FAQ

Yearly Membership Rates:

  • Annual Membership: $40 per person in advance (discounted online rate).
  • Event/Class Tickets: Every event has a ticket price listed in its details. We offer discounts for online/early ticket purchases. Due to attendance restrictions for safety, pre-purchase your tickets online in advance to be guaranteed entry.

Click here to purchase event tickets.

Some events are designated for COVID VACCINATED-ONLY members. If you purchase a ticket to a vaccinated-only event and we don’t have proof of vaccination on file, or you don’t bring your ACTUAL covid vaccine card/paperwork with you (not just a picture on your phone), you will NOT BE ADMITTED and you will NOT have your ticket refunded.

Membership / How Do I Join?

Tampa Bay Phoenix Club is a private membership club.

We welcome members 18+ years of age regardless of gender, orientation, or relationship status. Yes, even if you’re single. Price is per person. We do not use gender-based pricing. Membership price is for a year, and events are priced separately.

To ensure privacy and security for our members, we screen all prospective members before they’re allowed to join. Bring a valid, current, legal government photo ID that also has your date of birth on it (NO EXCEPTIONS). Driver’s license, state ID, passport, military ID, or any other form of legal, government-issued PHOTO ID that has your date of birth on it. You must bring the ID WITH YOU. No pictures on your phone will be accepted.

You will be sent an electronic liability waiver form to fill out. All prospective members/renewing members are run through the USDOJ national database of registered sex offenders before entrance is allowed. This is NOT optional. If you are on that database, you will not be admitted to our facility, even if you were previously a member.

We operate with an all-volunteer staff who are dedicated to bringing you one of the best play-spaces in the area. Here you will find a diverse group of people who share the same desire to practice and learn in an environment that promotes continuing education and doing so when it comes to Risk Aware Consensual Kink. We strive to bring you experienced speakers and offer classes to let you practice your new skills in a comfortable and fun way.

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions we receive.

Q: What about alcohol or drugs?

A: The Tampa Bay Phoenix Club does NOT allow alcohol or drugs, and has a zero-tolerance policy in effect. DO NOT bring them here. Violators will be immediately removed from the club without a refund and banned. We are VERY serious about this. Also, if someone arrives and we believe they are intoxicated or otherwise impaired, we reserve the right to deny them entry for the evening.

We reserve the right to inspect all coolers and beverage/food containers brought into the club and possibly deny items be brought in.

Yes, you may bring your own NON-alcoholic beverages. (We do NOT allow non-alcoholic beer or kombucha.) And yes, you may bring your own food. Also, yes, you may bring an empty reusable cup/water bottle of your own to use all evening. (We thank you for that because it saves us a few pennies!)

Q: Towels and blankets?

A: Due to Covid, we no longer provide towels or blankets. You must bring your own. If your bare bum is exposed, you must sit on a towel or blanket. We have a limited number available for sale in the office.

Q: What can I expect to see there?

A: That depends on what event you attend. Some of our events, like certain classes and demos, socials, munches, and coffee times are NOT play events, and you’ll see people in street clothes socializing, or attending whatever the class/demo is. If it’s a play event, the activities that you might witness can vary drastically depending on the evening. For example, on a rope night, you’ll have a different experience than on a night where it might be a general play night.

Q: What is the minimum age?

A: You must be at least 18 years of age or older to attend/join.

Q: I am het/gay/trans/CD/disabled/single/______. Am I welcomed?

A: We welcome ANY person who is 18 or older and agrees to abide by our rules, regardless of their gender, orientation, or identification on the LGBTQ rainbow, or their kink interests. (Provided they are NOT a registered sex offender.)

Please note: our staff does their best to properly pronoun people. If we are mistakenly using the wrong pronoun, please let us know! Or if you have a preferred name besides your legal/dead name, please let us know that so we can note it. Thanks!

Q: How many women are there tonight?

A: Um, for starters, EW, that’s a creepy fricking question.

