KINK.com Tours & Workshops

San Francisco, United States

4.2

Closed now

21 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

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Telephone:
Not provided
Website:
www.armorystudios.com
Address:
1800 Mission St, San Francisco, CA, 94103
b/t 15th St & 14th St
Mission
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.2 mi16th Street Mission
0.4 miLaguna St & Haight St
0.4 miHaight St & Laguna St
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Bussiness info

Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Accepts Apple Pay
No
Accepts Bitcoin
No
Parking
Street
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
No
Good for Groups
Yes
Ambience
Divey
Noise Level
Quiet
Good For Dancing
No
Alcohol
No
Happy Hour
No
Best Nights
Fri, Sat, Sun
Coat Check
No
Smoking
No
Outdoor Seating
No
Has TV
No
Offers Military Discount
Yes

Today

Today 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (San Francisco) 18:47 Sunday, 8 June 2025

Business hours

Monday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Tuesday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Wednesday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Thursday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Friday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Saturday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Sunday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Description

Specialties

Take a tour of the historic San Francisco Armory located in the heart of the Mission district.

The Armory tour is led by employees of Kink​.com, the adult video production company that acquired the building in late 2006. The hour-​long tour will take you though all five floors of the landmark building and allow you to explore the facilities originally built to service the National Guard, as well as the elaborate and cinematic sets that have since been constructed by Kink.com’s Art Department for use as production studios.

Minimum age for entry 18, with valid ID.

‘Like’ us on Facebook! «San Francisco Armory»

Follow us on Twitter! @ArmoryTours

History

Established in 1997.

In January, 2007 Armory Studios, LLC announced that it had acquired the San Francisco National Guard Armory and Arsenal located at the corner of 14th and Mission Street.

This 200,000 square foot reproduction Moorish Castle was completed in 1914 and was used as a National Guard facility until 1976. It retains original period details including wainscoting, stone staircases, sweeping corridors, cavernous access to Mission Creek, and a gigantic drill court spanning almost an acre. It served as both a barricade and safety point for officers during rioting in San Francisco in 1934. Though for most of the past 40 years, it has sat vacant, it was used by George Lucas to film the first Star Wars movie.

The Armory was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 and had been out of official use since that time.

Meet the Business Owner

Peter A.

Business Owner

Peter grew up in Derbyshire, England, the son of a sculptor and former Jesuit priest. From a young age, Peter showed strong entrepreneurial instincts selling vegetables from the family garden and brewing homemade beer to sell to his school friends. He studied Mathematics at Cambridge and Management at Ecole HEC, Paris. After completing his Master’s degree, he started a PhD in finance at Columbia Business School in NYC. At the end of his first year, he was inspired by an article about a fireman who’d made half a million pounds selling adult content on the Internet. Seeing an opportunity to combine his interest in bondage with his nose for business, Peter launched his first website, Hogtied​.com, which he ran from his dorm room for the subsequent year. In 1998, Peter decided to leave the PhD program and move to San Francisco to found Cybernet Entertainment, LLC, which over the next decade grew into the thriving conglomerate of kinky BDSM and fetish websites that are now known as Kink​.com.

KINK​.com Tours & Workshops also recommends

The Armory Club

206

reviews

Bars

Peter A. says,

«Grab a delicious cocktail at our bar before/​after your tour or workshop. It’s just across the street from our building at 14th & Mission.»

SF Armory Concert Venue

8

reviews

Venues & Event Spaces

Peter A. says,

«Check out our concert venue in the historic Drill Court of the Armory.»

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21 reviews of KINK.com Tours & Workshops

