Thanks for all your support over past couple of years,  it’s only been with your support that Pleasure Salon Melbourne has continued to grow and expand.

We are currently at a crossroads and desperately need assistance with ongoing  admin people and finding a new CBD home for 2012.

If you have been involved in PSM and would like to see it continue, please send us an email with your offerings.

Happy New Year!

PLEASURE SALON MELBOURNE CHRISTMAS PARTY

A saucy night of comedy, cabaret & sex-positive adult education for the 21st century featuring:

• Catherine Deveny 
•  Sarah Ward ( Yana Alana / Circus Oz)
•  Talking Poofy
•  Daniel Burt ( The Project)
•  Paige Phoenix ( X factor)
• Wes Snelling ( as Tina Del Twist)
• Geraldine Hickey
• Harley Breen
• and your HOST……… Madame Mama Natalia…….. ( Burlesque Bar)

WHEN: MONDAY DECEMBER 5^th  2011

TIME: doors: 7.00 PM

PRICE: $20 AT THE DOOR

Proudly supported by Take Care Out There

 Keep an eye out for the

Xmas party details on December 5th featuring:

•  Talking Poofy
•  Catherine Deveny
• Wes Snelling
•  Madame Mama Natalia
•  Daniel Burt
•  Geraldine Hickey
•  Harley Been
•  and others to be confirmed! WATCH OUT!!!!

This is going to be HUGE!!!!!!

Our next gathering will be Monday November 7^th at our brand new home

Tony Starr’s Kitten Club,

Level 2 / 267 Little Collins St. (CBD)

 (Look for the lime green door.)

Since previous host venue 24 Moons shut its doors, we have been looking for a new home to host us, and the good people at Tony Starr’s
Kitten Club have kindly offered their premises to us. Fabulous food, full menu and cocktails, we are thrilled and honoured to have access to this wonderful new space. Sadly, this venue is not wheelchair accessible.  We are still open to suggestions for a new home, so please send us your ideas for places that

• serve food and liquor
• have a space for us
• have stages, mics, projectors etc.
• are wheelchair accessible
• and in the CBD

NOVEMBER GATHERING

As you may have been following, we are revamping PSM’s format starting with our November gathering. November brings you 2 special
presenters and a flurry of shenanigans prepared by Cyndi and Christian for your delight. Door prizes a plenty and more interaction for you all.

Summer time start is now 6.30 pm for a 7.15 first presenter.

PRESENTERS;

Jessi Lewis

Melbourne performance artist Jessi Lewis joins us for a presentation like no other.

Exploring what it means to be only 22 and HIV positive, in a world where the death of face to face flirtation is imminent after the rise of Grindr, & what this new technology means for his generation while weaving this in through his own personal story of performance, gay beats, paying rent and moving to Melbourne at age 18.

Having performed Australia wide, Jessi is thrilled to bring us excerpts from his dance pieces, and engage in a Q & A with our audience at PSM.

Melbourne Rope Dojo

Our feedback has told us that you have all been VERY keen to know more about rope play and we have found you one of Australia’s best rope
instructors; Melbourne Rope Dojo!

The head instructor at the Melbourne Rope Dojo is Scott, one of the most experienced practitioners of Shibari outside of Japan. Scott started studying Shibari in 2004, which lead him to visit Japan starting in 2009 to continue his studies. He has been to Japan three times now to study under his Sensei, Osada Steve, and one of Osada Steve’s teachers, Yukimura Haruki-Sensei.

Whilst experienced in all aspects of Shibari, Scott has a particular love of newaza, or the intimate and connected tying typically performed on the floor. For Scott, the connection that can be achieved through rope is unique and forms the heart of Shibari. There is therefore an emphasis at the Dojo of learning how to obtain this connection.

Scott will be providing a demonstration of his work, along with a full suspension demonstration and a history of Shibari (Japanese
Rope Work).

Where:

 Tony Starr’s Kitten Club

Level 2/ 267 Little Collins St CBD

When:

 Monday November 7^th

Doors:  6: 30 pm for a 7:15 start.