We are a private membership club, a kinky community center. We welcome newbies, but if you think you’re going to show up on any given night and immediately meet someone to play–especially in the post-Covid-19 era–you’re wrong. You need to start coming out regularly, meet people, let them get to know you. We can never depend on FetLife’s event “attendance” markers, because many people aren’t using FetLife any longer. We have had nights that started out really slow and picked up at 11:00 because people arrived from other events. We’ve had nights that started out packed, and people played early and then left, and by 11:00 it’s dead. And we have nights that are steady from beginning to end. We can never predict attendance.

Q: What about my safety? Will I be hit on every five minutes?

A: Contrary to misconceptions perpetrated in popular media, people who attend events are not at any greater risk than anyone attending public events. All new members are given the newbie talk where we go over rules, protocols, and expectations, so everyone’s on the same page. As with any social gathering, people might approach you to talk. If at any time you feel uncomfortable, please immediately approach one of our volunteers to intervene.

Q: Do you have a dress code? What do I wear? How revealing must I be?

NOTE: We have a mandatory face mask rule for all events/classes.

A: Some events are street legal/casual wear. (Check the event description for more info.) Some events have a “theme.” Theme nights (unless otherwise specified in the event description) are always optional, and we do not turn people away for how they’re dressed as long as they arrive street-legal. (And you’re not stinky because you haven’t bathed in a year or something. LOL) By “street-legal” we mean you must have the “pink bits” covered. Whether it’s casual clothes, or full formal fetish, or your leathers, or a sexy dress, or full latex (but seriously, summer in FLORIDA??), or shorts and a T-shirt, or you’re a cross-dresser, or you wear your unicorn onesie–we honestly do NOT care.

By “street-legal” it means you need to arrive covered in such a way that at the very least if you’re walking down St. Pete Beach it won’t get you arrested for indecent exposure. (Please do NOT take that as a “challenge-accepted” to show up in a Speedo or bikini.)

We do however have a mandatory face mask policy. Restrictions on the mask policy may vary by event and Covid rates please ask upon arrival.

As far as regular play events, we ask everyone to either arrive in normal street clothes and change when you get here, or be covered up “street-legal” upon arrival. So, anything you feel comfortable in. Full fetish gear, to street clothes, to nothing at all. It’s all welcome once you’re inside. Fetish wear is admired, not required. We do ask if you are naked, or otherwise attired in such a way as your bare bottom might be touching furniture, that you sit on a towel.

Note that for non-play events and classes, the attire is generally street/casual clothes, and nudity is NOT allowed at events like munches/coffee times, 101 classes, etc.

Q: What about photography (outside of photography nights/classes)?

A: Outside of our special photography events, ABSOLUTELY NO photography of any kind is allowed without prior permission from management, the DM must take the picture with your device, and will immediately review of the photos before the photographic device is allowed to be removed from the premises. Anyone caught taking unauthorized pictures or video or audio will have their device immediately confiscated by management, the device will be FACTORY RESET TO COMPLETELY WIPE IT BEFORE IT IS RETURNED TO YOU, and you will be immediately removed and banned from the premises.

Q: Do you allow sex in your club? Is this a swinger club? Are you a sex club? Are you a strip club? Do you have private rooms?

A: NO.

We ARE a sex-positive club–we’re positive you CANNOT HAVE SEX IN OUR CLUB.

We do NOT allow sex in our club, and we are NOT a swingers club. If you have any questions about what activities are permitted and prohibited, please ask staff BEFORE you play.

We are NOT a sex club. We are NOT a strip club. There is no “show” to watch. We do NOT have paid performers/players, and we do NOT have staff performers/players. This is a private membership club. Please see the video we have posted with the tour of our facility.

Q: Do you have private rooms? Can I just drop by to look around?

A. No, we do not have private rooms. Please see our quick video tour of our facility.

Q: I saw someone playing and want to meet them. What’s the best way?

A: Being polite is always a good first step. If the person is not engaged in a scene or aftercare, simply ask if they can talk, introduce yourself, and talk with them. Don’t be rude or pushy. And if they decline to talk, or don’t want to play, please respect that.

Q: Do I have to play? Is it mandatory?

A: No and NO! Never allow yourself to be drawn into a situation where you will be uncomfortable. Forget the nonsense you’ve read in books about uncollared submissives being grabbed and forced to play. Think of it as a kinky bar…without alcohol. You might have someone approach you and want to talk. And like in any other normal social situation, if you’re uncomfortable, either disengage from them, or approach a staff member to intervene. That’s what they’re there for. Some people only come to watch or socialize with friends. Participation is never required. We view ourselves as a kinky community center.

