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The LA Scene
Los Angeles is the land of opportunity, as Bob Zak of Gwen Media would have told you
Article and photos by Mark
11 Jul, 2005
ob Zak was the owner and creator of GwenMedia, one of the best latex sites on the Net. To the shock and disbelief of us all Bob died unexpectedly on Tuesday June 28, 2005. I'd only known Bob for 6 months before receiving this unfortunate news,
but I'll always remember and respect him, for he was the first person to ask me about running an ad on this web site. I was honored to receive his enquiry because I consider GwenMedia to be one of the "big players" in the latex scene.
Bob will be missed by everyone in the community, but luckily, his keen interest in latex is shared by his staff, and so the unique genre that Bob created at GwenMedia will live on and thrive, as I'm sure he would have wanted. Seriousbondage.com will be presenting an in-depth article about Bob in the future.
I was in Los Angeles over the "4th of July" US holiday weekend to attend Bob's memorial, and while there I decided to revisit the Dominion BDSM Club, where my friend Travis and I had photographed some of Sonny Black's dungeon furniture earlier in the year. The Dominion is a popular and well-known establishment, and the only woman-owned and operated BDSM club in Los Angeles. It provides a safe, clean, friendly and caring environment for anyone who wishes to explore their BDSM desires without fear or judgment.
During my visit, I was given permission by the manager to photograph one of the most exciting Confinement Cells I've ever seen. This cell resides in the Dominion's "Vault" room, and integrates beautifully with the other chromed and stainless steel equipment.
WARNING! - The following photographs are the stuff bondage fantasies are made of! Seriousbondage.com assumes no responsibility for any erotic daydreams you may experience while or after reading this article!
The Confinement Cell is made of welded aluminum with heavy stainless steel hinges and a very secure locking mechanism of the type that's used to close semi-truck trailer doors.
This cell is essentially a heavy metal box, long enough for someone to lay down in for extended periods while restrained in a straitjacket or other bondage equipment such as ankle shackles, handcuffs, and collar! The cell is entered from the front via two heavy hinged doors and it's top surface may be used for bondage as well, with heavy metal anchors around the perimeter.
Each door has it's own separate locking assembly, but the doors interlock so that one must be closed before the other. After they're shut, the locking handles on each must be rotated 180 degrees and this action engages the cogs at their tops and bottoms, mating into their respective catches. This pulls the doors closed very tightly and the cogs must engage fully before locks can be used to secure the handles. The rotating cogs and catches may be seen in the photo below.
There are two small, barred windows, one at each end of the cell and naturally the bars are spaced too closely together for anyone's hand to reach through. Whoever built this cell really knew what they were doing! A super wide-angle lens was used, which is the reason all the straight lines appear a bit bowed.
I tried to illuminate the inside of the cell with my portable flash, but didn't have time to mess with the exposure and so the outside of the cell appears dark. I suppose that this is what your view would be like if you were confined in the cell and looking out through the bars.
Being the person I am, I can think of many scenarios for this cell, but what keeps coming to mind is being fettered in heavy shackles before being locked inside, then once the doors are slammed shut and locked, my Mistress whispers good night, turns down the room lights and retires to her bedroom leaving me to contemplate my fate ...
As mentioned, this beautiful bondage device is located within the "Vault" room. More about this area and the Dominion's assortment of bondage gear can be discovered on their web site. The other side of the room, including a mirrored wall, can be seen in the photo below, in which there is a reflection of the Confinement Cell toward the bottom. As you can see, this room is set up for maximum visual and sensual impact. The next time you're in Los Angeles the Dominion is a place not to be missed.
My next stop was 665 Leather on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood. This store carries cutting-edge bondage gear, including Sleep Sacks and straitjackets made of neoprene rubber, the same material used for wet suits.
The photo below is of 665's neoprene Sleep-sack and if you are interested in ordering one, you must visit the store in person so they can take your measurements. All neoprene gear is custom made, so they do not take orders over the phone or via their web site.
The 665 staff designs and creates some interesting heavy metal bondage gear and I took various pieces off their display racks and put them on the floor to photograph. The pictures below show a selection of their heavy duty wrist spreader bars; available three different lengths.
As can be seen in the photos below, 665 also carries a selection of wrist and ankle manacles manufactured in both standard and ultra-heavy weights. Naturally, I was attracted to the heavy weight gear! These restraints use 3/8 inch thick, steel chain between the cuffs and would would work nicely with the Dominion's Confinement Cell, above.
I also found some nice "puppy cages" on display in the store and the photo below, left, shows two of these cages stacked together. Their design is clean and symmetrical, with tight professional welds. The cage doors feature dual sliding bolt locks, and once the bolts are slid into their closed position they can be easily secured with a standard lock.
It's taken many years for the ball-and-chain to reappear in our society, and wouldn't you know it, but in this age of computers, cell phones and the Internet, there's still demand for a reliable restraint such as this! The solid steel ball weighs approximately 20 pounds.
Just as I was about to leave the store, a very fancy chromed steel head cage caught my eye. The 665 store is definitely worth a visit when you're ready to explore The LA Scene!
 
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