 Full bar and meals available

Cost $10

So far we’re exploring ongoing special segments and even trivia nights…. What else do you think would be great?

Additionally, we’re looking to put together people interested in being on panels for group discussions at PSM on an ongoing basis. If you’re articulate and don’t need too much coaxing we’d love to hear from you. Please email and let us know what your area of interest is.

The frisky spring air is upon us, ( well mostly, it is Melbourne after all) and I know I for one, am inclined to have an extra bounce in my step at this time of the year, punctuated with a sneeze too if the truth be known, but I digress.

And….. normally this would be the message announcing the next PSM line up, but sadly, as you know we have been waiting for our venue 24 Moons to reopen its doors, which is taking a little longer than they had anticipated.  We had even secured another venue just for October, and then very late last Friday night, that one fell through too.

As you may (or may not for that matter) know, finding a stylish, licensed, sex-positive space that caters to our needs and has wheelchair access in the CBD isn’t easy at the best of times, and certainly not easy at short notice. For this reason, PSM was going to be running for October 3,
but has now had to be cancelled due to events beyond our control.

However, we will be all systems go for November regardless of what transpires;  with our special guest speakers on high alert and poised ready to pounce all over our November Salon.

In the meantime I urge you to maintain your presence on Facebook by LIKING us if you haven’t already ( our old group was closed down, please join us again) and keep up to date with happenings by subscribing to our blog, following us on Twitter  or putting yourself on the email list if you’re not already. pleasuresalonmelbourne@gmail.com

 Pleasure Salon Melbourne is a community oriented group and ONLY exists with the support and participation of the people who make it happen and attend our gatherings, which means we are always looking for new ways to engage, entertain, expand and grow. If you have anything you’d like to contribute by means of time, ideas or energy, there’s always room to get people on board and keep things moving along. Shoot us an email offering whatever you can!

Also if you have any ideas for a presentation for next year, please let us know by sending in a brief, bullet-pointed plan of what you’d like to present on sex, pleasure and sexuality.

And finally in other news I have had the pleasure of chatting to the Australian promoters of two fabulous sex educators and artists in their own right; check out Midori’s upcoming Australian tour in October and Ivan Coyote’s  Australian tour for 2012 .

Until next time

ENJOY!!!

It feels like a while since I have been here.

Let me start by gushing about Barbara Carrellas. I am just back from her 6 day residential Urban Tantra Professional Training Program inland from the Gold Coast Australia. There were 35 of us in total and what a magnificent mix of Pro Dom/mes, switches,  tantrikas, therapists and educators we were! There was barely a dry eye on our last day and I can safely say everyone was touched by Barbara’s expertise, grace and humour. If you are ever inclined to take your understanding of sexuality a step further I can not recommend Barbara Carrellas’ work highly enough.

And of course for those who made it to Barbara’s fabulous presentation at August PSM, a great night was had by all as Barbara led us on a journey of her own relationship with sexuality, through the AIDS crisis of the 80s and into more contemporary times where the sacred and perverted meet face to face, where pleasure and pain walk hand in hand and where conscious erotic sensibility meets community care and wellbeing.

For those who missed out click here for the recording by Dean Beck from Hide and Seek on JOY 94.9.

And in other news, our gorgeous and revered venue 24 Moons is on the move, which means we are on the move too. 24 Moons had always only intended to be a  good time, not a long time, venue. With that, their lease is up and they are off to a fabulous new location , still in Melbourne’s CBD. We love them soooo much, we’re going with them, but that does mean that September PSM has been postponed until further notice.

And in other news FACEBOOK closed our old group down, so if you were in that group, you are not anymore. We have started a new page for you to LIKE. Click on the link to the right to be taken there and like us to stay in touch.

Until next time

And just a reminder that Pleasure Salon Melbourne’s August gathering is almost sold out. As I write this there are only 10 tickets left, so be sure to get a wiggle on if you’re keen to make it. As you know, the venue size is limited so we can only accommodate a limited number of guests.

