Page 54 - AVN July 2015

FEATURE
For more than a decade, Los Angeles has been the
host city for one of the top professional and lifestyle
domination conventions in the nation. The event,
which took place May 13-18, drew hundreds of
BDSM professionals and their acolytes to the Los
Angeles Hilton LAX.
What they found when they ventured down the
escalator in the vanilla-flavored lobby to the meeting
spaces below was a playpen of kinky entertainments:
classes, lifestyle parties, stage performances and a
lively vendor floor. In charge of it all was Mistress
Cyan St. James, serving in her capacity as a catalyst
to bring together the BDSM, leather, fetish, and
professional domination communities.
The event is billed as an opportunity for newbies
to get a taste of the lifestyle, and it more than lives
up to that promise. Anyone with an open mind and
an interest in stylish, fetish-tinged fashion could
f
have a good time at this good-natured gathering.
Various entertainments were offered to the
attendees, including the Mistresses’ Tea, The
Master/slave Social, Dom/sub Speed Dating, a Pro
Domme Social, human pet show contests, a cross-
dressing pageant, and the Fetish Ball (which took
place at Mistress Cyan’s nearby Sanctuary LAX).
The event showcased the talents of three Mistresses
of Ceremonies: Mistress Ella Strictland of Houston,
Mistress Indica Torture of Las Vegas, and Mistress
Hudsy Hawn of Los Angeles.
Those in the professional domination
business found a lot of value in the workshops,
demonstrations and performances. And just about
any adult entrepreneur—including boutique owners
and pleasure product manufacturer—could find
inspiration on the vendor floor.
One of the first sights upon entering the exhibit
area was the Stockroom booth. On the first
afternoon of the show, DomCon guests of honor
Ernest Greene and Nina Hartley were at the booth
signing copies of Green’s Master of O (they also
read excerpts on the DomCon main stage). An
assortment of Stockroom items were on display,
but the real attention-grabber was the Strap, a
bondage device inspired by guitarist Dave Navarro.
Resembling a guitar strap, it can be used to restrain
in various configurations. On display was a gold-
plated model, though that version is still a prototype
with no delivery date set.
There were many familiar faces among the
exhibitors at DomCon. Several were veterans of AVN
events, including the AVN Adult Entertainment
Expo and its BDSM playground, the Lair, including
Orchid and Serpent Erotic Accessories. Susan of
Orchid and Serpent had two booths at AEE this past
January: one in the fan expo and a second one in
the Lair, with different product mixes. She praised
Mistress Cyan’s ability to put together a good show,
both at DomCon and in the Lair.
54 | AVN.com | 7.15
Toys in the
Getting the kinks
Basement
out at
DomCon LA
Anyone with an open mind and an interest in stylish,
Susan, who started Orchid and Serpent with her significant other, said their goal was to provide people with
“high-quality sex toys at low prices.” With sales online and at events, they carry products suitable for all levels,
from beginners to “totally practiced people.” Based in Southern California, they travel all over to attend fetish
events, leather events and adult events. Asked what was selling at DomCon, Susan mentioned the Arcana wand
and Zeus Electrosex items. (For more, go to OrchidAndSerpentStores.com.)
A pioneer in the e-stim field and another veteran of the AVN Show, Dr. Clockwork’s Home for Electrical and
Medical Oddities was also at DomCom. The ebullient Dr. Clockwork always attracts attention with his custom
e-stim kits.
A self-described computer nerd, Dr. Clockwork talked about his path to e-stim. It was at a lifestyle event when
lightning struck—sort of. “Somebody asked if I wanted to try a violet wand,” Dr. Clockwork recalled. “He zapped
me with it and I said, ‘Ow, that hurts.’ Then I said, ‘Do it again.’”
He was hooked—but the toys were quite pricy. With his background in computers and interest in engineering,
Dr. Clockwork vowed, “I’m going to built it myself.”
That was back in 2008, and it’s been steady growth since then. Many of his sales are done at trade shows: “I’ve
shaken the hands of about 80 percent of the people who’ve bought my products.” Selling at shows allows Dr.
Clockwork to create custom kits for the end user—“all the accessories you want and none that you don’t. It gives
people the feeling I had when I built my first kit. It’s not a store-bought toy.” (For more, go to DrClockwork.
com.)
Wearing a top hat with stylized goggles and a leather vest, Dr. Clockwork evokes the steampunk aesthetic—a
not uncommon look at DomCon. Another proponent was Industrial DisEase Toys, out of Madison, Wisconsin.
In business since mid 2011, the company got its start with the Triple Play Flogger System. With its
hodgepodge of elements—a handle that looks like a piece of pipe, topped by various detachable heads—it hews
to the steampunk aesthetic. The heads are made of various materials that provide a wide range of sensations:
metal, natural rope, synthetic rope and rubber.
A company rep explained the significance behind the Triple Play, noting that the name refers to sensation play,
electrical play and impact play. Each of the materials in the detachable flogger heads provides different types of
impact and sensation. The variety is impressive; among the choices in metal, for example, are floggers made of
nickel, brass, copper, chrome-plated sash chain, and stainless steel and powder-coated steel.
In addition, the metal can be used for electrical stimulation or temperature play. “It’s a great complement to
leather—heat it, cool it, get it wet, electrify it,” the rep said.
Also in keeping with the steampunk look are restraints in many colors and hip holster harnesses to keep one’s
gear at hand. And in a totally different vein, Industrial DisEase also offers items for furry fetishists. In addition to
tails and ears, there’s the Claw Paw: a glove of rabbit fur with stainless steel claws. (Photographers and content
producers, take note: The folks at Industrial DisEase are interested in product placement opportunities. For more
on the company, go to the under-construction site IDEToys.com.)
Another player in the e-stim field at DomCon was Current Pleasures’ Miss Vixen, who opened her company in