company for the past four years. Then there was this moment at a friend’s party where Rachel was talking about what she wanted in the next phase of her life and career and I had this light bulb moment where I said “OMG! You’re perfect for this; to make this side project into a company.”
The two joined forces and launched Quim Rock in April of 2017.
“Rachel is the yin to my yang,” Cyo says about their working relationship. “We have such different energies that it makes for a good team. Rachel is a marathon. She is very detail-oriented and has an incredible work ethic. When she starts something she sits down and bangs it out. She’s always reminding me about things like bulk pricing. I am more of a sprint of energy. I’m out there fundraising and pitching ideas.”
Since their launch, Quim Rock has been well received in both the Cannabis and erotic communities. The company was recently featured in Viceland’s series, Slutever, hosted by Vogue columnist, Karley Sciortino in an episode titled, Stoned Sex. This gained the women huge exposure, and with the recent legalization of recreational marijuana in California, the ladies have seen a five-fold increase in volume and order rates since starting the company.
Since 2017 Quim Rock has launched two new products; a latex-safe lubricant and a CBD-heavy THC-free everyday oil that you can get across state lines.
“Fundamentally we want to create products that work. There is so much opportunity right now in history. Women’s health is really under fire, so it is extremely necessary that we have access to products out there that work for us instead of causing us more harm. We look at ingredients in tampons and they read, “Bleached cotton.” Monistat is supposed to help with a yeast infection but causes serious dryness. These products are reactive, not proactive. We’re all so into drinking cold-pressed juices and wearing sunscreen, so why are we not being proactive with this deeply important part of our bodies?”
By fostering sustainable self-care practices and creating a product that enables women to have happy, healthy vaginas and multiple orgasms, the ladies of Quim Rock have opened the door for conversation between women, and have become advocates for women’s sexual health in the Cannabis community and beyond.
“We’re all so into drinking cold-pressed juices and wearing sunscreen, so why are we not being proactive with this deeply important part of our bodies?”
While gaining inspiration from such female powerhouses as Oprah and her mother; Cyo shares with us who she really finds the most motivating.
“People who inspire me the most are not famous. They are the people who advocated for Cannabis to become more than a movement but an industry—those out there trying to redesign the speculum. People who didn’t get to go to the women’s march because they were busy taking care of their families or working. People who have been dealt really shitty hands and are still pushing through and show up in their lives everyday. “
And when asked if Quim Rock has any advice for women Rachel and Cyo unequivocally answered, “Stop apologizing and start masturbating!”
Yes please!