For details and ticket info see the link under the Pages tab to the right “An Evening With Barbara Carrellas”

As always HUGE thanks to our speakers, our fabulous attendees…  (that’s YOU) and of course the gang at our sexy host venue 24 Moons.

JULY GATHERING

Erotica, sexy, steamy, and a little bit naughty tonight we will titilate your tastebuds with what we do, let you see into the world of how we do it and why.

With our varied backgrounds and influences, we all have a story to tell – it’s just that the telling might take you on a twisted journey or two …. ready for the ride?

Come along with erotica author  KL Joy & her friends and discover the world of erotica.

KL (Kyra-Ly) fell into writing accidentally about 7 years ago. Having been out and about on the BDSM Melbourne Scene for a number of years, it took her own Catalyst of being dragged along to a private play party to prompt her to begin writing. She self published that first book Catalyst: Stories of Awakening in 2009 and took it to the BDSM community that had inspired her. The support she got from with in the community was fabulous, but the surprising market were the housewives of suburbia who devoured that book and went on to look for others! To their delight, and many others, the second book Desire: Stories of Secret Longing is soon to be released!

Geoffrey Knight has been writing novels for 12 years, but found his greatest success when he switched from traditional mainstream genres to writing gay male erotica 4 years ago. In that time he has written seven gay fiction titles, two of which reached number one on Amazon’s Gay Fiction best-seller lists in the U.S., France and Canada. His latest gay best-seller, THE CURSE OF THE DRAGON GOD, will be released in the U.S. early July, and will be launched in Sydney later in the month.

Eva Sless is a Melbourne-based freelance writer who specialises in sex-journalism. She is a former (although still occasional) sex worker who began her writing career with a “Belle Du Jour” type column in Australian People Magazine. The column, Sophie Loves Sex, highlighting some of the more quirky and positive sides of the sex industry. With a blend of humour and a down-to-earth, chatty tone, Eva’s column was one of the most popular and longest running of its kind. Currently, Eva is a regular contributor to Mother and Baby magazine, providing useful information and humorous anecdotes for new parents about sex and relationships.  She is currently working on  her own book based on all the sex-related experiences she has had.

Aimee Nichols is an award-winning author whose erotic fiction has appeared in a number of anthologies including The Mammoth Book of Best New Erotica 6, Got a Minute?: Sixty Second Erotica, First Timers: True Stories of Lesbian Awakening, Sixteen of the Best,and Ultimate Lesbian Erotica 2006.  Her writing has also appeared in magazines and online.  She was an editor of Eroticus magazine, and has always related more strongly to Rizzo than to Sandy.

WHEN:  Monday July 4th
Doors open for drinks, nibbles and mingling at 6pm
Speakers start at 7.30

WHERE: 24 Moons. AC/DC Lane. Off Flinders Lane. Melbourne

$10 at the door

See you there

*******THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT*****

ECSTASY IS NECESSARY

Named by Time Out New York as as the city’s Best Tantric Sex Seminar Leader for her Urban Tantra® series of workshops, Barbara is thrilled to be presenting in Australia for the first time in over 10 years at Pleasure Salon Melbourne in August 2011.

She is the founder of Urban Tantra®, an approach to sacred sexuality that adapts and blends conscious sexuality practices from Tantra to BDSM, and the co-founder of Erotic Awakening, a pioneering series of workshops focusing on the physical, spiritual and healing powers of sex. She delights in blurring the lines between sacred and profane, enlightened and perverted, spirit and science, and pleasure and pain.

Barbara is the author of Urban Tantra: Sacred Sex for the 21^st Century,( much of which was based on her time running workshops and teaching in Melbourne in the 1990s) and Luxurious Loving: Tantric inspirations for Passion and Pleasure, with a new book soon to be released: Ecstasy is Necessary.

