Sex workers’ hands tied under virus lockdowns

by Elizaveta Malykhina

The bondage chairs and polished metal whipping tools sit gathering dust on a quiet street near London’s trendy Shoreditch neighbourhood — and Madame Caramel is not pleased.

The coronavirus lockdown has punished the London dominatrix, whose Hoxton Dungeon Suite has stood silent for weeks.

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“In regards to the dungeon, completely stopped, zero percent, no income whatsoever, and in regards to Madame Caramel as a professional dominatrix it is exactly the same,” said the red-haired self-proclaimed “femme domme”.

“The one-to-one… is gone, just the online stays,” she told AFP.

‘Can’t do in-person’

In Europe’s red-light capital Amsterdam, sex work is due to officially resume in September. Prostitution in the Netherlands is legal and regulated, which allows for more support and structure during the coronavirus lockdown.

But many sex workers in Britain and beyond are now moving online to make ends meet.

Fellow London dominatrix Mistress Evilyne found success on the largely X-rated entertainment platform OnlyFans, which has grown in popularity since it was founded in 2016.

She said a relatively successful OnlyFans account can bring in about £800 ($1,000, 900 euros) a month, and is often supplemented with content on other sites, such as Clips4Sale or iWantClips.

“Obviously I can’t do in-person meets anymore,” Evilyne said.

She works out of her small flat in southeast London, where chains, whips, gags and other BDSM (bondage, domination, sado-masochism) apparatus lie unused beneath her bed.

But she said many clients are still asking about in-person sessions, despite the risks and government advice for people to socially distance by two metres (six feet) at all times outside the home.

“There are so many people who are emailing every dominatrix I know, including myself, asking for sessions at the moment who are just totally disregarding the fact that we need to stay safe,” Evilyne said.