Q. I’m looking for a pro-Dom/me.

A. Sorry, we do not work with any pro-Dom/mes, and we do not give referrals or recommendations. We also do NOT provide play partners for people. This is a private membership club. Pro-Dom/mes are NOT allowed to conduct “business” on our premises.

Q. I am a pro-Dom/me and want to attend.

This is a private membership club. You are welcomed to join and become a member, but you may NOT use our facility for commercial BDSM activities. Our rules prohibit commercial/pay-to-play/professional BDSM activities. Anyone found in violation of this rule will be ejected, banned from the premises, and their membership revoked, without refund.

Also, while you are here, do not engage in business discussions about adult-related business, like trying to set up a porn shoot, or telling people you’re a professional Dom/me, etc. If you are ever approached by anyone with those kinds of discussions, please bring it to a staffer’s attention so they can take care of it.

NOTE: You CAN discuss subjects like photography TECHNIQUES, things like that.

Q. Can you hook me up to play with someone? Do you have people on staff to play with? Can I join your staff as a Top/bottom?

A. Sorry, we neither provide play partners, nor do we facilitate hook-ups. Our staff is an all-volunteer staff, and we do NOT provide play partners. The best way to meet new play partners is to get out to community events (like coffee times and munches) and talk to people. It usually takes attending a regular event a minimum of three times before someone relaxes enough to actually start meeting and connecting with people. So don’t attend once and never return. Everyone was new once. The more you get out and meet people, the easier it is to talk to people. Do some of our volunteers play? Yes, because we’re all members of the club. But do not arrive with the expectation that you’ll be able to arrange for someone to play with you.

The bottom line is be courteous, and do not touch people, or possessions, that do not belong to you. If you have any questions, ask FIRST. NO means NO, and we are serious about that. If someone tells you NO, respect it. They do NOT owe you an explanation.

Our universal safeword is RED. If you need immediate outside assistance during a scene, call out MAYDAY. (Health issue, equipment failure, suspension going wrong, etc.)

Any edge play must be cleared with DMs/staff first to make sure we can accommodate it and to ensure your play isn’t accidentally interrupted mid-scene. We do our best to accommodate players and their scenes. (Fire play/fire cupping, knife scenes, etc.) At this time, due to Covid, we are NOT allowing medical play or other play that can spill blood or other bodily fluids.

Rules

(Not a complete list of rules, and subject to revision/modification without prior notice. Follow a staffer’s directions. You will still need a New Member Orientation even if you’ve memorized this list.)

