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CallaFirestormBW -> RE: Eeeew....We Went To A Public Dungeon (8/30/2009 1:39:21 AM)
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My public experiences have ranged from nice, spiffy, well-lighted, fancy-dancy clubs with sanitary dispensers for both hands and equipment -and- non-latex gloves at -every- station (private, paid club in NC) to a dank little wood-floored, poorly-lighted, tiny, crowded playspace in the Montrose in Houston, along with a selection of private home dungeons, etc., and even outdoor dungeons at RenFaire events and ModAb events -- including doing piercing and scarification at outside events, and I've -never- had an issue as long as we used common sense on -our- end when planning and executing our activity.
Typically, I plan on inconvenience when I play publicly. It's just one of the things that goes along with public play. In terms of sanitation, I bring my own sanitary products, whether or not they are provided by the site -- I tend to like to know what my skin and the skin of my property will be coming in contact with, in terms of ingredients/quality/etc., and choose my sanitary equipment accordingly. I also provide my own fire extinguisher, sharps containers, and my own latex-free gloves. Equipment is wiped down before we start, and the requisite period for viral death (usually 5 minutes) goes by before we put bare skin on shared surfaces. I -always use a spray barrier screen and disposable, plastic-backed or wax-backed drop cloth that I provide.
The only reason I'm even that spastic is because my club-play usually includes some variation of blood and/or fire play, and I consider it my responsibility to make sure that I minimize the risk of infection for my bottom, and can assure the owners or tenders of the play-space that I have followed appropriate BBP restrictions to protect -their- business license.
That being said, public clubs are typically like public gyms -- sweaty, richly odorous, hot, and surprisingly poorly ventilated, and full of intense, driven, and occasionally -clueless- people. That has never bothered me, either in a gym or in a public dungeon. Heck, as a paramedic and midwife, I performed intricate medical procedures, started IVs, and delivered babies in the most common, completely unsanitized places--dirt floors, on streets, in the back of cabs (talk about filthy!)... and yet, somehow, managed to be able to create a space where nobody got infections and practices were handled safely.
Beauty (and suitability) are in the eyes of the beholder, but to me, what I do when I am involved in an activity is gritty-- it's messy and intense and vibrant... rich with scents thick enough to taste in the air, and sensations of fluids slick under one's gloves... so I'm comfortable with other people's intensity and sensory presence when I'm in public space.
As far as other peoples' scenes not being interesting -- I figure that other people come to the club for the same reason that I do -- to find someone to play with. I don't scene for other people. If someone wants to watch, and they stay out of my way, that's great -- but they won't find anything interesting in watching me set 40 needles in a bottom's back... from the outside, it's pretty dull to observe. However, for the participants... myself and the bottom... that 50 minute session (plus 5 minutes on either side for cleanup) is -super- intense, which is why we're there. For me, BDSM is -not- a spectator sport, so I don't -expect- it to be interesting to casual observers, nor do I "play" to an audience. I don't really care whether they think my bottom and I are cold fish or whatever... we know what it's doing for us, and that's enough, regardless of what anyone else thinks.
Dame Calla
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