I’ll admit I’ve struggled with Los Angeles in the past. As with any city so vast, it can be difficult to scratch the surface and find the cool scenes. Being a survivor of London, I tend to prefer the simplicity of smaller cities like San Francisco and Portland. LA was the first stop on my world tour, and the community there managed to change all those preconceived ideas. I felt like a kid discovering faeries at the bottom of the garden. I knew they existed, magical creatures!

I saw a lighter, more playful, loving, authentic side of the city I had never managed to find before. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if it existed. I’m so glad that it does.

The team down in LA who stepped up to create a Kinky Salon are the community I’ve been looking for. They have a bohemian loft downtown called the Syrup Loft that’s been home to all sorts of groovy art projects and performances. They are our people.

For a first event, Kinky Salon LA was super impressive. It was sold out with just over 200 people in attendance. The volunteer coordinator wrangled people like a pro. The playspace was smokin hot. People danced. Yes. This is a place where we can be ourselves. I’ll be there again for the next one on May 2nd. You all should join me down there.