When I was down in LA a few weeks ago I was lucky enough to get to play with Mistress Lucy Khan. We had a couple of great sessions with a nice mix of tormenting, torturing and teasing. She’s a very talented domme and well worth contacting if you’re in the SoCal area.
I particularly enjoyed getting to see her new play space – The Decameron. I’ve long been a critic of the classic dungeon themes that crop up so often in BDSM. I don’t have a medieval fetish and I don’t know many people who do. Why are so many spaces done in cliched black and red? They end up looking like a cross between Hollywood’s idea of a 1920’s brothel and a 1420’s castle dungeon. I like clean modern designs and I’m happy to say that the Decameron has been created along those lines. It has an elegant feel, with white, grey and teal colors, alongside custom made equipment themed to match the space. I was reminded more a boutique hotel (albeit with some seriously kinky furnishing) rather than a horror movie studio set. You can see some shots of it here.
Setting aside the aesthetic issues, I also feel a space like this is much more welcoming to nervous newcomers. It’s tough enough to confide unusual kinky desires to a stranger, without the added pressure of a weird environment that feels like entering an alien sub-culture. In contrast this looks like a space you might actually enjoy being in and experiencing.
The shot below is of Decameron co-owners Mistress Lucy (left) and Mistress Iris (right), along with Lady Grace Marie (centre) who plays out of the same space. You can read some of their thoughts on their new space here.
> Why are so many spaces done in cliched black and red?
I think of it as the striped pole in front of barber shops. How else will you know you’re doing BDSM if you don’t have the red and black, with old looking oak furniture?
That’s a good point. I often find myself confused mid-whipping. “What’s going on here?” I’ll think. Who is this attractive lady with the leather fixation? And why is she angry at me? But the red and black walls with the oak furniture will quickly clue me in.
On a more serious note, I can actually see the advantages to the dark look. It hides marks and makes the old buildings often used for playspaces look better. Plus, it makes getting equipment that fits in way easier. But I’ve personally reached the point where I think “Oh dear” rather than “Wow sexy” when I encounter this kind of space.
-paltego
This sort of goes along with the idea that a proper domme will be dressed in either a leather corset, or some kind of catsuit. And will be barking humiliating orders to groveling sub men.
IOW, it’s a trope that developed over the years, for whatever reason, and it’s really hard to shake it off.