As a life-long student and facilitator of ecstatic experiences of all kinds, (including a vast range of orgasms that lie beyond those achieved by genital stimulation,) Barbara will share with us some of the many “gasms” she has experienced, witnessed and facilitated and present some possibilities for healing and growth that may be found in prolonged orgasmic states.

Barbara is also known for her pioneering work around gender-free orgasms, and creative and educational collaborations with sex-positive pioneers including, Annie Sprinkle, Kate Bornstein and Joseph Kramer, founder of Sexological Bodywork.

This will be Barbara’s only public appearance in Australia outside of her professional training program. If you are interested in the Urban Tantra Professional Training Program in Byron Bay please enquire here.

Barbara’s presentation in Melbourne, Ecstasy Is Necessary, will cover a range of topics from her famed workshops and books including

• Expanded and Alternative orgasms
• Sacred Sex
• Sacred BDSM
• Living sex-positive in a sex-negative culture
• How sex works and why it matters
• The Tantra / BDSM connection
• Her orgasmic experience inside an fMRI machine, and the scientific findings on orgasm brain activity.
• Q & A session and book signing

“If you ever thought Tantra wasn’t for you—too foreign or gimmicky or New Age-y, or not edgy enough for your radical sex explorations—Barbara Carrellas will cure you of all misconceptions and bring you an Urban Tantra to unite your sex, your spirit, your erotic wanderlust, your edge.” —Carol Queen, director of the Center for Sex & Culture, San Francisco

WHEN: Monday August 1st

WHERE: 24 Moons

TIME: Doors 6pm.

Presentation starts at 7pm.

***************THIS EVENT IS NOW SOLD OUT*****************

(Please note, due to the extra costs involved with engaging international presenters, the regular Pleasure Salon Melbourne presenter doorlist will not apply to this particular event)

Watch Barbara’s experience inside the fMRI machine here.

Our gatherings just seem to keep growing and growing, thanks to all of you. Be sure to join our mailing list for regular updates and info on our sex-positive gatherings in Melbourne.

THANKS MELBOURNE

Pleasure Salon Melbourne only exists with your energy and participation, so the Pleasure Salon Melbourne organisers are deeply grateful to each and every one of our attendees, WE LOVE YOU…… and the  fabulous support of our host venue 24 Moons, our provider of door prizes Bliss 4 Women and ALSO Foundation for our flyers.

NEW SPONSOR: NEW DOOR PRIZE

We are also thrilled to announce the support of  FECK, creator of Beautiful Agony, I Shot Myself and I Feel Myself for their generous contribution. Starting in June, FECK and Pleasure Salon Melbourne will be giving away one online membership each month to one lucky Pleasure Salon Melbourne attendee.

DO YOU WANT TO HELP PSM ?

Being a community based organisation, PSM is always appreciative of any sponsorship that can be provided to assist with maintaining PSM and the contributions we make to making Australia a brighter and more sex-positive place to live. Should you or your business like to be part of this, please email us.

pleasuresalonmelbourne@gmail.com

JUNE GATHERING

Sex work from a Sex worker’s Perspective

Hosted and Presented by Christian Vega

Overwhelmingly, dramatic performances, research articles and media portrayals make the most of the misery and desperation experienced by some people who do sex work. It’s unsurprisingly rare that these stories are told by actual sex workers. Instead, audiences are fed faceless images, caricatures that perpetuate stereotypes and stigma against sex workers and stymie the progress of our human rights.

In June, Pleasure Salon Melbourne would like to change that.   With the assistance of Zero One Zero, a community digital story telling collective, a group of sex workers were given the tools and skills to express themselves through the medium of film. Pleasure Salon Melbourne will be screening some of these short films:

Name: Lover & Fighter

About: Made with the intention to de-mystify political contradictions and celebrate sex work’s positive impact on my life to those around me i have difficulty explaining it to.

Name: Whore Pride

About My Film: It’s about the latest challenges I faced as I took sex work into 3 arenas many consider too taboo for it to go: Family, Politics and Relationships.

Name: You are Me

About My Film: My film brings to the fore the double life I feel I’ve had to live due to the stigma associated with sex work

A Q&A session with their makers will follow the screening of these films. 

