London can be a difficult city sometimes: it’s crowded, it’s expensive and the Tube is always breaking down. Add in the Congestion Charge and it starts to look a lot like a nightmare. But, before you pack up and move to the countryside, don’t forget that there are plenty of great things about London BDSM – not least the BDSM scene there.

Few other cities in the world have such a thriving counterculture. It’s not surprising. One fifth of all the people in the UK live in London, so if you have an itch that just won’t go away you’re more likely to find someone to scratch it in London than you are anywhere else. The sheer number of people in London also means that the scene is immensely varied. Take a look on Fetlife and you’ll find events for the young, events for the old, munches, crunches, brunches and rope jams. You’ll find classes and orgies, meet and greets and full-on parties. London BDSM is nothing if not varied.

And, better yet, it’s also immensely open and welcoming. Indeed, there are a good few kink events that have well and truly broken through into the mainstream. Torture Garden and Antichrist are the most well-known of this bunch, but there are dozens of other kink events that have shown their faces in the pages of Time Out and other London listings. Even if you prefer exclusive events, you can’t deny that the sheer openness of London’s kink scene makes it easier than ever to throw yourself into things… and I’m sure you’ll have a hell of a time when you do!