No registration required
Place rating: 3
Oakland, CA
Not all it’s cracked up to be. Yeah, you get to see some of the rooms they film in, operative word being some. But just looking at a room isn’t all that fun. The highlights are the bdsm artwork, barrels of lube and the fact that somehow doing alien porn is bestality Maybe I just went on an off night but the tour was sorta bland. That having been said everyone should go at least once for the experience and hearing «I’m here for the gang bang» at the entrance is hella funny.
Place rating: 4
San Mateo, CA
As someone who used to work as a one, I know that visitors’ experiences on tours can vary significantly depending on the guide. Even the most exotic destination can be dulled by a dry (double entendre completely unintended, but I’m keeping it) tour guide.
Fortunately, my tour guide was energetic and knowledgable. My friend and I had a lot of fun and learned some interesting facts along the way. The only reason why I’m not rating my experience 5-​stars is because we didn’t get to see The Upper Floor, which promised to be the most elaborate set.
Place rating: 4
San Diego, CA
WARNING:
THIS CONTENT IS INTENDED-​FOR ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY. READER DISCRETION STRONGLY ADVISED.
Is what my friends SHOULD’VE warned me before taking me on a tour here. On my recent trip to SF (Mar ’16) my friends wanted to take me to a historic SF «Armory musuem» for my birthday. Wow was i SO wrong.
** Note please don’t take your PRUDE, closed minded and innocent friends here. just don’t. LOL**
Armory studios is not only a SF historic landmark but also a working and functioning adult film studios. If you want a taste of something different than your normal tourists spots this might be a good place to come with friends or even bring an ahem (lover/​s) to check out.
Now its not what you think… its actually a working studio for its main website:
.
Think of this as your «Real» 50 shades of Grey playground. The Armorys intent for its tours is making the BDSM world transparent. To get you to understand and open your mind to the BDSM world. If you were ever curious to learn about it, see a historic landmark, or even get a tour of a movie studio. This place is a combo all on its own!
NO, you probably won’t see a live BDSM being filmed (if you are, you are lucky.) But for all those coming for the tour you are allowed to ask any question your heart desires regarding the above.
Overall, i enjoyed my experience because I was able to take a peek into a world i probably would never venture into.
If you have an open mind to sex and such things… a pretty sexy place to take a date. Or to try something new with your friends.
PS: Don’t forget to take pictures in: The Jail Cell, Dog house, and the paintings and room at the Upper Floor.
Place rating: 4
San Francisco, CA
My boyfriend purchased a Groupon deal for this tour. I thought the tour would be more focused on the Armory itself since this building is a SF historic landmark, however the tour is 95% geared towards the
business.
I am not one who is into BDSM, however it was intriguing and informative as I went in with an open-​mind. There were many things I had no idea people enjoyed, and couldn’t fathom why people would enjoy as such, but to each their own! I did like that sexual activities were portrayed in a positive light. It was great that our tour guide kept stressing the importance of consensus! They have a large auditorium area where they rent out for events. Quite interesting since you could be enjoying yourself at a concert while scenes are being filmed right past the wall.
Definitely take public transportation here as parking is impossible in the area. Don’t walk alone either as the area is shady. This is a hidden gem that I recommend visiting once! Make sure to look for Groupon deals for the tour!
Place rating: 4
Manhattan, NY
Fun tour, and I loved the sex-​positive and safety oriented way they talk about sex.
Their bar across the street is a great weeknight bar, as well.
Place rating: 5
Sydney, Australia
Was an interesting tour of this really big building.
Place rating: 5
Oakland, CA
UMMMMM okay… so this happened. I feel like me simply attending and writing a review causes a flash of judgments across everyone’s minds.
Luckily, I am now approaching the decade where I do not care. With that said, I went to the tour and it was actually really fun! There were people that knew ALL about the SF Armory and who has performed where and there were others (like me) that were like umm, is that a cage? Is that water? Is that water in a cage?
So I was asking questions like «has anyone ever died?» The staff was so nice and accommodating to everyone’s questions. It was a great experience! I told my mom and sister that I wanted to take them. My sister was excited, my mom smacked me upside the head and my dad yelled «No.» (Uhhh…I didn’t invite you, Dad… j/​k).
I highly recommend this place because it’s nice to go in with an open mind and see other perspectives. And the paintings are hot. (3rd floor was especially fun.) Apparently they have special parties on the 3rd floor that are invite-​only and you have to «know someone» that’s «part of the scene».
I’ve never attracted that kind of exclusivity. That’s probably why I end up at dive bars and taco trucks ;)
Place rating: 3
San Francisco, CA
