How Much Real Sex Is in ‘How to Build a Sex Room’ on Netflix?

Netflix’s new renovation show How to Build a Sex Room sure has a provocative title. Renovation shows are way, way more likely to talk about mud rooms and not sex rooms, that’s for sure. But hey — there is a hole in the home renovation genre and How to Build a Sex Room is here to fill it. Each episode of the reality show drops Melanie Rose, the self-described “Mary Poppins of sex rooms,” into the lives of people hoping to spice up their sex lives by equipping a room in their home for primo sexy times.

The title alone — How to Build a Sex Room — is enough to get the show booted from HGTV’s squeaky clean lineup. But when it comes down to showing the sex that’s intended to go on in these rooms, does How to Build a Sex Room play it basic cable safe or does it push Netflix’s already permissive censors even further?

How much real sex is in How to Build a Sex Room?

The answer: none. But that doesn’t mean that the show is just Love It or List It with some dildos and chains. While How to Build a Sex Room doesn’t go so far as to show the rooms being used, it really goes places that home renovations hows have never gone before — even further than the gay-as-hell Trixie Motel.

For example, in order for Melanie Rose to design the perfect sex room for her clients, she has to ask probing questions about their sexual proclivities. That includes pulling out all sorts of toys and gadgets, and it involves taking the clients on field trips to flogging sessions, the domains of dominatrices, and leather daddy photo shoots. So while you don’t see what happens in the room after cameras stop rolling, you do get see professionals show some otherwise vanilla couples how the deeds are done — and sometimes that involves a lot of skin showing. How are you not gonna show a lot of skin when one person’s vibe is “I like to be naked around farm equipment”?

And what the show lacks in visuals it more than makes up for in descriptions. For example, halfway through the season Rose takes on a polyamorous family as clients in an episode and every single one of them has a new kink for her to figure out how to cater to. It’s a lot to juggle, but you know Melanie’s gonna make it work. And sure enough, How to Build a Sex Room includes a reaction shot of a person being overjoyed that their new sex basement has a drain in the floor.

So yeah, How to Build a Sex Room goes pretty far, but you’re going to have to use your imagination for the most part. But I don’t know — maybe imagining sexy scenarios is your kink?