Kink.com Opens Upscale Lounge in SF

SAN FRANCISCO — Following over a year devoted to design and construction, Kink.com founder and president Peter Acworth has opened a high-end cocktail lounge located in San Francisco called the Armory Club. Featuring pressed tin ceilings, a lit onyx bar and cast-iron fireplace, the bar’s Victorian industrial aesthetic purposefully echoes sets from Kink’s famed Upper Floor. "For me, the Armory Club is just an extension of the Kink lifestyle,” said Acworth. “We may produce fetish material, but we're also a member of the community — whether you define that by geography or sexuality or sentiment. We’re as much an ethos as we are a company.” The Armory Club, which officially opened Sept 18, is as welcoming as the San Francisco Armory is imposing, but unlike its progenitor there’s nothing overtly sexual about the club. “This really isn’t about sex or fetish,” said Kris Ramirez, the bar manager for the Armory Club, “It’s about Peter wanting to create his perfect bar, a place where he could come for a well-made cocktail after work. It has his sensibility, but the focus has always been on sophistication rather than sexuality.” Don’t be surprised if you see James Deen or Bobbi Star pressing up against the bar with a glass of champagne after a long shoot, the company added in an announcement. The Mission District Armory Club is less than half a block from the studio itself, and has quickly become one of the best perks about working for the Kink. That said, Acworth hopes that San Franciscans will welcome it as any other local bar, adding, “You go if you're kink-curious, but don't need to be dressed in leather to feel at home." The Armory Club 1799 Mission StSan Francisco, CA 94103 www.ArmoryClub.com