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Qortezan: Live Royally

Qortezan is a dream come true for its creator, Edie Orenstein.

For years, Edie has envisioned a place where people could come to have a richly-layered experience of beauty and pleasure. Where people are free to explore the joy of sensuality without shame or judgment. A place that is beautiful, generous, and comfortable for everyone. This place is Qortezan.

Qortezan is inspired by the charm, intelligence and sexual wisdom of the great courtesans of history - women whose wit and sensuality earned them freedoms exceeding the norms of their social milieux. The source of the courtesan's mystery and allure lies in her confidence. Her awareness of her own sexuality and power allows her to infuse the whole of life with sensuality.

Qortezan is informed by the creative power of self expression and the philosophy that sex is not a separate part of life, it is the creative force of life itself. Qortezan is dedicated to accessing that force and empowering men and women to enjoy it in their own lives.

Everything you will discover at Qortezan has been selected to create an experiential tapestry that encompasses all aspects of life. From elegant clothing, beautiful lingerie and massage lotions, to the most exquisitely intimate toys and accessories, Qortezan's online shop offers an exclusive, special selection of sexy items from our Vancouver shop.

The notorious Qortezan

Naked Eye Magazine - Royal Treatement

...Qortezan, a new store opening in Vancouver's trendy Yaletown district, fits neither of these categories. Fonder Edie Orenstein was dissatisfied with the atmosphere of the conventional sex shop, which, according to her, "can be so intimidating. There's nothing to look at but rows of sex toys under merciless fluorescent light. That's too overt for me." In response, her high-end shop for erotic products fosters an atmosphere of warmth and sophistication in which customers can feel comfortable. Read more...




Keira-anne.com - From Europe To Yaletown

In European Renaissance, those of royalty or upper-class society often married simply for the preservation of bloodlines and social status. More often than not, these men and women sought entertainment and companionship on the side from particular people who were educated, independent, trained in the arts and added a sense of sensuous luxury to life.

These particular people were known as courtesans.

Less than two months ago, fifteen years of planning finally came to fruition in the form of Yaletown’s newest boutique, Qortezan. The shop reflects owner Edie Orenstein’s personal sense of empowerment, manifested in retail form: “I wanted to create a sensual environment of pleasure that includes all the senses.” Edie believes there’s a difference between sensuality and sexuality, and Qortezan has been designed to highlight taste, touch, smell, sound and sight through textures, layers and an expansion of these elements. Read more...


String Magazine - Qortezan: Pleasure Principles.
A cacophonous symphony of traffic and the clickety-clack of construction throb through the muggy afternoon air as I approach the doorway of a new boutique in Yaletown. As I step inside, the wind captures one last whip of my skirt and the sounds of the power drills and hammers down the street suddenly fade. I find myself amidst rich curtains and a piano waiting for a musician’s touch, as the slow strumming of a Spanish guitar stirs me from the eardrums down. Read More...


Sweetspot.ca - Van: Court Room
For the most part, we consider ourselves good girls, but sometimes, just sometimes, we want to be really, really naughty.

Qortezan, the 15-year-long dream of Edie Orenstein of Granville Island institution Edie Hats, is a temple of risqué, unabashed items for the sensual life.

The mature, re-invented and more confident Yaletown incarnation of the now-closed, West End-located Tart, this new boutique looks like a lavish stage, lit by chandeliers and decorated with birdcage...  Read more