Rooms
La Prison
Black Dungeon Room
La Clinique
Clinical Medical Room
La Boudoir
Red Romantic Bedchamber
Le Salon
Living Room
La Salle à Manger
Dining Room
La Cuisine
Kitchen
Dark, gothic
Aesthetic
Create beautiful
Photography
Bring your imagination to
Life
Learn new things and
Expand
Open your mind and
Explore
We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.
- Anaïs Nin -
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.
- Mark Twain -
Imagination is more important than knowledge.
- Albert Einstein -
Welcome to Black Thorn
About
Black Thorn is a welcoming, beautiful, clean, and private Victorian featuring elegant, gothic decor. It is discreetly situated in the lovely Lake Merritt area of Oakland in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Private parking and cleaning services are available.
Well-appointed and well-equipped, Black Thorn is a unique arts space that offers a dark and sensual aesthetic for performance art, cosplay, fashion, portrait, and boudoir photography, and is able to accommodate a diverse array of dramatic scene play.
Available to educators, artists, photographers, couples, and more, Black Thorn is well-suited for an exploration of skill sets, creative role-play themes, and power exchange dynamics. This evocative and lustrous space is the perfect setting for adventurous people looking to bring imagination to life.
Artistic and logistical consultations are available for help with educational opportunities, creative ideas, scene setting, available equipment, lighting effect, music options, safety considerations, and more!
Black Thorn is a safe space for LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities. We support shared values of Inclusivity, Consent, and Respect for all people from all walks of life, backgrounds, gender orientations, and sexual identities.
Please note that no illegal activities are allowed, and only adults of legal age are allowed on premises.
Additional Offerings
- Versatile equiment
- Custom furnishings
- Adjustable lighting
- Themed rooms
- Music in every room
- Costumes and props
- Camera stands
- Cell Phone Stand
- Laptop station
- Screen and projector
- Masks, wigs, shoes, and more!
Educational Program
Black Thorn offers an educational program with regular monthly online and, occassionally, in-person classes and workshops. There is also a scholarship offered to students who are financially challenged and in need of assistance. If you are an educator, please reach out!
Contact
For questions, send an inquiry to mail@black-thorn.org.
To receive notifications about classes and events, join the Black Thorn mailing list.
Do one thing every day that scares you.
- Eleanor Roosevelt -
Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.
- Lao Tzu -
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.
- Aristotle -
The more things are forbidden, the more popular they become.
- Mark Twain -
Dreams are necessary to life.
- Anaïs Nin -
The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live.
- George Carlin -
Booking
Submit a reservation request to inquire about availability, flat booking fees, cancellation policies, consultations, and other relevant information. Please note that photo identification and a signed waiver will be required for confirmation of your booking. Thank you.
Offerings
We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.
- Oscar Wilde -
I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living.
- Dr. Seuss -
Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.
- Albert Einstein -