PARIS, GEORGIA
While many dungeons and BDSM play spaces are struggling with high rents, excessive power bills, and low attendance, Katy Gronk, 48, owner of the Georgia Dungeon Hell, has found a way to bring in extra venue.
“We find couples who are just starting out and we hook them up to a small network which gets charged using small, non-invasive cords,” Gronk explained.
“These couples have something called NRE or New Relationship Energy, which is generally pretty disgusting to watch. So we siphon some of it off and it makes everyone happy. We can use it to power our lights, air conditioning, and even power the dungeon’s sound system.”
For the most part, couples are happy to participate and are, according to Gronk, “usually so in love they don’t even notice.”
Longtime dungeon goer Tracy Muggins, 43, says she is happy they have found a way to “tone down” the energy of new couples. “It can get a little sickening to watch. This seems to take the edge off.”
Still, both older couples and single people find these new couples both annoying and off-putting.
Fortunately for Gronk, the average lifespan of BDSM relationships is only a few months, so couples are always finding new partners, further fueling the dungeon’s power grid.
“Last month we actually sold some power back to the power company,” she said. “It is not just saving us money, we are actually turning a profit.”
Photo credit: David Lytle