  • We have a mandatory face mask dress code rule. You MUST wear a cloth or similar material face covering that covers your nose AND your mouth. If we have to remind you three times to put your mask on, we will ask you to leave (no refund). We will have a limited number of masks available for sale (touchless pay/credit/debit card only). We reserve the right to tighten mask restrictions for any event without notice.
  • Players assume ALL risk for their activities and attendance.
  • Temperature checks will take place upon arrival and throughout the evening.
  • If you or someone in your household has been exposed to Covid-19, or you’re waiting for test results, do not attend. If you’ve been traveling in the past 14 days, or attended a large event, or work in a high-risk/high-exposure job, please do not attend.
  • Maintain your distance from others unless you have explicitly obtained their consent to approach them.
  • Do not congregate in the office. If you aren’t checking in or purchasing something from the retail section, please go outside or remain in the play space.
  • Please don’t move play furniture. If you use one of the couches for seating or aftercare, please wipe it down when finished. At the end of the night, please dispose of all trash and use the spray cleaner to wipe down your table and chair.
  • We have hand sanitizer available throughout the facility–please use it frequently and wash your hands frequently.
  • Please thoroughly clean your play station before and after play. Do not let someone else use your play station until after you’ve cleaned it.
  • The Tampa Bay Phoenix Club and its volunteers assume no responsibility for lost/stolen items.
  • If it’s not yours, don’t touch it. This includes people, implements, and other possessions. Do NOT assume something is there for everyone to use–ASK FIRST.
  • NO means NO. It is a complete sentence requiring no further explanation. If someone tells you NO, respect that. Violators of this policy will be removed.
  • NO sex. For clarification of what activities are allowed and what is prohibited, please ask staff or a DM before play commences.
  • NO alcohol. (No non-alcoholic beer, either.)
  • NO drugs (including poppers).
  • NO smoking/vaping inside the building or next to the front door or AC units, and use the provided butt receptacle.
  • NO photography/videography/recording unless it is a special photography event or has been cleared in advance by staff and is directly supervised by staff. Violators of this policy will be banned.
  • NO cell phone/tablet/smart watch/wearables use inside the play spaces/classroom. Please silence phone ringers and other devices. You may step out into the office or outside to use your phone/device. (You may have the phone in your possession in the play spaces/classroom, but you may not take it OUT. We have clocks on the walls.) Phones must be in bags, purses, or pockets. Phone holsters where the phone’s camera is exposed may not be used.
  • NO blood play, cutting, blood cupping, or other play that could spread bodily fluids at this time due to Covid 🙁
  • NO spitting during play.
  • NO urine, NO feces, NO intentional vomiting as part of a scene. (This means no “diaper play.” You can wear one, but no toileting play is allowed.) You are responsible for cleaning up anything, and if our staff determines it was deliberate on your part, you will be evicted and banned.
  • NO firearm/gun play (real or simulated).
  • NO breath play/choking/neck ropes or other neck restraints that can tighten. (NON-tightening ties that function similarly to a collar are allowed.) If a bottom is standing or on a high piece of equipment, do NOT attach anything to their neck other than a collar, and do NOT attach anything to the collar and then to an overhead hardpoint.
  • NOTE: Because of Covid, we are currently NOT allowing any blood play, or other play that could spill body fluids. (No cutting, blood cupping, etc.) Any blood or body fluids during play means the scene needs to stop, clean that up, and then play can resume. We allow wax play, but you must bring your own supplies. Any fire play, needle/medical/cutting play, wax play, or other similar play is NOT allowed in the Manor section (carpeted) and may only be done in the Dungeon section (concrete floor).
  • Notify DMs/staff before conducting edge play. (Fire play of any kind, knife play, suspensions, medical play, etc.) For play involving elements of fire/fire play, please make sure to take all safety precautions before play starts. (Some types of fire play are not allowed due to safety issues and facility/space constraints. Please ask us first what is and isn’t allowed.) Depending on the situation, permission for some types of play might be denied on a case-by-case or night-by-night basis. We do our best to try to accommodate our members, but safety is our priority. We might ask for you to delay your scene to allow staff/DMs time to prepare properly. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in this matter in helping to keep the Phoenix Club a safe place to play. If you have any questions about this policy, please feel free to contact us ahead of time to discuss it or to make arrangements in advance so we can ensure your play will go smoothly and safely.
  • Please be courteous and limit scenes (including set-up and break down) to 45 minutes. Please move your belongings away from a piece of play equipment immediately after you are finished playing so others know it’s available. Do not leave your stuff set up and go do aftercare–clear it first. Do not “stake out” a piece of equipment and leave your bags, because staff WILL move them. If you want to use a specific piece of equipment that’s busy, we strongly suggest telling our DMs so they can help facilitate the logistics.
  • If you are going to do more than one scene on a piece of equipment, conduct your first scene, clean it and MOVE so someone else can use it (or check with the DMs to see if anyone else wants to use it) and allow someone else to have a turn on it. Or move to a different piece of equipment.