Sex worker, Health Service Provider, Activist; Christian (aka: Tyson Quorren-Smith amongst other aliases) has been involved with sex work for the past 12 years.  Christian has worked in a number of health and community responses for sex workers and other socially excluded peoples. He currently works at RhED (Resourcing Health and Education in the Sex Industry), as the Health Education and Support Worker for Male and Trans* Sex Workers in Victoria and co-ordinates the Hustling 2 Health Program, a peer based,  after hours drop-in service for street sex workers. As a sex worker activist, Christian has taken on a number of roles.  He is a highly active member of Vixen, the Victorian Sex Industry Network, a social support group entirely constituted of sex workers who seek to provide a voice for Victorian sex workers. Christian is also the elected National Representative of Male Sex Workers by the Scarlet Alliance, the Australian sex worker association. Alongside this experience, Christian sex work career spans many contexts from street work to escort agency work to private work with special needs clients.  Highly versatile, either being the boy next door or the boy your mama warned you about, Christian has well-practiced skills in physical, intellectual and sensory satisfaction.

WHERE : 24 Moons. AC/DC Lane. (off Flinders Lane)

WHEN: Monday June 6th

TIME: DOORS 6PM. Speaker and Movies start at 7.30pm

$10

Also, be sure to check out the page about 24Moons Wheelchair Access under our ‘pages‘  listing, should you require wheelchair access.

As I write this it’s wet and cold outside….a perfect time to get all comfy and tuned into our May presentation.

An exploration of Tantra, Spiritual Sex and Expanded Erotic Consciousness

Our May presenter, Uma, joins us from Brisbane. She has spent most of her working life in the pleasure industry, earning her living as a Sacred Intimate while exploring different approaches to sensuality and sexuality. There are many names for these sacred teachers and erotic explorers- Tantrika, Dakini, Sacred Prostitute, Sacred Intimate. All of these titles are relevant to her work and she wears them with pride.

Uma has been trained in Tantra, Shamanism and Taoism and is a Certified Sexological  Bodyworker . She has found her path in life teaching people of all genders and sexual orientations the art and mysteries of sacred sexuality, and is thrilled to bring her knowledge and passion to speak in Melbourne for the very first time.

Along with her partner, she started studying the Tantric arts 8 years ago as a way to bring their relationship  closer together . It ended up being much more profound experience than either of them could have imagined, which continues to lead them today through an ever-changing exploration of a mystical world of sensuality, heart connection and the Divine.

Uma’s presentation will  explore and explain the history of Tantra as a spiritual philosophy in ancient India and how it is as relevant, important and meaningful  today as it was in days gone by.  Drawing on influences from other spiritual disciplines including Taoism from China and Shamanism from the Americas, Uma will give an overview of how these ancient secrets can be applied to modern-day sexuality and enhance contemporary sexual relationships between all orientations and genders.
Uma’s presentation at Pleasure Salon Melbourne will cover topics including:

*What is sacred sexuality and Tantra?

*What is conscious sexuality?

*Why practice sacred /conscious sex?

*The role of a Sacred Prostitute historically and today

*The kind of people who practice Tantra and Why

* Tantra / Spiritual sex as a complement  to alternative sexual practices ( including solo sex and BDSM)

*How to bring consciousness and the Sacred into your own solo -sex life, and with others.

*Creating a pan-sexual , sacred sexual  community that includes practices from breath work to tantric massage to conscious BDSM  and sex magic.

Where: 24 Moons

Serving Drinks / Nibbles and Dumplings

When: Monday May 2nd. 6pm- 10 pm

Speaker starts at 7.30pm

$10

 Four lucky guests won fabulous door prizes, including a delicious Njoy Pure Wand and a set of Comstock films, all courtesy of Bliss 4 Women. We’re also thrilled to tell you that Maureen left behind a lot of goodies for us, so keep your tickets upon entry for fab and fun prizes over the coming months. ( of course if you can’t wait that long and would like your own selection of Comstock DVDs or Njoy toys, they can be found at http://www.bliss4women.com/ )

And now……. April…….. as we turn to the cooler months, here’s a little treat to warm you right up!

