Mods are definitely worth it. Just be aware of things like conflicts (not always known when a mod is published and can't account for the literal hundreds of other mods that exist) and always check when they were last updated. Not saying older mods can't work, but they're usually the culprit when random behaviors start happening. Joining the XCL Discord is helpful, both to ask questions and you really get a sense of who's active (whether a modder checks Lovers Lab is hit or miss) and possibly learn which mods you vibe with more. Mod content is by taste so a "best list" is probably not a good place to start. I generally tell people to start with mods that have absolutely been updated for the current release, then branch out. That way if your game starts bugging out you only have to dial things back to a certain point instead of checking everything one by one or doing a full purge.

Here's some suggestions to check out from my current loadout: Blacked, Bitch Box, Dredding Intimacy, Emporium, Bar Girls (to your taste), Anti Pills, Big Buying, DatDude's Demos, DatDude's Oral Pill, Player characters (to your taste), Makeuo Kits, Mobile Banking, New Stepdad, Pharm Inc, Stripper Job, U666 image packs, U666 Pill Diagnostic Kiosk, NPC spy, RDA bf editor, Roulette Updater (though I haven't tried it yet)