 | Are you the kind of person who looks at a restaurant's menu before getting in the car? We’ve got you. Here’s a brief rundown of an average party and key things you’ll need to know: First, you'll email your legal name and date of birth to info@ohiosmart.org. Then, you'll receive a welcome email with the address to our space. When you pull up to our location on the near East side, there is a dedicated parking lot. You’ll see a fenced-in area containing our courtyard, designated smoking area, and the OhioSMART door. Then, you’ll check in at the front desk. You’ll be asked to sign a waiver. You can ask for a tour where one of our volunteers will show you around our large, ADA accessible facility. They will show you where to put your things, where to find our all-gender restrooms, guide you through our two dungeons and two social areas, and share best practices for using the equipment in the space. They’ll also point out key volunteers and answer any questions you may have. We encourage name tags for community and confidentiality reasons – many of us will use a “scene name” to protect or explore our identities, others just use their first name. You’ll write what you want to be called on your name tag, as well as your pronouns. You’ll see folks with an array of clothing, body types, and gender presentation. We aim to be a safe space for everyone, so discriminatory language or behavior is not tolerated, and pronouns are to be respected. Some folks wear tee shirts and jeans to every party, others enjoy showing some skin. Or all of it! Nudity is permitted in much of the facility, aside from a special street-legal zone near the door. In the social areas, you might find folks cuddling, chatting, coloring, knitting, or even taking a quick nap before or after an intense scene. The geek/kink overlap is strong with us! We invite members to bring snacks and non-alcoholic drinks potluck-style. In each dungeon, there is a Play Space Monitor who keeps an eye on the space and can help if you need something. There are metal cages, suspension rigs, bondage tables, St. Andrew’s crosses, spanking benches, and more! The walls are adorned with racks of toys like floggers, whips, chains, cuffs, paddles, canes…too many to list here. If you don’t know what something is used for, you can ask someone! We’re usually enthusiastic to share or to find someone who can. You’ll see people engage in play of many kinds: power exchange, bondage, rough body play, impact, sensation, fire, wax, maybe even needles in a sectioned-off area. Some of the scenes may be raucous and playful, others intense and quiet. You can be as loud as you want when you’re playing, but we ask that you keep conversations to the social areas. Please note that body fluid play of any sort isn’t permitted, and neither is food play. Penetrative play is only permitted at our special Members Only events. If someone knows their scene will be loud or violent, they let the Play Space Monitor know in advance. If you’re concerned by something you see, you can approach the Play Space Monitor and they can help. If something is permitted, but still squicks you out, there is plenty of space away from any given scene so you don't have to watch. You also don’t have to play at OhioSMART parties. Some folks come just to watch, some play every visit. If you are interested in meeting a play partner, we have a helpful wristband system to signal that you’re available to negotiate. Color-coded wristbands indicate whether you are a top, bottom, switch, COVID-cautious, or LGBTQIA+. We offer a quiet negotiation area with a poster that provides tips on how to talk about planning your scene. OhioSMART is an affirmative consent space. That means that if it ain’t a HELL YES, it’s a NO. Consent should be freely given, revokable, informed, enthusiastic, and specific. That can sound intimidating, but if you’re honest about what you want and what your limits are, you’ll be okay. If you need your scene to stop right away, our house safeword is RED. Keep in mind that nobody has to play with you – if you know you want to play at a party, plan in advance and bring your own partner! When you feel like leaving, you can leave! Just like that. People filter in while the doors are open and filter out toward the end of the night. OhioSMART is a volunteer-staffed nonprofit organization – we’re not trying to turn a profit, we’re trying to provide a safe space for our members and guests to explore what excites them in a safe, risk-aware fashion. We appreciate your curiosity and interest! If you want to learn even more about us, please check out the following resources: If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to email us at info@ohiosmart.org. We hope to see you soon! |
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