Japanese interior decorator whips up private S&M dungeons

By Ryann Connell
February 19, 2005

When interior decorator Ryoichi Watanabe says he's going to take a bland and boring interior to whip it into shape, he's speaking a bit more literally than most would expect, according to Spa! (2/22).

There's none of the limp-wristed approach so common in his business when Watanabe gets on the job -- he likes it hard.

Watanabe, you see, is an interior decorator with a difference -- he specializes in creating S&M dungeons, frequently building them in the tiny shoebox apartments inhabited by the average Japanese.

"I used to be an ordinary interior designer. But I used to do a lot of work for love hotels and I found that I was frequently asked to come up with something 'a bit S&Mmy,'" Watanabe tells Spa! "I began to wonder whether there wasn't a need in the market for S&M dungeon interior decorators, so decided a couple of years ago to shift the focus of my business to the submission and masochism side of things."

Watanabe had little trouble finding decent employees. In fact, his payroll of expert architects, designers and builders all came to him of their own volition, he says because building the dungeons allowed them to combine business and pleasure, which could in fact be pain depending on their tendencies.

Surprisingly, Watanabe says, instead of his major source of business coming from S&M clubs or hotels, the majority of his clients are private individuals looking to refurbish their own homes.

"You've got no idea how many times I'm asked whether I can do a job in a six tatami mat room (about 18 square meters) without leaving any permanent damage because the person living there is only renting," Watanabe tells Spa! "Most people would expect a huge bill to create an S&M dungeon, but you'd be amazed just how cheap it is. Nearly everybody is surprised during negotiations when I tell them I can set up their dungeon with just about any instrument they'd like for around 200,000 to 300,000 yen."

Most popular among the many instruments Watanabe's company, Office M, is asked to set up in rooms are its hanging racks.

"It is actually really tough to hang somebody up safely," Watanabe says. "You can't make something that leaves people within an inch of their lives because that could be dangerous. Fortunately, we employ only the finest craftsmen who have a vast knowledge of S&M, so customers can feel at ease."

Watanabe, who says the toughest part of his job is finding a respectable way to promote the business, expects to concentrate entirely on the domination and discipline market in the not-too-distant future.

"I'm still doing a little bit of work outside of the S&M field," he tells Spa! "It shouldn't be too long before it's the only thing I'm working on, though."

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