Single? Ready to mingle? Looking for love with someone who will be the yin to your yang in the dominant-submissive stakes? Try The Alternative Network's speed dating nights, which aim to introduce you to someone who will fulfil the role you need. You get five minutes to get to know each attendee and work out who could be on your wavelength.
London Fetish Photography offer private fetish photo sessions of you and/or your partner that will leave you with unique but classy snaps. Choose from a solo or duo shoot, and prepare your poses. You can also select a special package that allows you to shoot in a BDSM dungeon, with all the toys and equipment you can think of. This is the place to commit your kink to camera.
Sharing a candlelit bath and covering each other in slippery, soapy suds is a classic way to wind down together as a couple while simultaneously turning up the heat. But to create a totally different mood you can lose the candles altogether, turn out the lights, and place a few glowsticks from Poundland into a warm tub full of water instead. Pink or red versions cast a romantic or sensual light, while eerie green and icy blue create a futuristic vibe that’s great for role play.
Fancy wearing a new item of shiny fetishwear, but can't afford to custom-made creations from an expensive boutique? Learn how to cut, glue and customise your own rubber outfits at Kraken Counter Couture's latex clothing construction course. During the 8-hour lesson, you’ll be able to make whatever garment you like – you just need to bring the commercial pattern!
Sh! adult emporium in Hoxton Square have long been known for their erotic education workshops for women, covering topics including fellatio technique, strap-on sex and bondage and spanking. Now, the Sh! team are taking their teachings into people’s homes via online courses. Prices per person start at just £15.
Named Erotic Performer of the Year at the 2014 Sexual Freedom Awards, Master Dominic is a man with many strings to his bow. He's a gay dominator who'll indulge in needle play, trampling, nipple torture and a large variety of other dark arts. He's an educator who runs an utterly superlative Playing the Flute workshop, where you can learn how to be a great ‘head girl’ from a guy who’s both given and received fellatio. And he's a performance artist who's been known to appear at fancy dress extravaganza Rumpus in a unicorn costume, with a swishy tail butt plug, and squirt magical glitter out of his botty.
A recent resurgence in dark rooms has seen shadowy, sexy spots return to London. The premise is this: within a venue or club, a dimly lit room will be reserved for those who want to have some fun with the lights down very low. It’s liberating and uninhibited, allowing even the shyest of partiers to feel confident and free. You’ll find dark rooms at the likes of Adonis – which also boasts a femme dark room – and club nights like Riposte and Roast.
What’s the most constructive way to have ‘sex on the brain’? The answer is OM, or Orgasmic Meditation: a practice designed to help people focus on and become more aware of the feelings they’re experiencing during a sexual moment. It’s intended to improve individuals’ intimate lives as well as reduce stress and enhance general wellbeing. Men And Women Who OM hold a variety of workshops that explore different parts of the art, aimed at both women and men.
At Sweet Wednesday in King’s Cross, T-girls (a person who was born with male characteristics but who dresses or lives as a female) can find a warm, welcoming spot to meet up with their admirers. The spot is open every first and third Wednesday of the month, with the first event of the month joined by drag royalty Sandra in the public bar. The space offers play spaces and dark areas, as well as a bar in the basement club, while the owners note those new to cross-dressing find the public bar at SW ‘a liberating place to begin’.
Europe’s biggest fetish club isn’t for the faint of heart. The dress code here requires you to come donned in outfits that definitely would get you a lot of looks if you wore it to buy a pint of milk at the corner shop, with absolutely no street or regular club wear allowed. If you can handle the bold ‘fit requirements, inside you’ll find one big, welcoming party that celebrates the wide spectrum of sexuality and fantasy, with a banging techno soundtrack.
For a luxurious treat involving suspenders and suspense, try a private appointment at designer underwear boutique Tallulah in Angel. Pick a date and time, head to the boudoir and get ready for some very special me time, where you'll be served a glass of fizz (or tea or coffee, if you prefer), given a proper fitting for your lingerie and be set free among the racks of gorgeous undergarments. Treat yourself for a special occasion, or just when you need something to make you feel good.
Want to get schooled in shibari, a Japanese strand of BDSM and bondage play? Visit Anatomie Studio in Peckham, where you can take part in beginners classes, rope jams and introductory courses and learn the ropes – quite literally.
Klub Verboten describes itself as a “fetish and BDSM cummunity” that centres around “the complexities of modern physical interactions”. It encourages consent and communication, and is built on the idea that everyone brings – and leaves with – something unique to the party. It hosts a wide range of events across the city throughout the year that will allow you to don your most head-turning rubber and make some new connections with likeminded souls.
Discover Time Out original video