Lady Hillary: L.A.’s First Lady of Kink

Researching a book like L.A. Bizarro can be a tricky proposition. Not everyone wants their business immortalized in a book with “Bizarro” in the title, but that’s usually because they don’t understand that when we say “Bizarro,” we mean it in the best possible way, and with only the greatest reverence. Usually. Having blown it enough times, we’ve learned to be careful when we approach our subjects, sometimes being honest about who we are and what we’re doing, and other times going undercover for fear that once the proprietor of a particular L.A. Bizarro destination gets hep to who we are and what we’re doing, we’ll be shown the nearest exit, post haste (which has certainly happened more times than we’d care to count). Fortunately no one knows who we are, but it’s the “what we’re doing” part that’s difficult to hide when your snapping photos, taking notes, and asking a whole lot of nosey questions. Bestseller status notwithstanding, a book called “L.A. Bizarro” is not always the best calling card, so we totally get why we’re not entirely trusted.

 

When we sought out to write our new edition, we really wanted to include one of L.A.’s professional dungeons. We felt the BDSM “underground” is as much a part of the L.A. environment as Bob Baker’s Marionette Theater and ostentatious Sports Utility Vehicles, and we wanted to represent. But the BDSM scene is a tough nut to crack if you’re an outsider; especially an outsider writing a book whose sole purpose is exploitation. An establishment like a professional fetish studio already has enough on their plate, what with keeping weirdos at bay and warding off unwanted attention, in addition to staying on top of the general responsibilities and hands-on maintenance that comes with operating any legit business open to the public—under-the-radar as they might be. We pretty much assumed a place like that wouldn’t want to waste their time with two hosebags like us, especially if we’re not paying for a session. We expected the dungeon door to slam thunderously in our faces.

 

When we did our preliminary research, we put the word out to every fetish studio in town, but in spite of the fact that L.A. Bizarro is unabashedly fetish-friendly, we had extremely low expectations with regard to who might actually grant us an interview.

 

That’s why we totally dig Lady Hillary, of Lady Hillary’s Dominion: L.A.’s oldest professional dungeon, and the only female-owned-and -operated fetish studio in town. Not only was she receptive to our inquiry, she was a big fan of L.A. Bizarro to boot!

 

We were thrilled to the marrow of our bones to receive an exclusive invitation to Lady Hillary’s discreetly located two-story Tudor, and even more thrilled when we were given no less than a two-and-a-half hour no-holds-barred interview with the Lady herself, who was not only fabulously quotable, but thoughtful enough to share her personal files documenting the Dominion’s 30+ year history with photos, newspaper articles, and other sundry vintage documents. Once buzzed past the security gate, we were met with a mi dungeon es tu dungeon sort of graciousness; she introduced us to her dommes, allowed us to bring our cameras into the Dominion’s darkest corners (without compromising the privacy of her clients of course, she is a Lady after all), and in effect, gave us an all-access backstage pass to one of L.A.’s most private locales. All the while giving it to us straight, without attitude or affectation—but often in good humor—demonstrating that Lady Hillary is not only a super cool gal and a super fun hostess with a super cool pad, she’s also a damn good businesswoman.

 

She also put a great big luscious link to L.A. Bizarro front and center on the Dominion’s bitchin’ website: www.dominionsm.com! That kind of publicity you can’t even buy. And we know, we’ve tried.

 

Want to know more about the Dominion? Flip to page 162 of our new edition and get the lowdown. And should you choose to book a session with L.A.’s First Lady of Kink—or one of many members of her talented staff—be sure to tell her we sent you. And don’t embarrass us.