The Who, What, When, How and Why of Swinging!

Chantelle Austin’s presentation at Pleasure Salon Melbourne will be an informal introduction to swinging and swinging relationships.  As a relationship coach, swinger and author of “The Essential Guide for Adventurous Couples who want to explore Threesomes, Foursomes and Moresomes”, Chantelle answers the questions people are afraid to ask.  And since she can talk as easily about sex, sexuality and swinging as she can about what to put on the grocery list, her presentation is guaranteed to be open, honest and quite candid!  Be prepared to hear some personal stories along the way too.

With a depth of professional and personal experience, Chantelle has been on Nova FM, Today Tonight and The Morning Show, as Australia’s number one relationship expert in this area so we are privileged to have her present at Pleasure Salon Melbourne.

Whether you’re just curious about it, currently considering it, or have never heard of it, come along to get the real insider info that no one else dares to talk about in public!  This is a rare opportunity to get up close and personal (but not too personal) with the lovely Chantelle.

Topics covered will include (but are not limited to):

• What kind of people decide to engage in threesomes, foursomes and moresomes
• What swinging is in the 21^st century
• The common misconceptions about swinging and swingers
• When is the right time to explore swinging? How to know if your relationship is ready
• How to get the ball rolling – beginning conversations
• Why couples decide to swing and why others might consider it
• You’ll also have the opportunity to “Ask Chantelle” any burning question you have with a Q&A session.

WHERE : 24 Moons.

AC/DC Lane. (Off Flinders Lane)

WHEN: Monday April 4th. 2011

Doors; 6pm

Speaker: 7.30 pm

$10

Maureen Matthews grew up as an English vicar’s daughter. At the age of sixteen, her family emigrated to Australia; and at the age of 23 she was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease. Despite this, Maureen went on to complete a B A with Honours in English Literature and a Diploma of Education, as well as raise 3 sons.

In 1995 she was looking for a new challenge. She realised that all the commercial ventures to do with sex were aimed at men, were sleazy, and offered little for women and men in intimate relationships. Her own personal experiences blending a sex life with long-term relationship and family life, combined with the personal effects of her disability, inspired her to offer a tasteful, informative and intelligent alternative to the sex shops at the time. She decided to open BLISS – Australia’s first adult shop, exclusively for women.

 Now an online store, bliss4women.com is acknowledged by health professionals, counsellors, and other support groups as an invaluable resource for all people wanting to explore their sensual selves.

‘Maintaining a ‘real’ sex life in the ‘real’ world’.

Maureen’s presentation at Pleasure Salon Melbourne will draw on her vast life experience, professional experience running a woman-positive and sex-positive sex shop, and the nature of many of the more popular enquiries to her column.  Whilst Maureen’s talk will focus heavily on women, hetero partners of women, or men interested in women’s pleasures are more than encouraged to attend! (In fact, we insist!!!!)

 Maureen will be discussing sex toys for women, woman & couple-friendly erotic DVDs, and erotic literature, all of which focus on how women, and couples in long-term relationships are often looking for something different to what is generally offered by mainstream sex shops.

Topics covered will include:

• Assisting new mums, post-menopausal women, and bored couples with re-invigorating their sex lives
• Dilemmas of long-term relationships and how to negotiate them
• Ways that women can enhance their pleasure, kick-start their libido, and continue / start to enjoy sex
• Strap-on sex between women / and /or their male partners
• Anal sex, bondage play and other taboos that have started to move into the mainstream
• and what she’s learned about what women REALLY want in the bedroom ( kitchen, lounge room floor, spa, car, plane etc)

When:: Monday March 7th

Where::24 Moons  AC/DC Lane. Melbourne CBD

Doors:: From 6pm

Speaker starts ::7.30pm

$10

Drinks and snacks available all night. Come along grab a drink get comfy and meet some new folks to chat to

*****GREAT DOOR PRIZES COURTESY OF BLISS4WOMEN******

Looking forward to seeing you there.

