There were a number of BDSM purveyors and impromptu shows on the main floor, such as with the two players above in front of the Touch of Fur booth (they were not keen on my using their names) and the woman below at the Cam4 booth. The BDSM crowd also had their own special area on the second floor. It was called The Lair, and was sponsored by Kink.com. This was a much better setup than last year where they just felt crowded into whatever space they could find. The Lair has been a part of the AEE show since 2012.

Ball Gag at Cam4 booth

This year’s Lair featured live exhibitions and several vendors. These included BossDVD (I really like Irene Boss personally, and they are experts on female domination, having been in business since 1994), Canes 4 Pain (with rattan canes with a lifetime guarantee made by expert cane make WhypDancer, better known as Fran to her friends), Dragon Tailz (which has added Braided Floggers, Rose Floggers, Talon Cuffs Colors & Braided Finger Whips) Kinkz (all sorts of kinks including a focus on adult baby play, decidedly not one of my personal kinks but a resource for those for whom it is), Leather by Danny (we really like his stuff and you can read more about him in last year’s AEEE roundup), Orchid and Serpent Stores (my wife was really taken with their beautiful handmade leather hats, but they also have a full line of BDSM items), and Rayvyn Blood Leather (I really like their claw gloves that can turn you into a Black Panther), and Geeky and Kinky had stickers and enamel pins that should appeal to the BDSM community.

Pins and stickers from Geek and Kinky

 

The vendor that was newest to me and really stood out was Poly’s Pleasures. I thought their selection was excellent, but the people working their booth were even better. Funny, personable and knowledgeable, it all worked to make me want to buy from them. I am a fan of chain mail tops (they look very sexy with nothing underneath), and they had a very good selection of quality items. They also have many other high quality items for BDSM players.

Chain mail tops at Poly’s Pleasures

 

Whipping Stripes not surprisingly, has whips. Lots of them. With 25 years of experience making whips for lifestylers, they produce a quality item that they also use themselves. I was able to examine their products and was impressed with them. They will answer your questions about products ahead of time and they work hard to make sure you get just what you want.

Whips from Whipping Stripes

 

The Lair also has a 10pm Fetish party on Friday Night. They offered freebies, but because what they were offering were free floggings offered by professionals, that did not much appeal to me except as an observer. This took place because of an intervention by the BDSM Gods, who were apparently offended by the very idea of BDSM Karaoke. This was announced after 2 demonstrations and a burlesque dancer. The play stations where you could get a whipping after a consult with the whipper were open for around 45 minutes while they dealt with technical problems. I am no fan of karaoke, not even the few times I attended porn star karaoke. That the karaoke segment was blessedly brief is not a problem for me.

There was an act billed as a magician, in which he came out and whipped a blanket off a chair to reveal the sitting very still hostess of the Lair, Mistress Cyan. Spoiler- I don’t think he was actually a magician. The next trick was turning the obviously not a doll Mistress Cyan into a real person, whom I assure you was a real person all along.

L.A. Weekly called Mistress Cyan the most respected dominatrix in Los Angeles. She has come a long ways since she was first introduced to BDSM in the 1980s. Back then as the director of operations for a $3.5 billion corporation that manufactured housewares and living the life of a man married to a woman, she changed her career and her gender. She is he founder and executive producer of DomCon, an annual convention in LA and Atlanta.

I think it was great that they had the event, but having many years of experience as a producer of live events, I just wish the BDSM community would make these things a better show. The community is exceptionally good at putting on educational events (which I sort of wish this had been more of), but the many, many so-called BDSM themed shows I have seen tend to be amateur hour. In the interest of full disclosure, I did not attend this BDSM show but based this on a first person account- my apologies if I got anything wrong.

There were companies outside of The Lair with BDSM items for sale. Touch of Fur makes BDSM items, some of which include fur. Yes, real fur, but before you get on your PETA high horse (and why are you on a horse? Let him free!), they use scrap fur that would have been thrown away. They also make faux fur items. What they are best know for are butt plug tails, and they have an excellent selection of well made items. They are easily detachable so that you can swap out the tails. Their latest items include a BDSM Beginner’s Kit (fur cuffs, fur and leather flogger, all leather paddle), Intermediate Kit (leather flogger, leather cuffs, adjustable nipple clamps, lashing cane) and Advanced (leather flogger, rattan bundle, leather cuffs, ball anal hook).

