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Dungeon in the Sky
Rumors have been confirmed about a fantastic play space located on the roof of the Mister-S store in San Francisco.
Story and photos by Mark
20 Aug, 2005
s the Mister-S store in San Francisco prepares to move to a new location around the corner, I decided to pay a visit to Richard Hunter and attempt to put an end to rumors of a secret
dungeon located on the roof of their current building.
Richard Hunter is the owner of the world famous Mister-S store, a one-of-a-kind manufacturing and retail establishment focused on supplying serious BDSM gear to serious practitioners. Mister-S has been around since 1979, and during that time has expanded to include a satellite store across the street called Madame-S which features gear and fetish fashions for women, and another Mister-S store in in Los Angeles.
Rumors have been circulating for years about a secret dungeon located on the roof of their current building. Tales run the gamut - from 24-hour bondage
scenes, to isolation cells, steel cages and an unbelievable collection of bondage gear.
We all know how fast rumors grow as they pass from one person to another - a tidbit of fact can turn larger-than-life as each person adds their own spin. Hopefully, this article will set the record straight. The photo below is of Richard's rooftop dungeon.
Notice the large addition to the top of the Mister-S building, which has been said to house a notorious dungeon and bondage testing laboratory!
Yes, the rumors are indeed true. Not only are the rumors true, but Richard's play space actually has a real an isolation chamber which I will show you later in this article.
Isn't it wonderful to know that a space like this really exists? No longer will we have to depend on Hollywood movies to fulfill our fantasies of what a dungeon might look like.
The photo below was taken from the other side of the room. To better orient yourself throughout the rest of this article, use the large bed in the center of the room as your guide when looking at the various photos.
As I mentioned, the entire Mister-S business is moving to a new location next month. As a result, Richard was much too busy to give me a personal tour of the dungeon, so I gave myself a tour with my camera. By the end of next month (September 2005) this fantastic play space won't exist any more, and all of its associated rumors will be history. Luckily, these photos will continue to be available on seriousbondage.com long after Richard's play space is gone, and years from now when the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art decides to run a photo exhibition on dungeons from around the world, I will be able to lend them these images.
The photo below shows the large overhead roof joists, and two chain hoists which are suspended from the joists. The hoists are manually operated by pulling on a control chain which raises or lowers the hoist hook. The gear ratio of these hoists are very high, so it takes virtually no effort when pulling on the control chain to lift hundreds of pounds of weight. One or both of these hoists could easily lift a cage off the floor, with a person inside.
Richard considers his play room to be a "bondage laboratory", where he can personally test every piece of gear that his Mister-S store sells. Needless to say, Richard owns at least one of every bondage play toy known to Man - a virtual museum of BDSM gear. All of this testing must be hard work, but someone's gotta do it, right Richard? What a lucky guy! Much of the gear Richard has collected is featured on his Mister-S Dungeon web site.
The floor of this "bondage laboratory" covered with squares of thick rubber matting, which make it very comfortable to walk and play on. The matting also dampens the acoustics of the room, which reduce the echo from the high ceiling. Notice the black rubber gas-mask hood hanging in front of the stainless steel tool cabinet near the door (photo below - right). Use this hood to orient yourself while looking at the following photos.
 
On the opposite side of the room room from the bed, Richard has a rotating St. Andrews Cross (photo below). This fiendish device rotates 360 degrees, and has a mechanical brake that can be set to stop the rotation of the Cross in any position. You can see the small black handle that operates the brake sticking out from the center-right of the Cross.
Richard owns 3 cages, but only one was in his playroom when I took these photos. This cage in the photo below is solid welded steel, and probably weighs 300 pounds. The floor of the cage is made from a big sheet of 3/16 inch thick steel, so once you are locked in the cage there is absolutely no escape. Richard's leather manufacturing staff created a 1 inch thick mat to cover the floor of the cage, which makes it suitable for overnight stays.
Below is a photo from the inside of the cage (you can see the bed in the lower right corner). Just imagine being restrained in a straitjacket and ankle shackles, and being forced to spend the night in this cage? Wow! Imagine how eerie the play room would look at night when all the lights turned off and only moonlight is coming through the big windows ... unbelievable! Where do I sign up?