And a huge welcome to 2011!

Hope this finds you well and contented!

Yikes, January is almost over which means that the first Pleasure Salon Melbourne for 2011 is about to kick off on Monday 7th February.

At PSM there have been a few changes to bring in the new year, and we are thrilled to announce the details of our new host venue and sponsorship from {also} Foundation & Take Care out there.

So first of all, a huge thanks to Miss Libertine for their support over the past 6 months, and it is with great pleasure we welcome the support of one of Melbourne’s finest cocktail bars, 24 Moons.

Tucked away in true Melbourne style, down AC/DC lane, 24 Moons is a sleek and gorgeous bar, providing boutique beer and wines, cocktails, table service for PSM gatherings & bar snacks and meals ranging from fancy cheese plates and other nibbles to a variety of steamed dumplings for greater appetites. 24 Moons is honoured to be supporting PSM and have agreed to open just for us on Mondays, allowing both attendees and our speakers greater exclusivity. 24 moons is accessible from AC/DC lane, off Flinders lane. There are a few stairs, however, for those who need wheelchair access, there is another entrance from Flinders street, and with ample notice, assistance can be arranged to help you into the venue. Please email us should you require this. Toilets are not fully wheelchair friendly, however with a buddy, they are usable.

February 2011

So, our first presentation for 2011, February 7th is looking at sex and pleasure around the notions of gender.

We have confirmed two fabulous presenters for the night, offering you a range of info and perspectives on playing in and with, gender diversity and fluidity.

Main Presenter: Jez is a queer transman and the visionary behind the up and coming Trans Zine: DUDE. Jez has travelled and explored queer culture in the USA, Europe and Asia and learnt to negotiate playing and existing in queer spaces, as well as cruising male only sexual spaces, sometimes under a certain level of danger, which is what he would like to change.

Jez identifies a need to continue to develop skills and share knowledge for both trans guys and those interested in playing with transguys, for the sake of making play hotter, safer and more fun!!!! He was the coverboy of the  first Dirty queer magazine, was a co-curator of the 2008 Midsumma exhibition Transmen Translated, and has performed boylesque for many years as well as a 2 year season as a male stripper for Rockstrip in 2008 and 2009. Jez has also acted in some short films and participated in documentaries that have been screened at international film festivals.

 Jez’s presentation is sure to engage and inform.

 You’ll obtain insight and awareness of trans guys and some helpful information around negotiating sexual relationships including:

•  Understanding gender identity vs. sexual identity. 
•  Overview of Trans Guys and the diversity of masculine identities. •
•  Surgery, status and assumptions. •
•  Helpful terminology and language •
•  Negotiation, respect and consent •
• Tips from DUDE: Trans Male Zine• -
•  Where to go for more information

Respectful questions and feedback will be welcomed and Jez will be happy to share personal experiences.

 Our second presentation will be a brief discussion with author of  “My Agender” , Stef Tipping, who has written and collated a new collection of stories and experiences from gender diverse folks in Melbourne and beyond. Both Jez and Stef will have copies of their respective publications available on the night for purchase and perusal.

When: Monday Feb 7th

Doors : Strictly from 6pm

Speakers start 7.30pm

Where: 24 Moons

 AC/DC Lane

 Melbourne CBD

 $10

Welcome to 2011 and we welcome you back to Pleasure Salon Melbourne!

Pleasure Salon Melbourne is proud to present the final gathering for the year:

Melbourne’s best kept naughty little secret, Burlesque Bar, comes out to play this December as some of its resident femmes fatale spill their secrets for a festive Pleasure Salon that is not to be missed! Join the house madam, Madame Natalia, resident starlet and ‘Cirque de Femmes’ Foxtrot India, and business director Lauren ‘Liquor Lollipop’ for a bare all look at the Art of Tease, it’s evolution through the ages, it’s application in the modern day and the ins and outs (pun intended) of managing, hosting and entertaining within a venue dedicated solely to sensual titillation and fun. There’ll be song, dance…burlesque…and of course some in depth discussions that peek right up the skirt of the sexual and sensual revolution taking the world by storm. Come and play…we dare you…

This end of year wrap up is going to be HUGE!

