Stepping out of Taoyuan International Airport in Taipei, one of the first things that hit me was the wall of humidity. It wasn’t necessarily sunny or hot, but the threatening rain clouds hung low, trapping everyone in the city in a sweltering blanket of humidity. It soon made sense why Taipei seemed to have a hair salon on every corner. My hair went from wavy tresses to, well. . .
use your imagination
The second thing that really stuck out to me in Taipei was the friendliness of the people and the unexpected amounts of English I heard. Everywhere I went, people greeted me with a smile and a warm genuine desire to offer assistance should I need it. From coffee shops to the MRT and even the gay BDSM bar I visited my first night out on the town.
Yep, that’s right. My first evening out in a new country and I managed to find myself getting food recommendations scribbled down in Chinese from Jay and his troupe of shirtless men in an underground gay BDSM club. But let’s rewind a bit, shall we?
I spent most of the afternoon following my arrival getting settling in at my hostel. It was a nice place located in Shilin, only a few minutes walking distance from the Shilin Night Market, the largest night market within the city. The hostel itself was a bit difficult to find. There were no signs to identify it. Instead, there was simply a small door that seemed wedged between two shops. The inside of the hostel felt like a maze, spanning three separate floors, with several halls connecting the rooms to the lounges and bathrooms. From the looks of it, the hostel is actually nestled in parts of at least two buildings and the space in between. They left old walls up, putting curtains over random windows and a slightly opaque roof overhead. It was a fun space to stay in but try wandering in late at night and finding your room in the dark without getting lost on all those staircases. I could’ve sworn they moved.
Actual picture
That evening, I met up with my friend Pavel. We decided to check out Taipei’s gay scene, which was conveniently located just off the main shopping area of Ximen, behind the Red House, a cultural hot spot and theater. Walking up to the area, there’s no mistaking where you are. LGBT pride radiates from the small stretch of bars, with rainbow flags fluttering in the wind as people mingle in the outdoor patios. After living in a conservative country for so long (and the most conservative city within it), it was refreshing to see such open acceptance. Taipei can easily be considered Asia’s most ‘gay-friendly’ city, boasting a huge pride parade every year. As someone who enjoyed frequenting Boystown back home in Chicago, this was a breath of fresh air.
You go, Taipei!
We settled in amongst the crowd and enjoyed a generous drink special before Pavel proposed the idea of checking out a gay BDSM bar. To my understanding, there are two such bars in Taipei. The first is a leather and S&M fetish bar located on the upper level of the stretch of bars we were currently located at. The second bar was the newer and more extreme bar located a few minutes away by cab. Pavel warned me that because it was a gay bar, my presence as a woman might not be allowed (which isn’t atypical in such bars as this). However, he had put the thought in my head and now I needed to experience this. I told him that I’d risk it and worse case scenario, if I’m not allowed in, I’d have no problem dropping him off there to have fun and calling it a night (those unlimited long islands were making me a tad sleepy).
So, we set off in a cab! The taxi driver didn’t even bat an eyelash when we showed him where we wanted to go. It didn’t take long before we where there either. I jumped out of the cab and tried to throw on my friendliest smile as we approached the door, where several men were chatting with the bouncer. Pavel asked about the cover charge and whether my ovary-carrying self would be welcome to enter as well. The man honestly looked a bit shocked he was even asked and stated that women were indeed allowed. Success!
Ok. Ok. Play it cool…!
The actual bar is actually down a flight of stairs in a basement. It was a large room with a wall cutting through part of the middle and a bar resting in front of it. Pavel and I first went up to claim our free drinks (drink voucher with admission!). I stuck close to his side, seeing as I made up half the female population in that space and felt like I stuck out a lot at first. The only other girl was sitting at the bar watching her excited male friend chat up a group of guys. She seemed a bit bored being there and I thought it best not to approach her for fear that our estrogen would bind us together for the evening and I’d miss out on a great experience.
Working our way through the crowd, Pavel and I found ourselves in the darker side of the bar, with chains hanging from the wall and…
Before I go any further, I feel like I need to make a small warning about what’s to come here. If you aren’t comfortable reading or discussing things like BDSM or you aren’t old enough to know what a dial up connection sounds like, go ahead and click away now. Thanks!
Cue us back in, Rihanna!
Ok. So where were we? Oh yes. The chains were hanging from the wall and the ceiling and there in the middle of a small group of men was a shirtless guy, no taller than 5 feet, with a white mask over his face. His torso was bound in thin red rope, weaving in and out and creating a mesh pattern. I stepped forward, curious to see what was happening. The guys around him, almost all of them shirtless as well, smiled up at me and asked if I wanted to pinch his chest. I quickly shook my head. I wanted to merely be a spectator. I wasn’t going to simply walk up a stranger and give him a purple nurple. The men shrugged and then carried on. I took a few steps back and decided to watch at a safe distance, nursing my drink and trying not to look too out of place. A group of men at the table next to me raised their glasses and we toasted. It wasn’t long before we were all talking and joking together. They all spoke some level of English, with a man named Jay being practically fluent. Even so, they were all very friendly to both Pavel and me. Even when the little man previously in the mask strolled up to the table (and I apologized for declining the offer to pinch him), he seemed peppy and in a stark contrast to the dark settings we found ourselves in.
I won’t disclose too much of what else happened in the bar, but it was a fun time and ended with me, a whip (with which I realized I am no dominatrix) and a pile of stolen t-shirts from men around the bar. Oh, and I also got a long list of suggestions for places to visit and food to try from Jay and the rest of the gang. My first evening in Taipei was a huge success! I learned a lot about BDSM culture and the openness to the LGBT community that Taipei has. Perhaps even more interesting, I learned what a ‘dark room’ was in a gay bar. Here’s a hint: It ain’t for developing photos.
I encourage anyone interested in this sort of thing while visiting Taipei to go ahead and research it online. It isn’t too difficult to find and I’m sure you’ll have just as fun of an evening as I did. Who knows? You might even have as much fun as my friend Pavel did! 😉
HoldenOnto 