On Saturday, there was a Grand Opening fundraising party held at the former pro dungeon known as Passive Arts, now known as Sanctuary Studios LAX. I'm not sure when they formally open for business and I don't see a website up yet, but I'm guessing it will be fairly soon after the conclusion of DomCon L.A. next weekend.
This is a pretty big deal, kiddos, and here's why: This was a great venue in our community, and closed when its beloved owner, John Cavine, (and his poor dog!) was murdered by a mentally disturbed ex-employee who also set the place on fire to cover his tracks (see link if you're not familiar with the story). In addition to being a pro dungeon, Passive Arts was the host to lifestyle parties, and even served as a play party space for Threshold in the years before it had a permanent home.
As I heard it, the family of the slain owner wanted nothing to do with running a BDSM club, so Mistress Cyan worked out a deal to manage the 7,000+ square foot facility and help bring it back to life. The party on Saturday was jam-packed with well-wishers, and it looks like they've done a terrific job of refurbishing the place. It's tough to tell what the final configuration will be, because much of the dungeon equipment/furniture was "on loan" from others, but, hopefully, it will be very similar to what they did for that party. (Gone were the musty-looking "theme" room designs, and everything had a modern, hot & sexy look to it.)
No disrespect intended to other pro dungeons in L.A., but I've heard that a lot of former Passive Arts employees were thrilled about returning to work at their old place of employment. I gather that Passive Arts cultivated more of a "leather family" feeling about it than other dungeons, which reportedly sometimes have a more "corporate" feel to them. It stands to reason that if you play with professionals and they are happy in their work environment, then you, the customer, will be happy, too.
Wishing Sanctuary Studios L.A. well, and I'll update as I learn more . . .
So glad Passive Arts in its new guise of Sanctuary Studios is back! It was always one of my fave places to play. Can't wait to check it out next weekend during DomCon!
There was a line at 9:15 PM to get in. The venue was packed, a very social night.
It was so packed with people i had a hard time telling if i liked the spacing and perimeters of the play areas for playing or not. i'll have to get back regarding that.
i liked that the very back room (formerly called the Marquis Room) had the carpet removed and it didn't smell anymore. i liked that there were lights in the back, i could see, , the couch/bed was removed, as was the giant heavy metal tri-level cage, and zip line cage and that opened that room up a lot.
There are two new small rooms.
There are two bathrooms and the ladies room has 4 toilets. yahoo!
Passive Arts was an important part of the growing of the BDSM and Leather community in LA. it is truly wonderful to have it open again.
i still miss John. i always will.
