SF Citadel

The SF Citadel is full of everything you need to explore your kinks. No need to join in the play if you are just curious to watch you can stand on the sidelines and enjoy the scenes going on in the dungeon. You can also relax in the social are if you are more comfortable there.
My partner and I host an event called Sensuali-​TEA where we serve aphrodisiac teas and encourage an incredible sensual vibe at the dungeon (more info at
).
This is a great place for novices and veterans alike.

It sounds to crowded soi I will look elsewhere thank you anyways. My Sexy Wife is looking for somewhere that isn’t to hard to play with all the sreas in this evet place. Twist is for sure a grat place to go try it and see for yourself.

cool sex bdsm club in san francisico im fan ill be back i just like to watch and mingle

My time spent at the Citadel was fabulous! I enjoyed the food, met wonderful people and had great play experiences. A great place for beginners and experienced people alike. It’s also spacious as others have said and deserves 5 stars.

A great clean play space. Some of the equipment is a little crowded but not to horribly. My #1 complaint is that the bathroom could use some tlc. Other than that, the staff is super friendly and so are the patrons. They host classes for the newbies and seasoned alike. There’s always something going on. I can’t wait to go back.

This is a fantastic place to explore the BDSM community! There are many different classes and specialty parties, so if the first thing you try isn’t a fit, consider trying a different night. For people in the under-​40 crowd, check out BENT, which is the youth event– it’s held every other month and is the Citadel’s biggest ongoing party, with over 250 sexy people attending each time. BENT also has a fun & interactive dungeon orientation before the play party starts, so if you’re newer to the scene (or just wanna come watch a good class), arrive by 8:30pm for the orientation! A full calendar listing all the Citadel’s specialty events can be found on their web site. Consider volunteering, especially if you’re checking out the community solo– it’s a great way to meet people and get involved. Hope to see you there!

The Citadel is an excellent BDSM club. If you’re thinking of going, do! Fantastic ambiance and play fixtures, and the crowd is respectful and interesting. Music was spot-​on, lighting was spot-​on, and everything was spaced out nicely and seemed clean enough to use – we did! $ 1 extra charge per person for paying with a card. Take a cab, you probably don’t want to leave your car nearby. Highly recommend, even for first-​timers.

This review is about newbie munch and 1^st visit as newbie.
1. There are so many BDSM curious newbies, newbie munch (venue) maybe extremely crowded. The one restroom may have long lines during the 1 hour break. Be warned. If you read the web site carefully, you don’t need to go to the munch. Pretty much what details of what’s on the sf-​citadel web site. (You spend more than the $ 5 saved door fee. Also, driving, parking between the munchie and main site is a hassle. They are about 1 mile apart.)
2. If you attend newbie munch then go to the main dungeon, there’s a $ 5 discount (from $ 25). they charge $ 1 extra fee for credit cards.
3. Newbie night is pretty much a tourist attraction. Many BDSM curious couples and singles that do not «play» but go there to watch. Only few old timers playing at a couple play stations. With a couple naked guys walking around chit chat with everyone. Many TS there.
4. Generally the «tourists» are better looking than the old timers, but too shy to play.
Perhaps the newbies on newbie might scared off the «regulars»?
5. No dress code on newbie night. Other nights, generally black is the (preferred or mandatory?) color.
6. The dungeon shows serious signs of age, wear & tear. (& lots lots of high-​heel holes on all the plastic leather surface everywhere) Kind of depressing. The pictures are way too nice for the actual site. (were taken way back when the place was new?) Sf-​citadel BDSM is MAINLY for Dom-​Sub scenes & plays. It’s about power, control– controlled, submission, pain and humiliation. There’s zero sense of «sensuality». The place is NOT romantic. Period. I could not get a woody. When we were leaving passing by many SF clubs, there’re many many hot chicks dressed to impress that you do NOT find in sf-​citadel will get you a serious woody.
7. Overall, unless if you are really into BDSM yourself and want to play/​experiment, skip the place. Get a BDSM porn or go to
to watch some of their live (?) shows.
8. I might go back one more time on a none newbie night to see what’s «normally» happening.
9. The people (staff) there are super friendly. Lots of snacks provided (at dungeon, not munchie venue). After all, the newbie tourists do provide a major source of income to the organization. (Hey, somebody got to pay the rent and operating cost!)
Good luck.

They could work on improving the ambiance. Maybe more flattering lighting and some good music so it doesn’t just look like some old community center filled with doughy, older peeps getting their freak on!

Well equipped play space for most kink adventures. There are few cozy corners and mostly wide open spaces. There is a coffee/​tea bar and sitting areas for pre and post play chat. I’ve only been a couple of times but found everyone to be respectful. It is a cozy and safe space with a good sense of community. Go to watch or go to play. The couple of times I’ve been there it had mostly hetero D/​s couples and a few really good people doing rope work. If you are really into BDSM or want to find your way in the community this is a must. You must check out their events calendar. There is always something going on there. Go get your flog on at SF Citadel.

What a great place! My bf and I decided to visit this place before going to Folsom Street Event the next day. It was packed. We were curious about BDSM and wanted to find out more. We went just wanting to watch. However…
This place is very well equipped. Clean. Non-​judgemental. The volunteers gave us some guidelines and advise. We started watching others performing their «scenes». There was an «Educational room» where the experts demonstrate various technics. Learned some interesting things there. You have choices to stay by yourself or get to know other people. Lots of sharing of ideas at the lounge. It wasn’t long before my bf and I decided to do our own «scene». It was my first time being naked and having sex in public. It was the whole environment, the quietness of the «dungeon» (no talking allowed) and the tremendous sexual vibes all over the place, that got us into the mood. A great place.

an inaccessible space?
it really doesn’t matter to me what they might have or offer since they’ve chosen to exclude a portion of their community via stairs and apathy.

