Do your New Year’s resolutions involve exploring a new fetish? Are you new to the area and looking for kinky soirées? Seattle has a vibrant queer kink scene with many entry points for newbies. Whether your tastes runs to leather, puppies, bondage, or other, there are lots of ways to get involved.
Seattle Men in Leather has been a staple in our community since 1989. They host two regular events that are great ways to meet people–a Wednesday leather social at Cuff Complex and a Thursday leather social at Diesel. Wednesday’s social (the 4th Wednesday of the month) has an enforced dress code of LURE (Leather, Uniform, Rubber, Etc.), while on Thursday (3rd Thursday of the month), gear is encouraged, not required. SML also hosts annual and recurring events worth attending, including Boots and Buzzcut nights and their annual Leather Tag Sale, which is a great way to get cheap, used gear, especially if you’re just starting out.
While SML is a somewhat traditional kink organization, they are open to other fetishes. You’ll see pups, rubber, and other kinks represented at their events. All male-identified people are welcomed, and you’ll find folks who identify as leather boys or men from across the gender spectrum at their events. The benefits of membership also include a discount at Doghouse Leathers and free entry to the Cuff on Friday nights.
The best-attended fetish/gear bar night in the city is Fetish Night at CC Attle’s on the first Saturday of every month. Gear is encouraged and gets you drink specials and a chance to cut to front of the line. Yes, this night gets popular enough that there’s a line out the door. I’d recommend getting there on the earlier side (8-9pm) when the bar’s not yet wall-to-wall-packed. There’s always a coat check, with the proceeds going to a good cause, and sometimes a demo (usually bondage suspension). Pro-tip: if you’ve never been to CC Attle’s, the drinks are VERY strong.
While a relatively new player on the scene, Seattle Pups and Handlers (SEA-PAH) is one of the most vibrant kink organizations in town. It’s a great entry point to kink, as pup play can be a less daunting power dynamic for newbies than master-slave or daddy-boy can be, and the community here is massive. Good first events include their public mosh at the Cuff Complex on the 2nd Saturday of the month, and their furry and pup social night at the Cuff on the 2nd Friday evening of the month. The furry and pup social leans towards being another all-inclusive fetish night, so you’ll find plenty of non-furry/non-pup kinksters in attendance there.
Other kink organizations in Seattle include Seattle Women in Leather, Seattle Boys of Leather, Seattle Girls of Leather, and Rain City Jacks. Seattle also has close ties with Vancouver, BC and Portland, OR, so if you plan to travel to those nearby cities, check out Vancouver Pups and Handlers (VAN-PAH), Portland Pups and Handlers (PDX-PAH), PDX Bad Girls, Vancouver Rubbermen, Bridgetown Leathermen, and Vancouver Men in Leather.
I recommend Rubbout in Vancouver as a fantastic weekend gathering for rubber fetishists (which also draws leather, spandex and other gear fetishes and a sizable pup community). I’ve never been to Kinkfest in Portland, but while it’s not targeted specifically at the queer community, I’ve had LGBTQ friends attend who recommend it.
I’d love to recommend the Center for Sex Positive Culture as a play space, with its various queer nights and dungeon parties, but they are in the process of moving to a new location. Be sure and check out their fundraising efforts. In the meantime, Steamworks hosts fetish-specific nights (the first and third Friday of the month are Fetish Fridays) and occasional hosted Boiler Room kink parties in their former steam room.
Doghouse Leathers is Seattle’s best kink store, run by Daddy Jeff and staffed by local kinksters. Recently expanded, their store offers an array of leather, neoprene, toys, cleaners, T-shirts and more. If you want to get more involved in the scene, the staff here is a great resource, and there’s no other place I’d recommend in town for kink shopping excursions.
Don’t forget to check out the Northwest Leather Calendar, which offers a comprehensive list of kinky events in Seattle, Vancouver and Portland, along with select national events. It’s available on their website, but you can also receive it by email, either as a member of an affiliated group or by request.
This is a far-from-comprehensive list, of course, and is intended more as a starting point. Am I missing your favorite organization or bar night? Let us know in the comments!
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