New York’s infamous Dungeon Alley, the cluster of hot-lap dance clubs in Midtown Manhattan, is losing its appeal. A recent police sweep and anti-prostitution campaign have spelled trouble for the area’s sex workers.
Third-party publishers also produce a broader range of content than Hasbro could offer under its own license, and are less likely to focus on a single cisgender white male hero.
Domina Shannon’s Dungeon
Domina Shannon is the busty bartender at Houston’s popular Numbers nightclub—but when she’s not slinging gin, she’s swinging a riding crop as one of the dominants at Maison Noir. She’s a revered Dominatrix with years of experience indulging kink fantasies and fulfilling desires.
Among the most elite BDSM dungeons in New York City, this fetish palace boasts a multitude of rooms for you to fulfill your darkest kink fantasies: there’s a medieval style dungeon/torture chamber complete with a St. Catherine’s Wheel and stockade, a Chinese-themed room, a frilly room catering to cross-dressing fetishes, a sexy boudoir outfitted with more jewelry than you can shake a stick at—and that’s just for starters.
Domina Shannon and her team are on-hand to put your obedience to the test, and they’re stocked to the brim with bondage furniture, including multiple spanking benches, a vertical rack and a CBT chair (that’s cock and ball torture for those not in the know). This kink sanctuary is currently only staffed by cis female Doms and subs, but you can rent the private playroom for yourself or with a friend. There’s also a calendar of events for seasoned pros and newbies alike, from sub school to munches (casual kink-community get-togethers for the layperson).
Dungeon Alley
Dungeon Alley is a nickname for a 20-block area of Manhattan that caters to the sex industry. However, recent police enforcement “street sweeps” have cut into the trade, and most lap dancers in the area complain of dwindling business. They also claim that customers are increasingly demanding, and some are even threatening to whip the dancers.
In Delicious in Dungeon, Vol. 1, the first volume in this new manga series, the characters feel well-defined for the most part. Laios, the leader of the party, cares a lot about his sister, and Chilchuck and Marcille both seem to be motivated by her as well. On the other hand, Senshi doesn’t seem to have any personal motive for hunting and cooking these monsters besides his love of dungeon food.
Escape rooms are a fairly new form of entertainment that’s gained popularity in the past few years. They involve locking a group of people in a room and requiring them to solve puzzles or find clues in order to escape the room within a set amount of time. This is a great way to spend time with friends and family while also stimulating the mind. If you’re looking for a unique and exciting way to spend your time in NYC, try one of these amazing escape rooms! They’ll definitely leave you wanting more.
The Dungeon
Picture a man plucked from his corner office, stripped of his stiff three-piece suit and his watch that costs more than some of us make in a month. He’s now clad in boxers, on his hands and knees, a leash strapped around his neck. Stavroula, 32, a freelance filmmaker, was once this man. Then she became a domme.
In New York City’s hallowed sadomasochist dungeons, clients come from all backgrounds and walks of life. But they all have one thing in common: They want to be dominated. Mistresses wear the stamp of sex work, but their services seldom, if ever, involve intercourse.
A lot of the time, a domme’s clients are in the business for more than sex. They want to learn about themselves. To do that, they need a safe place to let their guard down and be vulnerable. And that’s why dungeons exist.
The dungeons of this infamous Manhattan neighborhood are called “Dungeon Alley,” but recent police enforcement “street sweeps” have hurt the business. Some sex workers have even been prosecuted.
But that’s not to say that the dungeons of Dungeon Alley don’t have their charms. They’re still a safe haven for people from all walks of life who are looking to experience something different. And if you’re not a fan of dark dungeons, this place has a pretty pink crossdressing room and a huge playspace with a wrestling ring, two medical rooms, a castle chamber, and a leather room. The dommes here are all cis female, but you can bring your own kink partner to the space. You can also attend a variety of classes and events, including sex education workshops and munches (casual kink-community get-togethers for the layperson).
The Blue Room
Despite the promise of the title, The Blue Room isn’t an especially titillating play. Nicole Kidman’s butt is bared several times, but it’s not because of her beauty that the audience is drawn to her. Rather, it’s because her naked body is part of a sequence that is meant to illustrate the meaninglessness and deceit of human sexual encounters.
David Hare’s characters stride onto the sexual playing field aware that it’s a no-win game. He brings a satiric wit to scenes of romance, sex and isolation as his characters attempt to evade the traps of their own seductions. In his latest play, based on Arthur Schnitzler’s La Ronde, Hare has created a window on the most complex of human relationships.
The play begins with shots of wrinkled sheets in a hotel room. Then it flashes back to a time when Julien and Esther had an affair. The two had a steamy relationship that was kept alive by Esther’s powerful sexual desire for Julien and his ambivalent, erotic love for her. The ten couples who make up the daisy chain of sexual encounters all try to score with one another, but they never achieve lasting satisfaction. The lust for each other is always fleeting, and they quickly move on to the next person.
This is a work that’s as much about the human heart as it is about the city of New York. It’s about the way we all try to find our place in the world. Whether it’s through a sexual encounter or a political career, we seek out connections that will give our lives meaning. But those connections often end up destroying us.
The Blue Room is named for its blue walls, which were painted during Mayor John Lindsay’s administration. Located on the first floor of City Hall, it was originally the Mayor’s public office. The office was renamed the Mayor’s Reception Room in 1902 when it underwent an extensive renovation by architect William Martin Aiken. Today, the room is used for mayoral press conferences and receptions. The room is also available to rent for private parties.
