Joseph Hasenauer
Fetishes Boutique
It's all about love, "a deeper intimacy, requiring trust and time," explains Spryte, owner of the new Fetishes on-line Boutique in Mount Airy. In her hands is something beautiful, an eight-inch stack of perfect spheres, hand-crafted from lustrous, exotic wood.
"Isn't this amazing?" she asks. "It's almost sacrilege to shove it up someone's butt."
If someone is into bondage, Philadelphia is a frustrating place, says Spryte. Active for years in the S/M scene, she's finally turned her hobby into a business, importing custom rubber, leather and electronics from as far away as Amsterdam and making it available on her web page at: www.netaxs.com/~fetishes.
If you're used to the nasty, cheap bondage gear found in the back of sex shops, you're in for a surprise. Everything here is made with care to last for generations, and a lot of it is, well, gorgeous.
Spryte explains the sensuality of the merchandise. Bondage mittens look kinky, but what's kinky about a three-hour cunnilingus marathon? Once you're in that body bag with all the right zippers unzipped, you have no choice - you have to let yourself be played with.
If you're a pain fan, the "cock tube" lets you apply gentle pressure with blunted screws - ouch! The wide variety of electric-shock gear can safely supply everything from a light tingling to a skewering fit for a marshmallow. All the traditional fetishes are here too - oversized layettes, Catholic schoolgirls' uniforms and thigh-high rubber uppers.
Spryte's prices shame the competition. At $10, her riding crops sell out regularly, but her best-seller is an American-made corset at $50. Authentic Victorian-style corsets from London (heavily boned, strong as steel, sold by waist size) start at around $100.
Clients fall into three categories: male cross-dressers, dominatrices (there are around 25 in the area, says Spryte), and couples. Only beginning to get interested in the world of S/M? Spryte recommends the works of Mistress Lorelei for those in need of instruction: The Mistress Manual for couples, and for cross-dressers, Charm School for Sissy Maids.
Fetishes Boutique is at an undisclosed location in Mount Airy, but if you're 18 or older, you can call 849-8484 or e-mail her at fetishes@netaxs.com.