The Best Date-Night Boxes

This simple card deck is designed to foster a deeper connection and help start conversations about sexuality in more open terms. The Spicy Pack is an add-on to the OG Fluster pack ($25), which includes deep questions that aren't centered on sexuality and can be played with non-romantic partners. Questions on cards range from discussing relationship tension to past mistakes. The premise of the Spicy pack is the same, but peppers denote the card's intensity level, with questions ranging from kinks to past sexual partners.

I tested this with Benny, a man I regularly call the hottest in North America, with whom I'd been on two dates before testing. This simple card game may have been the most successful of all the date-night boxes at getting us to actually open up and become more emotionally (and physically) intimate, without any gimmicky pressure. We were able to just casually cuddle on the couch and ask each other questions back and forth, which led to even more conversations about our growing feelings toward each other and led to some truly hot sex. Fluster, I salute you.

Date: Benny, 10/10

Box: 10/10

Another offshoot from the Adventure Challenge, this book has 50 date ideas designed specifically to bring fun and connection to the bedroom, categorized by activity type in sections like food, dancing, “sexploration," and more. Each date is covered by a black box, with only icons indicating details such as duration, cost, and more required for the date. One of the biggest complaints I had with this was the quality of the scratch-off covering; many of the prompts below were unreadable because the covering took off the letters when scratched.

I tried this with Gabriel, whom I'd been dating for a few months, so it was less cringey than it could've been. He was a good sport, but most of the ideas we tested just involved slowly undressing while listening to or dancing to music (often from an Adventure Challenge-created playlist). He was just sort of like, “Why are we doing this again?” Slow dancing and slowly undressing to Sade while my cats stared at us suspiciously was maybe not the exciting Friday night in Brooklyn he signed up for. Overall, though, it provided a jumping-off point for intimacy, and I could see these being a great way to break the ice if initiating sexy time doesn't come as easily.

Date: Gabriel, 10/10

Box: 7/10

These are sort of the quick alternative to the …In Bed date night book above, with 30 spicy adventure prompts on cards that you scratch off, again, with a symbol beside each to note whether it's free and what to prepare before the date. (And the boxes themselves were smooth and easy to scratch off). These were lower-lift ideas, with a short time to complete, and requiring less (if any) planning. Plus, I found these overall to be less cringey than many others I tested from the brand.

Full disclosure: During my first date with Ryan, I went to the bar's bathroom and texted my sister, “I never want to spend time with this man unless we're naked.” Have you ever met someone so hot that it was clear that they never had to develop a personality? That was sort of the vibe. Yet, because I had a looming deadline and a roommate conveniently out of town, we headed home and began scratching off cards. The first required us to create codes for sexual acts we wanted to try, and sprinkle them throughout the night. Soon enough, he was asking me if I wanted to try a “prickly pear.” I said maybe later, but I'd be down for a "Dennis Rodman." We also scratched off a “floor is lava”-esque challenge and placed our clothes on the ground, which, given that I was only wearing a Forever 21 crop top, mom jeans, and a G-string, didn't stretch far. Thank God he hadn't skipped leg day, because he was able to scoop me up and carry me to the bedroom. A true gentleman.

Date: Ryan, 6/10

Box: 9/10

Note: My married colleague tested this date-night box on my behalf, since it features an interactive coach designed to help strengthen longer-term relationships.

This is a subscription designed for couples to experiment out of the box—literally. When you sign up, you’re put in touch with a concierge who establishes where you’re at as a duo in terms of sex life and potential fantasies. From there, you get access to videos from sex professionals about key elements that get overlooked during intimacy, or simple ways to reconnect that are intimate, but don’t require stripping down—yet. A few days into your subscription, your Arya box is coordinated around a “scene” that you select with the help of your concierge. It arrives in a pretty nondescript cardboard box containing sex toys and a card of prompts to help you reenact it yourself. It’s not meant to be an adult film project (although if that’s your jam, by all means) but more of a communication medium that blends physicality and intimacy. You can add on other toys and enhancements outside of the ones—usually two—your concierge coordinates for you.

Some of the prompts in the deck were stark conversation starters, others a bit cringe, and some were a spicy-literature-lover’s dream. If you fall into the last category, this is an easy way to bring that to life. —Julia Forbes

Date: 10/10

Box: 7/10

This date-night box is for long-term couples and a little craftier than the rest. It comes with a jar to decorate, stickers, colored pencils, and gummy fish for snacks. You'll start by filling out an included book of your 50 favorite memories and goals; put them inside your homemade time capsule; and open it in one, three, and five years. In the year you wait, the date box has 52-week challenge cards with simple, easy-to-complete date ideas. Each partner also writes down a relationship goal to make sure you're both intentionally using the dates as a way to strengthen your relationship.

