EVERETT — At Lovers Lair, it’s always the season of naughty and nice.<\/p>\n
What’s up with that?<\/p>\n
The shop with tinted windows sits on a busy stretch of Evergreen Way, boldly proclaiming itself as the “#1 Kink Store.” I had only a vague idea what “kink” meant in practice and figured the thousands of drivers cruising by must wonder, too.<\/p>\n
In the name of What’s Up, I went inside to investigate, a public service no different than chasing Bigfoot or asking a man why he had 24 Weber grills in his front yard.<\/p>\n
Still, I hesitated before walking in. It was broad daylight. No sunglasses, no hoodie. I’ve visited Love Zone and other adult shops before (for stories, I swear), but those storefronts don’t shout Latex-Leather-Lubes from the curb.<\/p>\n
I’d done some homework. The Lovers Lair website promises “fantasy clothing, BDSM gear and more.” BDSM stands for bondage, discipline\/domination, sadism and masochism. But what exactly was the “more”?<\/p>\n
Miss Diva, the sparkling fairy godmother of fetish, was happy to show me the ropes.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
“This is adult Disneyland,” she said, as I took in a wonderland of straps, toys and erotica.<\/p>\n
Inside, the shop is surprisingly bright, festive and welcoming. Everything is for 18‑plus, but otherwise judgment-free.<\/p>\n
Aisles brim with devices, lotions, nylons and pasties. Racks of outfits cater to ravers, dancers and baristas.<\/p>\n
Then masks, hoods, harnesses, collars and cuffs come into view. In a room dubbed the “dungeon,” a leather bondage sling chair takes center stage, flanked by paddles, chains, whips and neatly coiled lengths of Japanese rope.<\/p>\n
So, what is kink?<\/p>\n
Miss Diva broke it down.<\/p>\n
“Kink is a community of people interested in non-mainstream ways of expressing their sexuality,” she explained.<\/p>\n
“Anything from people who like whips to people who pretend they’re puppies or kitties and wear tails or horns. Some people don’t want to be tied up. Others do.”<\/p>\n
I nodded thoughtfully, as if this were all perfectly ordinary. The longer you stand among the gear, the less shocking it feels. More like a hobby and no stranger than getting deeply into pickleball or gardening. You just need the right tools.<\/p>\n
“Kinksters are the most normal people in the world,” Miss Diva said. “They don’t wear the gear in public. You never know who could be a kinkster.”<\/p>\n
That made me wonder about the secret lives of people I know.<\/p>\n
Among the customers: a man in a work safety vest and a woman in a holiday sweater, browsing as casually as if they were at Safeway.<\/p>\n
With Miss Diva’s help, Nathan, a 23-year-old Seattle security worker nicknamed “Cyber,” was trying on a black latex catsuit. After losing 50 pounds, his old one no longer fit.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Nathan is into pup-kink roleplay, complete with a collar, leash and hood. In street clothes, he wears a “Cyber” dog tag.<\/p>\n
“To me, kink is like a family,” he said. “You understand them, they understand you. It’s collaborative.”<\/p>\n
Outsiders tend to raise an eyebrow. “‘Oh, you wear latex and you act like a dog,’” he said. “It’s hard to explain.”<\/p>\n
Lovers Lair specializes in latex clothing, carrying about 2,000 dresses, vests, thongs and suits made in Germany and Poland.<\/p>\n
“It curves your body and makes it look beautiful,” Miss Diva said. “And you can wear it in the rain.”<\/p>\n
She insisted I try on some latex.<\/p>\n
Miss Diva zipped me into a $220 snakeskin print latex vest with a heart-shaped neckline and flared ruffle. Cute as hell, but where would I wear it? Costco?<\/p>\n
Maybe a corset was a smarter choice. Fittings are free.<\/p>\n
“It doesn’t matter what size you are,” Miss Diva said. “Honey, I have a corset for you.”<\/p>\n
Next thing I knew, she cinched me into a $150 pink-and-black lace bustier corset. Suddenly, I had a posture, cleavage and a waistline, though breathing required some recalibration.<\/p>\n
The shop also hosts events, shows and classes in a large back-room venue with fantasy equipment and a speakeasy vibe. It’s a “safe space” for a culture often misunderstood. Lovers Lair is a sponsor of the third annual Seattle Fetish Ball on March 28.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
“Everybody’s got a different kink, and we build the store around that,” said owner Linda Devela, a card-carrying professional dominatrix known as Lady Linda.<\/p>\n
Devela has 13 grandchildren and a business card that reads: “Kneel at my feet if you dare!”<\/p>\n
She skated with the Ice Capades in her younger days and spent years in the restaurant industry before opening her first adult store in Lynnwood 20 years ago.<\/p>\n
“I got tired of working for other people,” Devela said. “There was something about putting a whip in my hand. Between that and fashion, I was drawn to it.”<\/p>\n
Her partner, Daddy Joe, who looks like any other Joe, makes custom wooden bondage furniture and designed the back room. By day, he’s a maintenance supervisor.<\/p>\n
He joined the kink community 15 years ago.<\/p>\n
“This felt like home,” he said. “I didn’t feel weird anymore.”<\/p>\n
Customer service is hands-on.<\/p>\n
“I try to show people instead of just explaining,” Devela said. “Put this flogger in your hand. Let me lace you into this corset.”<\/p>\n
A flogger is a tasseled BDSM whip to heighten sensations of pain and pleasure.<\/p>\n
“It’s empowering,” she said.<\/p>\n
To demonstrate, Devela delivered a few taps to Miss Diva’s backside with a suede flogger, soft at first, then sharper. It reminded me of a banya sauna treatment where you’re briskly swatted with branches to boost circulation.<\/p>\n
For beginners, she recommends a starter kit: a feather tickler, a drip candle for body‑wax play and a blindfold.<\/p>\n
That’s one way to ring in 2026.<\/p>\n