From the first moment I stepped into the Citadel, alone, I felt safe and welcomed in. This is home. Not only can you be apart of an amazing community but you have so many sources to learn from. The classes are great and there is always something for everyone.
Very clean, well-​equipped, and is all about protection. The themed events are very fun and always something new. Open events are fun and sometimes easier to get to know people. Open yourself up and say hi to some people, if you just like watching that’s fine too.

Best public play space ever. Enough said.

Kink. BDSM… most people might think we’re a bunch of odd weirdos into weird fetishes and dressed up all in leather most of the time like some crazy psychopaths…
So… maybe part of that might be true. but I assure you most of us are just normal people that are just more open to the idea of doing and exploring other things. As such, it’s pretty much required for the people in this community to be really friendly. The SF Citadel provides a safe, clean, and friendly atmosphere for people to socialize and live out their fantasies.
This place recently moved to this new location only a few months ago, however the people and energy remain the same. Run by great people, and each party has its own theme. so check out the calender and find what’s best for you. If you’re new and perhaps just want to set your foot into the door into kink. you can always hang out at Wicked Grounds where the kink friendly café has a lot of people you can talk to and meet beforehand.

I’m about to out myself.
If you are reading this, you are either genuinely interested in the venue and what it has to offer *you* or you are an asshole looking for some titillating stories to satiate your 50 Shades of ShitLit withdrawals.
To the latter I say: Fuck off.
To the former I say: Welcome home.
I’m transient. I go from place to place fairly often due to the nature of my job. I’m a loner. I don’t have a gaggle of friends and I don’t generally enjoy the company of most people. I often find myself in a place, alone, bored, and restless. Finding a place to unleash my dark passenger is a bit tricky.
The Citadel opened her door and cautiously stepped aside for me. I was handed a membership card, given the rundown of the rules of engagement (these are pretty standard in all establishments of this sort), and pushed into the foyer.
Lockers are available. They get snatched up quickly and you must have your own lock. Those are available for sale should you forget this tidbit.
There is seating and a small play space upstairs. It was a little congested and the din of conversation was a bit much. However, there is a straight view over the railing to the dungeon area downstairs. It offers a balcony view of any activity below.
Once downstairs, you will find a well-​equipped dungeon. If you are shy or a voyeur, you will mostly be left alone. No one seemed to mind my observational nature. Mind you, there were a few friendly greetings and smiles. However, no one pressured me to engage in any way. I was left feeling that the option to engage was available should I choose to do so.
The space was a little smaller than I expected but was certainly not tiny. There was room to breathe and stretch out without fear of stumbling into someone else’s scene.
There are regular events scheduled and educational activities. The volunteer staff is amazingly helpful and welcoming. So, if you are sitting at home, bored, restless, and itching to unleash your dark passenger, The Citadel welcomes you.

I love The Citadel and I love The Citadel community. The new space is awesome, clean, and well-​equipped with a few different rooms and areas for both play, socializing, and aftercare.
For the most part, people are welcoming and the space feels really safe. It can be difficult to find pick-​up play (for those who come to events alone) and the non-​queer events are heavily weighted, like 80/​20, dudes/​ladies. However, if you are looking to meet people to make friends, rather than cruising to play, I don’t find it that difficult. It’s true that people do tend to hang with their group or clique, but if you are friendly, non-​creepy, and are willing to extend yourself a bit, meeting people is easy enough.
I personally would love to see a few more ladies-​only or queer parties on the docket.

Not only do you get to see true sadists, masochists, and performers like myself in action, its something anyone can attend with out an RSVP. A little pricy at the door, but you get to see a true dungeon in action and people like me kick the crap out of big guys, and big guys kickin’ the crap out of me lol you don’t see that every where.
complementary snacks and drinks, but no beer or alcohol. You have to understand that if someone is beating the hell out of you you want them sober so they can keep your safety in mind. Two legs up!!!

I’ve been active in the BDSM community for over 20 years to varying degrees so the SF Citadel is not the first public play space I’ve ever been to but it certainly is the BEST, the cleanest, the nicest and the safest. I’ve always felt safe playing at the Citadel and the folks there are very friendly. The SF Citadel is my home-​base for sexy fun, education, kinky community and friends.
If you’re new to SF or to BDSM, this is the place to go. Not a novice? Better yet! Regardless, bring your hotness and your energy & be prepared to have a kinky good time, make new friends and maybe learn a new trick or two.

After years of being curious, studying, exploring, and then some private and semi-​public play, I arrived at SF Citadel for the first time about five years ago. Yes, it has almost 5000 sq feet of well equipped play space. Yes, it offers a huge variety of classes, parties, and events for kinksters of all sorts… but that’s not why I’m giving high marks to this place.
I very clearly remember when I first set foot into the Citadel feeling something I had not felt in a long time: As I walked into the play area and saw people who looked like me playing, loving, and having fun the way I always wanted to I remember for one of the first times in my life feeling normal. So much of my prior education about love, about attraction, about kink, and about sex told me that this was something only afforded to people you see in magazines or in porn. What I saw, heard, felt, and eventually did at the Citadel told, and continues to re-​affirm to me that if I have a sincere interest in kink, that it is indeed for me too, and I will never forget that.
Yes, a lot of the people you see at parties and events do know each other, but that can be you too. If you’re going to a Citadel party for the first time, just tell the cashier or the door person that and they will most certainly connect you with the house rules (so you know how to behave), and a regular who’ll be happy to give you a tour, and introduce you to people.
I strongly encourage all those who have long had a sincere interest in kink but have never really done anything, as well as those who are curious but not sure to attend the parties and classes at SF Citadel. It’s helped me learn to have more fun, perhaps it will for you as well.