An SF institution. It’s always been on the list, and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. It was basically a very brief history lesson, than an explanation of the company and a tour of all the different sets and toys, before going up to the fancy second floor, where they hold parties. Interesting, but not as educational (about the history!) as I’d have liked.
Don’t touch anything.
Place rating: 4
San Pablo, CA
Me and my husband went for our 6 year anniversary. Quinn was fun and I had a blast.
It was informative and fun.
Not for the vanilla in your life. We even got to see a scene of the top floor. Very hot
Place rating: 4
San Francisco, CA
The tour was pretty solid. A good combo of facts about the company
and the history of the building itself. Though I believe it could be more informative, but I guess that’s when you are supposed to ask questions. Don’t expect too much: for example, we came at 8:00 pm on Saturday, we didn’t see any actual sets (I guess they shoot regular hours during the week) and the machines were mysteriously hidden away. The third floor, the elite dining room, was probably the most pleasant place to stay at: we spent quite a time looking at the paintings on the walls.
By the way, they have some workshops over there. I think going to one of those might be much more exciting than the tour. Btw, our your guide, Mary Jane I believe, was really good!
Ps. Check out their vending machines in the waiting area. I bet you’ve never seen the snack that cheap in SF!
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Definitely not for the closed-​minded.
It’s interesting to see the sets… And a tad intriguing. ;)
Had a great tour guide, can’t recall her name though (my fault)! She was casual and funny, had some great knowledge… But one guy on our tour was asking like the most ridiculous questions, too obscure for someone to answer without having to reference something.
History about the building interested me a little too — particularly the portion of Mission Creek (I think?) that runs through the basement and the fact that George Lucas used the gymnasium portion for filming visual effects for one of the Star Wars movies!!!
Anyway, it’s a neat place to check out. If you’re not a square, you’ll definitely appreciate it. And it’s a fun, little date idea (at least for me and my bf, we had a good time haha).
Oh, we got the groupon — better deals for the win.
Place rating: 5
Playa del Rey, CA
Let’s get this totally clear: This is a porn studio tour of kink.com’s sets.
I’ve done this tour TWICE (with different groups of friends) and one of the tour guides said it best: «This tour is 90% porn studio tour, 10% historical facts» (or something similar to that). The guide make all the difference and now I really regret not remembering the young woman’s name who gave my first tour because she was AWESOME!!! The guy I had the second time, not so much (he was just okay, not bad).
I did NOT see actual porn being filmed on either visit. I believe the shoots are mainly done during the week (I toured on a Sunday and Saturday).
It’s odd because I thought I remembered being warned that our image may appear on a live stream and that if anyone had future political aspirations they were warned??? Not entirely sure if this was a joke or if it was serious. You definitely don’t sign consent waivers. On my first tour, I saw at least one sign saying that we were consenting to being filmed (like behind the wrestling match set’s doors), but I didn’t see it the 2nd time around (the door was already open).
Things I’ve noticed between the first two tours:
1) Everyone’s nervous and quiet at first, but the lounge really foreshadows what you will see; so I think the shock factor numbs the mainstream folks initially. There are people who legitimately walk into the tour not knowing they are walking into actual porn sets. Some people really do believe it’s going to just be a tour of a historical building.
2) The questions the audience asks are the same: «What about cleaning/​disinfecting the sets?,» «What’s the deal with STIs/​STDs?,» «How do you become an actor/​model for
?,» etc.
3) Some rooms did look differently between my two tours because the building is an active set and leftover material from different shoots were in different rooms. For example, there was a desk in the electro-​shock room which during my first tour was totally bare prior; or the camping gear in the basement (where the stream was) which wasn’t there before. The rooms visited though were 90% the same between the two.
This is fun, safe, and entertaining. :)
Highly recommend for anyone over 18. They check IDs 5 minutes before opening the doors. Btw, no need to arrive super early, they won’t let you in anyway. They’ll direct you to the Armory Club (a bar, if it’s still open that day) or to walk around Valencia.
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
Quinn, you rock those black long pants, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!
My friends and I took a tour of The Armory, and boy was it enlightening. We got to see various sets, hear the history behind them, and Quinn told some pretty amazing stories. I had no idea that the Armory is active in the community, providing resources and spaces for both profit and non profit organizations.
Place rating: 5
Washington, DC