When I told Dom over drinks on our first date that I was testing sex swings and vibrators, he asked for the check and my address and opened the Uber app. Well, joke's on him—we were coming home to decorate a jar of our favorite memories from the past three hours we'd known each other and dreams for our future. (Spoiler: There was no future.) We mostly tested the 52-week challenge cards, which were low lift and seemed like an attainable way for real couples to stay connected weekly. One was creating a shared playlist, which we did on Spotify and got a 69 percent match. Nice. There was also a date idea for breakfast in bed, but he opted to instead get me a can of White Claw from the fridge. Who says chivalry is dead? There were also cute ideas like planning double dates or buying concert tickets in the future, neither of which came to fruition, unsurprisingly.

This date-night box was a little cheesy, but it feels like one of the easiest boxes couples can actually do. Plus, it's a great way to reflect on your relationship and create intimacy goals. I will admit, it's very unhinged to do a 52-week challenge with someone you've literally just met, and my date was a lot more interested in seeing my boobs than writing love notes about where he sees our relationship in a year. Rude.

Date: Dom, 4/10

Box: 10/10

The premise is super simple: You receive a box with an assortment of sexy items and a 15-day advent-style calendar with daily challenges designed to strengthen bonds, both emotionally and physically. Our box came with scented Victoria's Secret lotion (which gave me seventh-grade gym class PTSD), a vibrating wand massager, a spanking paddle, and a sex swing, along with an informational booklet about the items and the 15-day challenge pamphlet. For each day, it prompts you to express gratitude for the other person, whether that's recalling a fond memory or sharing something you're excited about in the future. And there's also an intimate act with each, starting with neck kisses and progressing to using the sex swing.

Full disclosure: We did this over the course of one night rather than two weeks, and we found that each daily challenge didn't require too much effort, but it did provide a good way to connect both physically and emotionally. Sitting in the lap of a guy you've been on three dates with and making eye contact for two straight minutes while you tell him about the ways in which he's made you feel safe is sure to form a stronger bond. The sex swing came with basically no directions (and was a slight disaster that we were never able to fully use), but the progressive prompts helped facilitate a way to introduce toys and paddles seamlessly into intimacy. Overall, I really enjoyed this experience, and it brought us a hell of a lot closer.

Date: Benny (again), 10/10

Box: 9/10

This date night upgrades a normal dinner at home with sexy prompts and moments of intimate connection, asking couples to stretch themselves beyond the usual takeout and TV. As with the other Date Night party pack, there's a set of cards with directions for partners one and two, and you follow along in secret until prompted to share or scratch off the next together, with optional “level up” cards to enhance your experience.

After making a playlist (I used one of his preexisting Spotify mixes) and lighting candles, it has you order takeout for each other, or ask the restaurant to order for you if you're truly feeling cray-zee! The cards told us to blindfold and feed each other, with optional “leveling up” using blackout curtains or tinfoil on windows (??) to make it completely dark. So there we were, two strangers from Hinge, eating Thai food in the dark. Trust me, nothing makes you hornier than accidentally missing your mouth and dripping curry down your chest. He asked, “Is this supposed to be sexy?” Babe, I don't know. Then the cards prompted us to ask each other questions, slow dance, and massage each other, hoping that all those carbs, smooth jazz, and baby oil would get us revved up.

In all honesty, this would be good for a married couple in a rut who just need an extra push to make their at-home date nights a little sexier, but we are still new to dating and didn't need all the slow dancing or caresses to want to hook up.

Date: Gabriel (again), 10/10

Box: 8/10

Same as the Five Senses deck above, this scratch-off card set happens in sequence, with optional “level up” cards to really push intimacy, and separate cards for each partner with secret directions. For this date, you'll both bring a red item that you show at certain points to signify that you're open to physical touch. Then you'll go out to dinner and have intentional conversation, and every time a partner pulls out the red item, you'll follow the prompts to initiate increasingly intimate physical acts, ranging from hand holding to neck kisses. So there we were, at Ilegal Taqueria, edging each other over al pastor tacos (I kid).

Many of the cards urged a partner not to interrupt or solve problems, but ask questions and talk dirty. My date said, “I think this may be for couples who hate each other.” I had to agree. The second part of the date involved driving and stoplights, but since we were in Brooklyn, we walked down the trash-filled sidewalk and pretended to be a suburban couple on the fritz instead.

The rest of the date included buying things for sexy time, like whipped cream and blindfolds. I'm vegan and had no desire to lick cream from chest hair, so we came home, stripped, and did our best to keep our eyes closed (in lieu of a blindfold). It was overall a strange experience for us both, I think. If you and your partner need a lot of prompting to connect, compliment, and be physical, this set is for you.

Date: Greg, 10/10 (Note: I didn't find this man on Hinge; I met him the old-fashioned way, in a bar at 2 am.)

Box: 6/10