Erika Lust, founder of Barcelona-based indie adult film company Erika Lust Films, instituted a **permanent policy** that grants each employee a **daily 30-minute break specifically for masturbation**—intended to boost wellness, creativity, and productivity in a high‑stress environment LADbible disclosed. She launched the policy during “Masturbation Month” in May 2021 and made it permanent the following year.
Lust explained that stress and burnout worsened during the pandemic—her team felt sluggish, unfocused and emotionally depleted. In response, she built a **private “masturbation station”** onsite, complete with soundproofing, comfortable seating, and a rotating supply of **sex toys**, some provided in partnership with Fun Factory as she shared previously. The initiative was meant to normalize self‑pleasure as a legitimate wellness tool.
“Masturbation breaks make us happier, more relaxed and more focused.”
She described the change as transformative: “When they feel good, we do good work,” Lust told reporters. Employee testimonials reinforce this: one team member said the designated break helped relieve tension and maintain morale during project crunch time. Another review by a staff content head suggested it boosted “creative juices” and reduced internal friction during deadlines PopCrush relayed.
While Erika’s workplace is naturally aligned with adult entertainment and sex positivity, she aims to break broader taboos around sexual wellness. “Our goal is to treat sexual health with the same respect as mental or physical health,” Lust wrote in a company blog post. She argued that shame and stigma around self‑pleasure suppress both personal well‑being and collective creativity as she elaborated.
“Picture a team of energized staff after scheduled self-care sessions…”
Sector peers have echoed her ethos. InsideHook called the policy “a groundbreaking wellness experiment,” noting that breathers like these could actually reduce aggression, improve focus, and foster teamwork—though they cautioned such perks are context‑restricted to sex-positive workplaces InsideHook explored.
Other adult-industry firms have followed suit. Cyprus-based Stripchat installed four VR-equipped pods for its 200 employees to use during paid 30-minute masturbation breaks, complete with Oculus Quest headsets, lube, and privacy features—demonstrating how such policies scale in contextually aligned environments as IFLScience reported.
Cultural critics urge caution about transplanting the model. Employment lawyers warn that implementing similar breaks in mainstream workplaces could lead to complicated legal issues related to consent, privacy, appropriateness, and potential HR liability—especially in mixed‑age or client-facing environments.
Still, Lust frames this as an act of radical self‑care and anti‑stigma activism. By integrating self‑pleasure into daily schedules, she argues, workplaces can treat sexuality as natural, beneficial, and worthy of normalization. As she noted, “Sexual well‑being is deeply intertwined with mental and physical health, and it deserves real time, attention and resources” as she wrote.
Erika Lust Films now counts around 36 employees, all invited to use the masturbation station whenever needed. While data on utilization is private, their social channels continue to celebrate the policy as a hallmark of trust culture in the adult sector.
Whether seen as a radical wellness tool or an industry-specific novelty, Lust’s masturbation break policy challenges conventions. For her, it’s about breaking down shame and building trust—and if success is measured in morale and creativity, she says the results speak for themselves.