Mystim has been producing a variety of electrical stimulation devices since 2005, in what is now a growing market. For a basic introduction to the concept, read our Medical Quackery Becomes BDSM Play Favorite. Mystim takes it a step further, electrifying all sorts of sex toys with a unique selection of E-Stim products that tickle, tingle, and pulsate. If you are familiar with the Tens device then you have somewhat of the idea. They have a full line of E-Stim vibrators, along with Butt Plugs, Urethral Sounds, Dildos, Clamps, Strap Sets, Prostate Stimulators, Probes, Pinwheels, Lust Eggs, Magic Gloves, Cock Cages, and Penis Straps.

Mystim’s Black Edition E-Stim Vibes: Electric Eric, Tickling Truman, Sizzling Simon, and Daring Danny

 

There were two companies that were new to me that I was impressed by. The first was a British company and I enjoyed chatting with Kerry at the booth and her delightful British accent. The company name is Rouge, and they are known for luxury BDSM items. While that does mean expensive, in this case it also means very high quality. I was impressed by their items and thrilled that they now have U.S. distribution through East Coast News (ECN).

Rogue offers a wide range of high quality items for the BDSM aficionado

 

Kerry shows off their purple leather handcuffs

 

Rogue has a large selection of silver items

I really liked their silver collection. The items are just very nicely made. Their steel ball gag is gorgeous. They have a Fetish Play selection, a Medical Play selection, and a Fifty Times Hotter collection, along with the many Rogue Bondage items.

 

XR Brands is a company that I was not familiar with, even though they are less than an hour’s drive from my house. As winner’s of the AVN Best Fetish Manufacturer of the year award, I think they are due a little attention here. While they make a whole lot of BDSM items, they also make vibrators, dildos, male masturbators and many other items.

On the BDSM side, they have an entire line of Tom of Finland themed products. Tom of Finland (real name Touko Valio Laaksonen- he passed away in 1991) was one of the greatest gay erotic artists of all time, known for his homoerotic fetish art, with 3500 illustrations produced over forty years.  Part of the proceeds go to the Tom of Finland Foundation, which shares with our Erotic Heritage Preservation Project the goal of promoting and preserving erotic art. The line includes the expected dildos, butt plugs, and cock rings, but also has unusual items, such as a vibrating hammer/nightstick for all of your construction and peace officer fantasies.

I am also quite fond of their Tailz line (I mean I would buy it for a friend). These are dildo worn tails that come in a variety of designs, including a poseable cat tail, a pig tail and a rainbow tail. yes, they have several types of fox tails and they look good, but they are all faux fur.  Sure, you might have some misguided animal rights activist thinking it is real and smacking you on the ass, but you might like that, wouldn’t you?

XR Brands Tailz line Pig and Horse Tail

Their Strict line has many interesting items. They have an easily portable bondage board that opens up to allow the securing of your sub, a lot of different restraints, a double ball gag to be worn by two people at the same time keeping them lip to lip, and as you can see from the photo below, they have both the Obedience Extreme Sex Bench and a sense of humor. Cheesy inflatable girl not included.  At around 40 lbs,it is fairly easy to move around and makes a pretty decent spanking bench. You can use it without or without restraining straps, and you could even use t to give a massage, with or without restraining straps.

XR Brands Obedience Extreme Sex Bench

They had several new items. Hosed is an 18″ to 19″ and 2″ wide dildo. It is a bit of a stretch for me, but you or someone you know may be looking for just such an awe inspiring toy.  I did not separate these out into the dildo section as these are long, black heavily swirled and pure kink. They come n the 18″ and 19″ sizes in spiral, ribbed, and swirl. Just bringing one of these out should get the attention of any submissive.

XR Brands Hosed

Rimmers are a three different butt plug designs.  They have internal rotating beads and are made of silicone. You can use them standalone or with the included remote control. The plug has 3 speeds and 5, and the rotating beads also have 3 speeds and 5 functions. That is a lot going on in your ass. Those rotating beads are on the shaft part that is seated right at the entrance to your seat, where there are lots of nerve endings, making for a wild ride.

XR Brands Rimmers remote controlled butt plugs