Sorry about the site problems earlier, apparently BlogVoices, the site that provides the discussion feature, was off-line.

Conny and I went to the SM club Paddles late last Saturday night.

So what is an SM club? There are basically two types.

One is more of a dance club. People dress in fetish clothing, like leather, rubber and other unusual materials and outfits, and go to dance. Sometimes the club will do performances, but they generally are pretty PG. Some regular dance clubs have a "fetish theme night". These clubs aren't really that different from any other dance club in the end. The main events are drinking and dancing. For an idea of what one might look like, think of the bar where Neo meets Trinity for the first time. A good bit of trivia was the extras for that part of the movie were all from the local fetish scene in Sydney, and were all dressed in their own clothing. Paddles is not this type of club.

The other type is a place where people go to play. By play, I mean engage in SM activities. These types of clubs have furniture and devices to help people play, like tables and chairs for people to be tied to, or hooks that can be lowered and raised. Why would people come to a club to play? Basically, it's an SM playground, with fun stuff to play with. You're very unlikely to be able to have a bondage table in your apartment. It's also very safe to play at a club. Safety and consent are two huge concerns of the SM scene. It's also a very stimulating environment as well. You're also surrounded by other players too. There is no dancing, there is no drinking of alcohol. Paddles is this type of club. You go there to either play, watch others play, or maybe to find someone to play with.

Paddles is a very approachable club. There isn't a dress code, and the staff is pretty friendly. It's a good place to do an SM safari, which is exactly what I was doing with Conny. Showing her real people, doing real SM.

We paid the cover ($5 for her, $30 for me), checked our coats, and headed in. When you enter paddles you enter the "bar" area, though it's really more of a soda fountain. There are stools and tables, and video screens playing SM and fetish videos. There is club-type music playing, but the volume is at a reasonable level. We were a little thirsty, so we each got a soda, and I gave her a bit of a tour. Paddles isn't really that big, and it's odd shaped space. They've divided it up into different rooms and areas, so no one play space is feels very large, and it's possible to find a few quiet, somewhat private area to play. Other areas are better for drawing spectators.

We sipped our sodas and slowly roamed from area to area. There were a few mild scenes going on. Various men or women were secured to things and being tormented by other various men or women. Most of the people tied were in various states of undress. There were some topless women, and a few totally naked men as well. As we watched some of the scenes, I pointed out some things to Conny.

One of them was how much communication was going on between the players. In SM, you have to communicate with your partner. A lot. A person doing vanilla sex never has to say a word (though he or she would have better sex by doing so) if they don't want to. But, in SM, there are so many variables, and so much variation, that communication is essential. Even during a scene, there are various types of checking in, from verbal, to physical. It was clear from watching each of the tops that they were clearly taking care of their bottoms. The intensity of the exchanges we were witnessing was hard to miss. SM play is powerful, and involves a lot of trust and intimacy. It's all the things sex should be when done well.

We sat down near the bar, and we had a decent view of some scenes in progress. We talked a bit, and were soon in an excellent position to see a very intense scene from beginning to end.

More on that soon.

posted 5:04 PM | link |