Venom Studios...the beginning and the end.

I am closing my public space later this summer and I have been reflecting on its past and present during my stay in Thailand. I have run one of the largest play spaces on the West Coast for the last 4 years. It has been a whirlwind of excitement (both good and bad) from the start. In the beginning, I teamed up with a business partner to open a fabulous fetish boutique and pervy play space. She turned out to be everything I never expected and more; unfortunately, our personal relationship clouded my judgment. (Lesson learned.) When I discovered my partner’s bad business practices and misuse of company funds, I dissolved our arrangement immediately and took on the space exclusively. I closed the store to focus entirely on my websites and studio; “Purgatory” had always been more of a side project than a major source of income. As an entrepreneur and artist I take up new projects like most people change their underwear. I need constant change to evolve and thrive. Stagnation leaves me empty...


The studio was sparse and dilapidated when I first saw it, yet I knew there was potential for a magical, erotic playground. Initially it was a dull, institutional grey with just enough decadence to tease our guests. Within one year, it was transformed into a clean, fantasy-filled sexual theme park of sorts. I enjoy celebrating my kink through color and light, my play space reflects this. I find that traditional black dungeons with black and red accoutrements leave a lot to be desired, though tradition has its place. I aimed to create something more unique and vibrant and the outcome has been my own kinky, cartoon land of decadence. Most people find it exotic and intimidating, without being overbearing or predictable. I’ll leave specific room descriptions for another time.
















Owning the studio has afforded me the opportunity to meet some of the most gifted and amazing people in my life. It has been utilized for a myriad of activities over the years. We have hosted fetish events, play parties, private BDSM scenes, art shows, munches, leather tastings, workshops, non-kink oriented events, a handfasting or two, photographers, video companies, international fetish models and magazines, and a slew of other more mundane activities. I have met thousands of people over the years and would not trade this experience for anything. When I was growing up I always knew I would be helping people with their sexuality. My career in professional kink was a natural progression. (Even as an adolescent I was a little “Dr Ruth”, admittedly there was a twist. I wanted my “patients” to confess to me. Some things never change!)

I have learned quite a bit about life, kink and human nature running a public space. One thing that has confounded me is the general perception that as a kink professional one somehow owes other perverts something. I have always been generous with my time and resources yet find it disturbing that there is an underlying expectation from the “community” that if you are a professional pervert you owe everyone else something. Funny thing is, this isn’t expected from the doctors, lawyers or even bartenders that also frequent our events. Not so funny is the fact that the people with the most expectations do the least to reciprocate.


People see a beautiful play space and extravagant clothing and assume that you are wealthy and that you are beholden to the community at large in exchange for being successful. (I use the term “community” to describe a group of people with similar sexual interests who socialize and do charity work together. Midori has written a great article here that expresses my opinions more eloquently than I have the time for right now.) My success is due largely in part to my own ambition. I moved out when I was very young and have been responsible for both myself and others ever since. I am certainly not wealthy but do live a comfortable, kinky existence and have worked hard to do so. The only people I “owe” anything are my wonderful friends, family and servants.


I resent the fact that the same people who find the professional dominatrix reprehensible stifle their disgust just long enough to get what they want. (The play space said career helped to create, etc.) Do not misunderstand; I am in no way implying that this applies to everyone in the leather community. If this offends you, perhaps you should do some thinking on why it strikes a cord. I believe most of the aforementioned people are of the puritanical opinion we are “selling a sacred art for simple entertainment and monetary gain”. For the record, I think that is the most simplistic, ignorant description imaginable of what we do. It is also very self-centered. The service we provide is invaluable for people who are unable or uninterested in getting involved in the kink community at large. The bulk of my job is not slapping some bloke’s ass, but helping people to communicate their needs and explore parts previously hidden to them in a safe, supportive environment.
















Over the years the studio has become a ‘Public Perv Utility Service’. Most major organizations expect deep discounts for charity events and even free rentals. Those same people are never around when it's time to do renovations or if the studio has a need. How does this support our “community”? (There are a few exceptions and you know who you are. I will continue my support of those who have helped us as long as I can.) I have said it before, but I will reiterate. The bulk of the studio renovations and upkeep comes from my pocketbook, not rentals or community events, they only cover about 25% of total operating costs. The labor and upkeep has been done almost entirely by my personal slaves and bits of help from a couple of Mistresses who rent from me. Those are also the people who have treated my space with the most respect and appreciation. They have and will continue to be rewarded for their loyalty and support.

My decision to close the space is based on many factors. I have begun to lose my fire for kink in the stress and politics that are involved in running a public space. (I will not allow this to happen any longer, it is time for kinky travel and serious perversion!) It is also time consuming and costly with little gratitude or assistance. My hope in writing this post is to enlighten players about what the realities are of running a dungeon. It is not some big glamorous fuck-fest that’s going to make you rich. (Ok , sometimes it is a fuck-fest, but you know what I mean.) It is a labor of love and I hope this will inform people about the realities so they can appreciate the next space offered for public use. Also, keep in mind that it’s easy to be an armchair dungeon owner and decide what you would do better. People should spend that same energy making things happen instead of waiting for others to do it so that they can grade them on their performance. Imagine how many wonderful spaces would be available if that energy was put to better use.

In short, Thank you to all the glorious perverts who have supported Venom and respected our efforts. I have many surprises in store for you. To the rest of you… I challenge you to support any dungeon space you enjoy to the best of your abilities. This means paying what it is worth and planning your event budgets accordingly. It is unfair to expect the space to absorb the bulk of the costs even for a charity event. Offering to help with maintenance is another way to show your support. That is the only way our community is going to have such delights available to it.

Schpitz out.

(P.S. I have had inquiries about purchasing equipment. I will be retaining most of the furniture, I purchased it for my own pleasure and most pieces are very special to me. If you are interested in purchasing any of the equipment you can email me with “Venom furniture” in the subject. I will send out a list of what is available closer to our closing date.)