I was a bit confused and didn’t know whether I should be shocked or act just normal. My friend invited us to a fundraiser hosted by
at the armory. We went there for the event not knowing what to expect and just thought I was there for a lame dinner. Haaaaa was I mistaken!
The dinner was hands down five stars. It was a fixed 3 course menu. The food was great. The show and the art on the otherhand haaaaa that was interesting. My date thought it was awkward. We were in for a treat. This place is the bondage hall of fame. Let me put it this way, to start, we were greeted by a young topless lady that handed us a couple of glasses of champagne. Then the show omg let me just say different.
Overall it was a different experience and it was fun.
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
«We like assholes, but don’t be an asshole.»
Our tour guide, Susan, seriously made the experience. She was down to earth, open to all kinds of questions and so damn funny. She took us to as many sets as possible and let us wander around down several hallways. Unfortunately the day we picked, they were having a shoot in the ‘upstairs’ so we didn’t get to visit that part of the building. But as luck would have it, we did run into a two scantily-​clad gentleman who gave us a nice preview of their work day. They even let us take pictures with them!
Totally worth the experience, but not for the faint of heart. Hardcore is hardcore.
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
I bought a Livingsocial deal for four and convinced three of my friends to check out the Armory with me. I’m not shy when it comes to stuff like this and I was really looking forward to the tour. I have to admit that I had watched some of kink’s videos even before I moved to the City and when I drove by the building for the first time, I was excited as if I had just seen a celebrity.
The tour takes you to many of the sets in the building but there’s no filming going on at that time so you need to use your imagination to understand what’s going on. The tour guide did demonstrate the use of the St. Andrew’s cross gently on a tour participant but of course, it was all consensual. I didn’t realize how many separate websites the company manages and I guess there are some people with very odd interests out there. I’m not into electrocuting people but if you are, hey they’ve got a website for that.
It was very informative, eye-​opening (for my friend), and a lot of fun. I highly recommend the tour!
Place rating: 4
East Bay, CA
BDSM (Bondage, Dominance, Submission and Masochism). This tour is not for the timid. If you’re the kind of person who only likes «Vanilla» lovin. Then stay home! In the other hand if you’re a freak, then journey with me through the tour of
.
After reading Fifty Shades of Grey, I decided I would take my honey to this tour. Not like he needed convincing. I would say it was the freak in me, curious as to what the items actually look like. To be honest, *crossing my fingers* in hopes we would actually witness a porn movie being filmed. Sadly, that part was a disappointment since no filming was going on.
As we entered several rooms, my mind was opened to a world I have never tapped into. A room in which a person would be hanged upside down by his/​her ankle from the ceiling, then lowered to ground. Which his/​her head would be enclosed in a metal box. Leaving only his/​her neck and lower body exposed to everyone. Who the hell thinks of this $hit?
Just when I thought that was freaky. We were brought into several others rooms with different contraptions to tie down your partner and do unspeakable things to. My mind was blown away. My head tilted in several directions trying to figure out…“how the heck does that work”? Even after explained to me, I still couldn’t figure it out. On the flip side… there were equipment and objects that made me say «how do I get one of those» *nudging my honey with my elbows*.
The filming rooms were interesting and the tour guide was informative. Although we didn’t see any filming or actors/​actresses. I think this tour would have been nice if they had tvs in the hallways during the tour which played X-​rated movies. Hey it’s
, play something for us. In the end, we were given «gift card tokens» to sign up online to their website and view the videos they offer. Let me tell you the website is not very user friendly. The «tokens» they give you, isn’t enough to really get a rise out of you. I guess they are smart, just enough to give you something so you can spend money to view other stuff.
I do recommend you experience this tour. They do provide historical information as to why it’s called «SF Armory». It’s not all about the freakiness! Check Groupon or LivingSocial for discount tickets. Have fun!
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
I did the 1 PM Saturday tour with Danielle as a guide. And it was awesome!
We waited outside, sitting on the steps of the entrance until the time of the tour. Then, they call you inside, and gather the group in this room with several couchs, kitchen appliances,… And BDSM paintings.
The tour guide comes and introduces you to how the tour will work, the rules (basically, having consent for photos of people, no stealing, no breaking), you learn about the history of the Armory, and you go off to the tour guide’s favorite rooms.
