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In addition to dozens of massage liquids, "warming gels," and lubricants in many flavors, you'll also find vibrators. Durex, an international condom maker with a U.S. base in Atlanta, began putting the Little Gem personal massager (a.k.a. vibrator) on drugstore shelves around the country in August of last year. Demurely packaged in a lavender frosted-plastic oval container, the purpose of the Little Gem is fairly ambiguous unless you read the fine print, or just guess that it's related to sex because it's right near all the lubricants. Out of context it could be some kind of exfoliating device—or maybe a fancy skin cream.

The discreet packaging was, of course, deliberate. "Now a soccer mom in her minivan can be comfortable buying these types of products right along with her toothpaste and shampoo," says Tim Cleary, Durex's vice president of sales. He says that Durex's "Play" line of lubricants, condoms, vibrating condom rings, and massagers geared to women was introduced online in 2004 but is now in 30,000 stores nationwide—though the massagers and condom rings are not available everywhere. (Wal-Mart, for example, says it does not offer any personal massagers, though it does sell a variety of lubricants.)

Drugstores have been selling many of these products online for a decade or more. And it's a healthy market. Over-the-counter sales of lubricants (excluding Wal-Mart) hit $113 million in 2007, a 30.3 percent hike from the previous four-year period, according to Nielsen Strategic Planner. The prices per container range from $5 to $15, depending on the brand and size. And while there isn't much market data yet on mainstream retail vibrator sales, Durex says its personal massagers are doing very well at about $36 per Little Gem.

Leading chains, like CVS, say they have more than quadrupled the shelf space they devote to the category in the last five years. But despite the apparent consumer demand, retailers aren't particularly eager to discuss the personal massagers or other sexual health products they offer. A Walgreens spokeswoman reported that the company was simply adapting to "reflect trends and changing customer interest" and chose to offer more "discreet products" online.

Why are women now welcoming items that might have caused an uproar if they'd shown up on a low shelf in the neighborhood pharmacy 10 years ago? Sexual mores are changing, says sex therapist Sandra Leiblum, of Bridgewater, N.J. Thanks to HBO's "Sex and the City" and the vast research field of the Internet, vibrators have come out of the closet and right into bedside drawers.

"We're much more open now to experimenting sexually," says Leiblum. And the lubricants in particular are marketed more attractively these days. Johnson & Johnson's K-Y Brand, the industry leader, used to offer medicinal-looking jellies, but in 2005 it launched a romantically packaged line called Touch Massage, which has been a top seller in the category.