The photos below show Richard's giant bondage bed. It's covered with a heavy rubber sheet, and eye bolts are strategically placed around the perimeter for handy tie-down points. Notice the great candle holders on each side of the bed, and the two metal helmets on the left side night stand. Also, notice the vertical black post on the right side of the bed, in the middle of the floor. That post would be pretty convenient to tie someone to, right? You could lie comfortably in bed and enjoy the view of your helpless subject restrained to the post. Well, I will be referring to that post later on in the article so please try and remember exactly where it is in relation to the bed.
 
 
In the photo below, you can see a second stainless steel cabinet. This one is much closer to the bed and, as you can imagine, is filled with a myriad of smaller and exceptionally fiendish toys. Notice the ultra-heavy pair of shackles locked to the left side of the cabinet. Although they look like giant handcuffs, they are actually made for locking bicycles and motorcycles, manufactured by an American lock company called Master Locks. Their product name is "Street Cuffs." If you want more information, just do a Google search for "Master Lock, Street Cuffs" and you will find lots of links. These Street Cuffs are every bit as heavy and intimidating as they look, and can be ordered in different cuff sizes and chain lengths.
OK. Make sure you are sitting down for the following photos. Hold on to your seats, and your hat. We're going to look at Richard's famous Isolation Chamber. Warning! This is the stuff fantasies (and rumors) are made of. Don't blame me if you don't get any sleep tonight because you're thinking about this chamber. The photo below shows the front door of the Isolation Chamber, which is tucked into a corner of the room of the room next to the bed.
The door of the Chamber looks like something from a scary movie, doesn't it? This is the real deal. The small hatch in the center of the door can be removed and allow access certain parts of the subject inside - or outside.
In the photo below, the outer door has been opened to reveal a second inside door which is made of thick transparent plastic. Naturally, the hole in this secondary door aligns with the hatch in the outer door. Although the secondary door is transparent, it's covered by a leather pad which is attached to the inside of the door with velcro. This padding can be easily removed or replaced.
What you can't see in these photos is a mirror attached to the inside of the outer door (I forgot to take a photo of the mirror). The leather padding on the second transparent door either allows or prevents the subject from seeing their reflection in the mirror while they are inside the cell. I will show more details of this leather padding further down the page.
The photo below shows both of the doors open to reveal the inside of the cell. As you would imagine, the walls of the cell are covered in genuine padded leather.
Don't these photos take your breath away? Imagine being restrained in a tight leather straitjacket and hood and being thrown into this cell for the night. There's a solid steel bar along the top of the cell (which you can barely see in the photo above) which runs from wall to wall and is designed to carry heavy weight for suspension. If you were straitjacketed and suspended from this bar with your feet off the floor, you wouldn't be going anywhere. In addition, there are ring bolts recessed into the walls near the floor of the cell which are used for additional bondage attachment points, so your ankles could be pulled apart and secured to either side of the cell!
In the photo below shows Richard Hunter standing inside the cell. You can see how big the cell is, and how much room there is over his head.
Four overhead recessed quartz spot lamps illuminate the inside of the cell, controlled by slide dimmers mounted on the outside wall to the left of the cell door. There's also a small "whisper fan" which circulates a small amount of air through the cell at all times.
The next few photos were from the floor of the cell looking up. You can see how dramatic the inside of the cell would look from the prospective of the person who is confined within ...
In the photo below, you can see a TV camera mounted in the upper right corner. This allows Richard to fully monitor his subject; the camera includes a microphone as well.
With the door fully closed, you can see how scary and intimidating the cell could be - especially if the lights are turned down low. The walls are quite thick and provide 100% sound isolation from the outside. Naturally, with no outside stimulus, the subject would lose track of time quite quickly.
I removed the velcro'ed padding from the inner transparent door so you could see what it would be like to view your own reflection while in the cell. For those of us who enjoy viewing ourselves while confined in stringent bondage, seeing our own reflection while confined in the cell could be the thrill of a lifetime!
The photo below is looking out into the play room through the openings in the two doors, with the metal plate removed that covers the hole in the outer door. You can see the leather pads on top of the bed that I had removed from the inner door.
The last detail of this tour is one you will need to think about. Put on your thinking cap, and see if you can guess the purpose of the following item. Take a close look at the photos below. This small steel cuff is welded to a horizontal rod which protrudes out and away from the vertical wooden post next to the bed. Remember earlier in this article when I suggested remembering the location of the wooden post next to the bed?
