‘UndercoverWear’ is anything but shy. Using at-home sale
parties, one company helps South Valley couples keep romance alive
with lingerie, spa products and erotic toys.
At-home product parties get a bad wrap. Think about it. Tupperware containers, Party Lights candles, Stampin’ Up scrapbooking supplies: these are not things husbands usually get excited about their wives spending money on. But there’s another kind of at-home party out there – a pleasure party – where women can pick up more desirable wares like lingerie, spa products and even sex toys in their own homes.
The customers at these parties aren’t strangers – they’re ordinary moms, daughters, wives and even grandmas, according to “romance enhancer” and Morgan Hill resident Cyndi Danen, who has been bringing spice back into homes around the South Valley for the last 18 years.
At 54, Danen is an everywoman to her customers. She’s been married for 34 years and has raised two children. At a size 16, she’s not an unapproachable spokesmodel, but someone who reminds her customers of their mothers or grandmothers. At least, until she starts talking.
In a relaxed and educational format, Danen lays out her wares – everything from comfortable pajamas and sea salt bath crystals to lacy lingerie, edible body chocolate and vibrators – for women or couples 18 and over. It’s not a new idea, but it is one that’s catching on in the area with a new generation of women discovering companies like Danen’s California UndercoverWear, an independent division of Mass.-based UndercoverWear, Inc, which posted $35 million in sales last year, according to Thompson Gale Competitive Intelligence. The average pleasure party in the South Valley attracts working women in their mid-30s, and generates $700 or more in business, she said.
“It’s a very non-threatening, very informative and educational way to look at buying products,” said Danen. “I’m like your mom. I just sell a different product.”
Danen’s direct and earthy instruction has won her a cadre of devoted customers like Jennifer Jenkins, a 31-year-old Redwood City woman who has already hosed two pleasure parties since meeting Danen in 2003 and plans on hosting her third next year.
“A friend of a friend had one, and I went,” said Jenkins, who has been married for eight years and operates a roofing company with her husband. “I thought it would be an interesting idea. I was a little nervous, and at first everyone was a little embarrassed, but the second time around everyone was excited. They kept calling and asking when I would do another one.”
As hostess of the successful party, Jenkins received a treasure trove – some $400 worth – of free lingerie, spa products and massage oils.
“I had no idea that those kinds of parties existed before I went to one, but now I’ve tried just about everything,” said Jenkins. “Everything I’ve gotten is really good quality. The lingerie is beautiful, and it’s quality, and when you go to order your stuff, it’s private. She sets up in a separate room, so if you want to be discreet, it’s perfect. The youngest at my party was 21 and the oldest was 70, and even the 70-year-old ordered some things.”
That’s one of Danen’s main selling points for the line, which she joined after her then-teenage son told her about a promotional piece he’d seen for UndercoverWear on television. Originally just a side income she got into for fun, the company has now become her main job, keeping her busy four nights a week and generating $100 to $200 per night.
“I got into it for fun, but I stayed because I was having a good time and making money,” said Danen. “All of the products are edible, non-staining and aren’t tested on animals. Eighty percent are made in the U.S.A., and I like them because you can just go to bed when you’re done. They’re not sticky. You don’t have to get up and change the sheets or take a shower.”
UndercoverWear offers lingerie in sizes small to 5x with complete sets priced from $24.95 to $84.95. For more information on scheduling your own pleasure party, call Cyndi Danen at (408) 779-0259 or visit her Web site at www.CaliforniaUndercoverWear.com.