The tour was super nice, informative, and extremely fun. There were lots of couples in my group, so this is definitely a fun date option.
Go with an open mind, with a good vibe to have fun, and pick a good tour guide that is both fun and informative (I really recommend Danielle. She was great!). In that way, you will have a great time.
Place rating: 3
Lake Forest, CA
Meh. So hearing that they film porn here, I was looking forward to a really interesting, titillating tour. On a Monday night, we were part of a group of six people, so we had a really small and intimate tour. The tour itself seemed to be just walking through rooms to see the set: «Here’s where they film the electro-​shock scenes.» «Here’s where they film water torture scenes.» «This room is used for female wrestling, where wrestlers score points for ripping clothes off of or violating their opponents.» Yawn. After a while, it gets kind of boring. It’s a really interesting and beautiful building, but I wouldn’t say it’s been «kept up well» by the
company. There are props everywhere, giant vats of lube, and the sets themselves definitely show wear.
I didn’t want to sit on anything or touch anything — I kept my hands in my pockets nearly the entire time. Passing an Ikea futon with multiple stains on it propped up against the wall and then reading the sign about cleanliness (sort of a «make sure you use the proper cleaning agents and clean up after yourself» type of sign) really made me keep my presence really small, lest I touch something. Because as our tour guide mentioned, people have sex EVERYWHEERE. EVERYWHERRRRRRRRRRE. Like on the upstairs floor, there is a beautiful dining room and bar area, where the
folks host dinner/​brunches/​BDSM mixers. So literally, people have had sex right where you’re standing. And wherever you’re sitting.
Our guide was really helpful in answering questions, so for me the most interesting part was when we sat in the bar to ask them (I sat on someone else’s lap, thank you). I was really hoping to learn more about BDSM but the tour itself doesn’t say that much about it, so you have to ask. I asked about how much autonomy the models have in directing the scene, what protocol is used to garner consent or stop a scene, and whether the models are contracted, or directly employed. I think I learned a bit but it was only because I asked. Otherwise, the tour itself was kind of lackluster.
The Armory is HUGE and is a really unique and interesting space (loved the underground room with the Mission Creek running through it) and thought it would be really great if part of it was a BDSM museum, a restaurant, or even a hotel of sorts. Our guide said that the main «gym» area is used for community events such as farmers’ markets and health clinics for the homeless, which was really nice to hear.
I think the art work was the most interesting part of the Armory, since it actually depicted BDSM scenes. My my. I wanted to know more about the community and the culture, rather than the production aspect of BDSM porn. I would have rather watched a documentary, but if you’re into touring a porn studio to see where it’s done, go right ahead.
Place rating: 3
San Jose, CA
«We like assholes, but don’t be an asshole» meaning don’t steal stuff during the tour. Gawd, that was funny.
For those of you who don’t know. The SF Armory was a building owned by the US govt for the military. Having been unused for many years, it was sold to an adult website called
, which specialized in BDSM. They now rent out their studios to different production companies (adult entertainment or not), host sex workshops, and give tours to those curious about the BDSM industry.
Our tour started out great, but then the fun just fizzled out by the end. Our guide was friendly, but it was apparent that she had no set agenda on what to speak of or about. A good part of the tour was spent in one room, where she sat and gave us information on what the bdsm business entailed. Quite boring. Yawn.
My one and only tip for making it a better tour– Ask questions! The tour is really what you make of it and if you don’t ask questions, the guide will probably run out of things to talk about and end the tour early.
What I liked:
— The art work on the walls. I can’t believe each of the paintings was a still from different scenes.
— The themed filming rooms were interesting to see
— Seeing all the different devices
— Knowing that you can be an extra for one of their «ultimate surrender» scenes lol!
— The friendly cat that lives in the waiting room
What the tour needs more of:
— History of bdsm or porn in general
— Explanation or show & tell on some of the tools seen on the tour
— Explanation on how the rooms & props are created
— Larger gift shop
Place rating: 4
Oststeinbek, Schleswig-Holstein
Die Tour kann man jedem empfehlen der sich auch abseits der Touristenattraktion bewegt und natürlich auch Leuten die sich mit BDSM Filmen anfreunden können. Die Tour bringt einen guten Hintergrundblick auf die Arbeit eine der größten BDSM Pornoproduzenten. Leider kommt die Geschichte des Gebäudes etwas zu kurz, kann natürlich je nach Teilnehmern und der Tourleitung variieren. Bei uns war es Dane (?) der seinen Job wirklich gut gemacht hat und auch bei persönlichen Fragen nett geantwortet hat. Alle Sterne hätte es gegeben wenn etwas mehr zum Gebäude erzählt worden wäre.
Übrigens es gibt auch ein kleinen Souvenir Shop.