This small cuff assembly can be slid up and down the vertical wooden post then rigidly bolted into place. The cuff itself is hinged, and is held closed by a single hex allen screw. Notice that all of the edges of the cuff have been ground smooth - this is an important clue.
Give up? The small cuff is designed to clamp around a man's scrotum, firmly holding the testicles separated from the penis. The subject would have his back to the vertical post, and the horizontal bar extends from the post in between his legs to the cuff. Once the cuff is screwed closed, the subject can't move - let alone escape - without the hex allen wrench. The entire assembly can be moved up and down the post to accommodate different heights of submissives.
Can you imagine the submissive being naked, with his wrists handcuffed together behind the post? Obviously, there's little need to restrain his ankles - after all the submissive's not going to make any sudden moves! I suppose this fiendish device would work well with someone who's straitjacketed as well. Just think, you could relax on the bed and your submissive would be held standing by your bed waiting for your attention.
This fiendish item can be purchased from the Mister-S stores or web site. The name of the product is the "Heavy Locking Ball Mount", number CB-329. The various photos on this page show the Heavy Locking Ball Mount assembly which consists of the silver metallic unit only - Mister-S does not include the vertical metal channel that allows for height adjustment (however, you can make one yourself with a piece of Unistrut like Richard did). The Ball Mount assembly can be easily attached to the wall (or your bed post) in a fixed position with two wood screws, preferably screwed into a wall stud and not just the sheet rock or plaster wall surface. Click HERE to see the Ball Mount on the Mister-S web site.
CAUTIONARY NOTE: Remember, with any standing bondage position, be aware that the submissive is susceptible to fainting if they stand with their knees in a "locked position" (knee joints back rather than forward with their knees bent). For those
who are unaware, standing for a prolonged period of time with your knees "locked" (not bent) will make you light-headed and you will faint shortly afterward. This is a common occurrence in the military, and as you can imagine. Fainting while locked in the Ball Mount would be disastrous to someone and their testicles. Use caution, and as always, play at your own risk. Seriousbondage.com assumes no responsibility for the use of this item.
Richard Hunter and his Mister-S and Madame-S stores are a wonderful resource for all of us who enjoy heavy bondage, leather, latex, and all the associated gear. The following photos are of the current Mister-S store, which will be moved into their new location by September. Combined with their the Madame-S store for women's gear and apparel, the new location will undoubtedly have the largest showroom of BDSM gear the world.
The photos below are of the famous "handcuff wall" (left), and the enormous selection of Fetter's shackles (right). The sales staff of Mister-S welcomes customers to try on the gear, and will be more than happy to strap you into a straitjacket of your choice.
Care to try on a hood? Below you can see the "wall of hoods", and the "wall of muzzles". You should plan on spending a few hours when you visit the Mister-S store for the first time. Richard Hunter's motto for the store is "Are You Ready For The Good Stuff?"
As usual, you never know what will be happening when you visit the Mister-S store. On this particular day, Mauser of Paul Mauser Studios was demonstrating his new bondage chair for Richard. In the photo below, you can see how big the store is, and how much gear is available. When was the last time you were in a store that had a jail cell in the middle of the showroom?
The photo below is of the new Mister-S showroom before anything was moved in - and this is only part of it! Can you believe how big it is? The new store will be open in time for the popular San Francisco Folsom Street Fair on Sunday September 25, 2005, and is only one short block from the Fair itself. If you have ever considered visiting San Francisco and the Mister-S store, the best time is during the Fair. There will be leather, latex and general kinkery as far as the eye can see.

As I said, Richard tests all the gear that Mister-S sells, but I think he does this partly for his own pleasure. Richard has his finger on the pulse of the world-wide bondage industry and is testing new gear all the time.

Below are a few photos of Richard "testing" Mauser's new bondage chair. This unique chair has 22 straps for restraining every part of the human body, and is adjustable for accommodating different size people. (by the way, for those who may be wondering, Richard is a Top - dominant).
I wish Richard and his staff the best of luck with their new store, I'm sure they will do quite well. The exploration of bondage is growing rapidly around the world, and the expansion of Mister-S is an indication of this flurry of new-found interest. If you would like to know more about the history of Mister-S, see the seriousbondage.com article titled The "S" in Mister-S.
Thank you to Richard for allowing us to see his wonderful playroom before it was torn down. It's a most fantastic Dungeon In The Sky.
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