First off, let me say that I hate being sick.

The princess, helpful child that she is, brought home a lovely case of the sniffles from her pre-school last week, which has spread to the rest of the household. Luckily, the duration of the worst part seems to only be about three days, but since I was the last one to contract it, I’m still at about day two and fairly miserable.

That being said, even doped up on Tylenol Cold and not feeling our best, Sparkle and I did manage to get out for a bit of adult time yesterday. We headed into LA and met up with our friends Mija and Paul and another couple (who can identify themselves if they so choose) for lunch at a landmark restaurant, followed by a field trip to the famous (or is it infamous) Pleasure Chest in West Hollywood.

This was my first time there, though I’ve heard about it for many years. It has to be one of the nicest adult stores in the world. Very clean, friendly staff and prepared to supply just about any kink or fetish you may have. Its probably as much of an LA landmark as the restaurant we ate at…after all, how many sex shops make it into numerous mainstream guidebooks. I’ve seen the Pleasure Chest in at least three of the biggest ones.

Like any good sex shop, the Pleasure Chest has a fair collection of BDSM-related items. There was a whole display case of leather hoods and muzzles, another one of various types of collars, still more bondage-related items in the display counters, and various other items throughout the store. And, of course, hanging in two separate areas, a number of implements. The first area, behind one of the checkout counters, had a number of different floggers mixed in with some spreader bars. The other area, in the opposite corner, had a wider variety: a few more floggers, some Delrin canes, and a number of different paddles.

The six of us spent a fair amount of time examining all the wares, but as you can imagine, we probably spent the most time looking at the spanking toys. And we all came to the realization that we’re implement snobs.