Oh, hey! Didn’t see you there. Come join us in this sunken living room hot tub and grab a glass of brandy [waves you over]. We heard you wanted some real talk about what the good stuff is, but were feeling overwhelmed by the gazillion googolplex websites out there selling everything from total junk to the most amazing things that you never even knew existed, but need. We can help! We’re Rec Room, VICE’s shopping, reviews, and recommendations team. (And to be fair, no, you probably don’t really need that thing.)
Why we’re here
Glad you asked. We’re here to invigorate your knowledge base about all of the wild, crazy, life-changing, awe-inspiring products out there, and we’re looking at the good, the bad, and the ugly. We definitely want to help you find the “good,” or maybe even the “ugly” if that’s what you’re into (some people are!), and avoid those pangs of regret that come from unboxing a cruel disappointment (a.k.a the “bad”). We know it can be rough out on the World Wide Web, with all of the fake reviews and hustlers, and there are countless (very warranted) examples to inspire that “when you order it online vs. when it comes in the mail” meme. But we love to shop until we metaphorically drop (we are very juiced, and never actually drop), and are here to make your online pursuit of worthy Cool Shit™ easier and more fun. We also hope to help you decipher some internet trends that you might have seen around, from the basic (mustard bed sheets) to the advanced (goblincore TikTokers).
You have probably seen other recommendation sites out there, and wonder what makes ours different. We get it, and we can easily answer that: We like our online shopping with a spicy salt rim. We don’t just look at Amazon bestsellers or compare the wattage of air purifiers or whatever—there are plenty of other sites that can do that for you. We want to help you find things that you will feel excited about, because they’re unique, high-quality, and ideally, show some personality. We want people to point at these picks and say, “Whoaaa, where did you get that?” We want them to make you feel good, whether that means finding the best sex toys that will give you mind-bending orgasms, helping you turn your living room floor into a baller guest room, or explaining smokeable CBD hemp that can help you mellow out while listening to your dad’s Marvin Gaye records. Oh yeah, and we love deals, deals, deals.
Our editorial policy
Rec Room is reader-supported. Here’s how: If you read one of our articles, click through to one of the products we recommend, and buy it, we may make a small commission from the retailer as a little thank you for sending readers their way (at no additional cost to you).
The Rec Room team and contributors independently select all of the products featured in every single article. If we think something is wack, we are not gonna recommend it, and no brand or retailer can pay us to be included in these articles. In other words, this isn’t sponsored content, or “spon con,” as the media Twitterati like to say. We never guarantee editorial coverage in exchange for free stuff, and our staff does not make any personal commission from purchases made by our readers. Additionally, we operate separately from VICE’s newsrooms, so you don’t have to worry that our team’s love of “the good stuff” will impact VICE’s reporting.
We solemnly swear…
… to only include stuff we genuinely think is awesome. To review everything honestly, and tell you if something is not our bag (although we’d generally rather share things we’re excited about). And we will never say that you need anything—even if it gives us the thingles. Most importantly, we always think of you, dear reader. We want you to be stoked, too
—The VICE Rec Room Team.
Meet Our Team
Jaina Rodriguez Grey
Jaina is a staff writer with over a decade of experience as a journalist and as a sex worker. She’s covered civil litigation for Westlaw and Thomson Reuters, PC hardware for Digital Trends, and most recently she was on staff at WIRED where she did a bit of product illustration and wrote about sex toys, coffee pots, and gaming culture. Here at VICE she covers a little bit of everything but primarily sticks to her truest loves: sex, coffee, and games. She lives in Seattle with her partner and their two pets, a cat and a rabbit. You can find her on social media: Bluesky, Threads, and Instagram.
Matt Jancer
Matt Jancer has been in the industry for 15 years and lives in his favorite urban death maze, New York City. He’s traded words for money on behalf of more than 15 magazines. Some of his longest-running bylines were spent covering motorcycles, electric cars, outdoors gear, and other cutting-edge technology for Car and Driver, Outside, Esquire, Playboy, Popular Mechanics, and Wired. When he’s not writing about motorcycles and our place in the wilderness for a living, he’s writing for enjoyment, riding his motorcycle, and mountain climbing out West. He believes everyone needs at least one hobby they have none of their ego invested into, and so guitar noises and the scents of cooking have been known to emanate from his apartment. Oh yeah, and he thinks pigeons are way underrated.