  • Do not sit on or otherwise tie up play equipment unless you are actively using it for play. You should be sitting in the social areas, not the play areas. Do not use play equipment to hold your implements. Our DMs will move your stuff. Play equipment is NOT seating. If you sit on it, you clean it.
  • We have rolls of paper and shrink wrap you can cover the tables with, just ask for assistance. If unfamiliar with wax play, please read the posted instructions first and ask a DM for assistance BEFORE engaging in it.
  • If nude, or your bare bottom is exposed, sit on a towel or blanket.
  • Notify DMs/staff before conducting edge play. (Fire play of any kind, knife play, suspensions, medical play, etc.) For play involving elements of fire/fire play, please make sure to take all safety precautions before play starts. (Some types of fire play are not allowed due to safety issues and facility/space constraints. Please ask us first what is and isn’t allowed.) Depending on the situation, permission for some types of play might be denied on a case-by-case or night-by-night basis. We do our best to try to accommodate our members, but safety is our priority. We might ask for you to delay your scene to allow staff/DMs time to prepare properly. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in this matter in helping to keep the Phoenix Club a safe place to play. If you have any questions about this policy, please feel free to contact us ahead of time to discuss it or to make arrangements in advance so we can ensure your play will go smoothly and safely
  • NEVER leave someone suspended or restrained without direct supervision. (Meaning you are within arm’s length of them, NOT across the room watching them.) DMs/staff reserves the right to step in and free anyone they find unsupervised who is suspended/restrained. (If you don’t want those ropes cut, then do not leave your bottom unattended.) Offenders will have their membership revoked at management’s discretion depending on the severity of the situation. If you have an EMERGENCY situation and need to leave your scene, flag down a DM or get a friend to step in to supervise them while you take care of the emergency. (Having a smoke is NOT an emergency and will get you chewed out.)
  • Rope riggers: Have safety scissors/knife/rope cutter handy for emergency situations. If doing a suspension, please have a safety spotter in place in addition to our DMs, if possible. We also have bolt cutters on hand.
  • If using the chains for suspension, only ONE bottom/person per chain, and please use the “puzzle” mats under them for safety. Also, please don’t jump onto or spin the chains, or Tarzan swing from them.
  • Do NOT encroach, intervene, or otherwise interfere in someone else’s scene unless they specifically ask for your assistance/participation. People who disrupt scenes will be asked to leave. If someone calls MAYDAY that is an all-call for outside assistance to step in. If you don’t hear that, and you see something that concerns you, find someone with a name badge to bring it to their attention. (They might have told us their safeword for the evening is MEATLOAF and not RED.)
  • Please keep conversations on the social side of the spaces. Be mindful of where you’re standing so you don’t block others’ view of the play area or infringe on the play area.
  • The social areas are NOT for play. (And the play areas are NOT for socializing.)
  • Please leave Tops room to swing implements. If you are not involved in a scene, please do not impede the play of others, or stand too close to their play area. We have social areas for socializing. If you get hit by a Top swinging an implement, it is YOUR fault for getting too close. Think about it like track and field events–heads UP, or heads OFF.
  • Please refrain from intentionally cracking whips unless it’s our a designated whip event. We appreciate your consideration (and so do your fellow players). During play events, we do not allow whips over 4′.
  • Likewise, if your bottom is noisy (likes to scream/constantly moan loudly) please gag them. If your scene is making excessive noise to the point you are infringing on other scenes, DMs reserve the right to step in and give the Top a warning.
  • Do not take food or open containers of drinks (except water) into the play areas. If food is needed for your scene, please make sure to clean up after your scene. NO FOOD-PLAY IN THE MANOR SECTION.
  • Please reserve couches for those needing to conduct aftercare. If couches are full, please give up your seat to someone needing it for aftercare. After sitting on the couches, please wipe down your space.
  • Do not leave your implement bags on the couches, or in chairs. Staff reserves the right to move items if seating is needed. We provide shelving for implement bag storage.
  • Only ONE person at a time in the bathrooms/changing room. If you need a caregiver accommodation for a disability, notify our DMs BEFORE, so we aren’t cop-knocking on the bathroom door. When finished, please leave the bathroom door open and the light off (otherwise a line will form).
  • Anyone going into the office or outside must be dressed or otherwise “street-legal” in their attire. (This means cover up the bits.) Even if just crossing through the office from one section to the other–YES, you MUST BE COVERED. Grab a blanket and wrap it around you.
  • Absolutely NO play is allowed outside or in the office area.
  • Please do not hesitate to ask our DMs/staff questions, or to ask for assistance, or to bring problems to their attention. We want all our members to have a safe and fun experience.
  • Obey all instructions issued by DMs/staff.
  • Management/staff reserves the right to amend these rules as needed without prior notification.

If you have any questions not covered by this FAQ, please contact us for more information.