Be sure to get there early to get a comfy spot, get a drink and dinner if you’re inclined!

!!!!! Saucy door prizes for 2 lucky entrants ( courtesy of the ladies at Burlesque Bar)!!!!!!

Monday December 6^th

6pm-10pm

Speakers start at 7.30

Miss Libertine

34 Franklin Street

Melbourne

$10

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******REMINDER: Keep the proposals coming in for interested guest presenters for Pleasure Salon Melbourne 2011. ******

Email to pleasuresalonmelbourne@gmail.com

• trans issues
• sex work
• approaches to conscious touch
• BDSM
• politics
• anal play
• sex as a commodity
• women and porn
• piercing as sex play

• Topic
• What you / your group will cover
• What your experience / background / interest is in this topic
• Any approaches or perspectives on this topic that might be interesting to explore
• Anything else that you think we should know about you

• poly
• rope / bondage
• toys / usage
• pleasure
• men / women / trans approaches to sex / play
• gay / bi / hetero approaches to sex / play
• expanding vanilla
• expanding kink
• swinging
• sex education
• leather
• erotic literature
• media / cyber sex
• therapy / holistic health
• medicine
• relationships / negociation
• communicating around sex issues
• sex and spirituality
• brothels / sex-on-site venues
• and of course different perspectives on topics we have already covered.

Until next time

 November PSM takes you into a world of  the erotic and the adorned with Bella and paulus from Melbourne’s The Piercing Urge.

Bella has been around in the scene since the early nineties, and a professional Piercer and Educator with The Piercing Urge since then too. Piercing for sexual play is a favourite specialty of hers, having helped 100’s of folks explore this often fun, and useful add on to their bag of tricks.

 She has been invited to speak on radio, T.V, and in person both here in Melbourne and around Australia. She has taken an active part in the recent developments surrounding Victorian age of consent piercing legislation, Health Department Skin Penetration regulations, and the continued fight for high piercing standards.

 Her involvement in the kink scene in Melbourne sees her attending many of the public events, being involved in the production of OzKinkFest in 2009, and living a BDSM lifestyle 24/7 with her Leather boy paulus.

 Bella has presented a range of skillshares for Adrenachrome including Sharps for Sensation, Temporary Piercing for Play, and the Rough Body Play skillshare. Melbourne Leather Pride also saw her present an interesting workshop on the uses for piercing in bondage and chastity.

 Training body-piercers now consumes most of her working life. She created and runs The Piercing Urge Training Center which reflects her fun style and passion for safe body piercing activities. Current developments will soon see her making this information available online in order to extend the availability of 20 years worth of piercing expertise.

 Bella can provide a unique view that incorporates Kink, sex – and piercing.

There are many different ways piercing can be incorporated into a BDSM lifestyle choice – however there are also many ways it can go wrong too. Extreme pleasure coupled with extreme “unintended” pain is never a good thing.

 She can speak openly about the sexual advantages of genital piercings, has many funny stories accumulated over the years, and is passionate about educating people on the joys of piercing related play.

 Male – and female – chastity, additional stimulation, safe sex issues, and all the facts about these types of piercings, encourage getting educated to make informed decisions a valuable activity.

 Sex, play and metal – what a wonderful combo!!!

Join us for Bella and paulus’ amazing presentation on:

Monday November 8^th

Pleasure Salon Melbourne

Miss Libertine: 34 Franklin St.

6pm-10 pm

Speaker starts around 7.15pm

$10

 Super big thanks to Anna Brownfield!

See you all in November!

( But not the first Monday…..it’s Cup Eve, so we’re going for the second Monday which will be November 8th)