Inside the Torture Garden – Britain’s biggest (and kinkiest) sex club where anything goes and pain is all part of the fun
LIKE many London clubs, the Torture Garden has a strict dress code.
But unlike most clubs, the dress code at this venue includes rubber, leather, PVC and "fantasy fetish gear" - and they won't let you in if your outfit isn't kinky enough.
Normally, the most painful part of clubbing in London is forking out the entrance fee, but at the £29-a-pop fetish club things get far more painful than that.
Step inside and you'll find punters chained against the wall in their outrageous outfits, willingly being flogged, whipped and spanked by fellow clubbers.
In fact, as far as the thriving nightspot's regulars are concerned, pain is all part of the fun.
That's because the Torture Garden is Europe's biggest fetish club, complete with dance floors, DJs and, naturally, a fully kitted-out fetish dungeon.
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As the name suggests, the club is a haven for kinky bondage lovers and S&M fans, but that doesn't mean it's a complete free-for-all.
The Torture Garden actually prides itself on being safe, inclusive and respectful - a place where torture and good manners go hand in hand.
Customers go at it on the dance floor, and the live "entertainment" includes watching people's flesh being pierced by needles.
Away from prying eyes, a couples' room offers horny clubbers somewhere they can slip away from it all for some intimate fun.
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One guest has been quoted as saying: "I’ll admit it was a bit strange seeing three people have sex right next to me as I was talking to my girlfriend, but it’s amazing how ‘normal’ it becomes in that setting.
“TG is a place where you can let loose, and that doesn’t just mean by having sex - although there is a lot of that.
“People go there to express themselves through the outfits they wear and the way they dance as much as through their fetishes.
“There is no-one judging you in that respect. As long as you follow the rules you’ll be fine.”
And the club's website is crystal clear about the rules: "Touching anyone without permission or any form of harassment of any kind is strictly forbidden.
"In general fetish clubs are the safest, friendliest and most relaxed club environments.
"They are places where men, and especially women can dress-up and be themselves without fear of harassment.”
After opening in 1990, the Torture Garden has gradually grown in popularity to become Europe's biggest fetish event, bringing the action to clubs across London.
It wasn't always so easy - the police tried to shut the club down in the 90s, and it took a few years for the Torture Garden's unique offering to catch on.
But today, Marilyn Manson, Dita Von Teese and Jack Dee have been numbered among the club's celebrity guests.
The TG brand is even branching out overseas, with nights now hosted in Germany, Japan and beyond.
And the popularity of fetish clubs has seen plenty more venues trying to latch on to the kinky party genre.
We recently told how a new sex club is set to open in Derby - complete with its own dungeons, classrooms and even a stable.
Previously, we also told how a charming farmhouse was hiding a kinky secret away from prying eyes.