Our primary goals are to maintain a safe, consensual, and clean environment for all attendees. Please familiarize yourself with the following guidelines to be trained as a Playspace Guardian.
See Consent Crew for more about our consent policies.
Equipment, Rooms, & Supplies
- Permission and Assistance: Ensure that guests seek permission before moving any furniture or equipment and assist them accordingly. When in doubt, consult a senior team member.
- Staff Assistance: Be available to assist guests in setting up complex scenes or handling situations that require a nuanced understanding of the equipment and safety measures.
- Off Limits: Be cautious for guests interacting with decor or lighting equipment, even unknowingly. Certain rooms may be open but roped off, and these rooms are not to be used by guests. These rooms are open for viewing only.
- Supplies: Ensure rooms are stocked with necessary supplies such as condoms, lubricants, cleaning supplies, and towels. Supplies may be restocked from the supply closet.
- Care for the Space: Encourage guests to show respect for the space and to handle equipment and furniture with care. This includes incidental damage caused by high heels, spilled supplies, damaging walls, etc.
Prohibited Play
We prohibit the following play:
- Wet and messy play (outside of special permission from senior team members)
- Scat and Roman showers
- Watersports outside of the bathrooms/showers
- Blood play, including cutting and blood cupping
- Needle play outside of the medical room (see below)
- Consensual non-consent scenes in public areas
Guidelines for prohibited and specific situational play:
- Awareness and Vigilance: Stay vigilant and ensure that prohibited plays, especially those involving wet, messy, or potentially infectious activities (like blood play), are not occuring.
- Needle play: This may be conducted in the medical room ONLY, and players must provide their needles, sharps containers, and drop cloths. Observe that this play does not become blood play and is conducted with care for bloodborne pathogens. Encourage use provided isopropyl alcohol and gloves. Medical play supplies (outside of protective gear) in the medical room are NOT for guest use.
- Watersports: This may be done in the bathrooms ONLY, and guests must take care to thoroughly clean up after themselves. Please monitor the bathrooms after play to ensure proper sanitation has occurred. If there are long lines for the bathroom, discourage this type of play to give other guests access to the facilities.
- Incidental bodily fluids: Fluids happen, it’s unavoidable! Keep an eye out for broken skin during corporal scenes and percussive or physical play that may spread bodily fluids outside the scene, especially onto walls and decorative surfaces. If this occurs, clean and disinfect the surfaces as soon as possible.
- Supplies: Encourage and educate guests on the use of safer sex supplies, including the proper use of condoms, lube, underpads, and gloves, to maintain hygiene and safety.
Prohibited Materials & Activities
We prohibit these in the studio rooms:
- Use of silicone lube is expressly prohibited. It is a severe hazard on our vinyl flooring and is impossible to remove. Actively discourage the use of silicone lube due to its adverse effects on the vinyl flooring. Be vigilant and ensure that guests adhere to this rule.
- No Open Beverages or Food in Play Rooms: Kindly inform guests that no food or open beverages are allowed in the playrooms, encouraging the use of closed water bottles.
- Merch Stand: Direct guests to the merch stand to purchase closed water bottles if they did not bring their own.
- Dietary Needs: Offer assistance to guests with specific dietary needs by facilitating a discussion with a staff member during check-in for appropriate arrangements.
Cleaning and Sanitation Procedures
Materials used for sanitation and cleaning:
- Citrus II Hospital Germicide - safe for all surfaces and incidental contact with skin - Use in all play rooms and play areas
- Lucascide Disinfectant - use on non-porous surfaces, such as floors, plastic, glass, and porcelain - Use for bathrooms, areas affected by bodily fluids, and on floors
- 70% Isopropyl Alcohol - Used for skin prep and metal/medical equipment
After Each Use: Surfaces should be cleaned and sanitized after each use with the appropriate spray. Surfaces should wiped with a clean paper towel and left slightly damp.
All surfaces should be thoroughly wiped down at the end of the event and all floors swept and mopped thoroughly, including behind the furniture.
Inspect all surfaces, equipment, and furnishings for damage and maintenance needs during cleaning. Report to a staff member immediately if anything appears amiss.
Laundry
- Bins: Provide clearly labeled bins for dirty and clean laundry.
- Supplies: Sheets and towels should be accessible in each room as needed.
Best Volunteer Practices
As a volunteer, you are the forward face of our organization! Please show our mission in your interactions and remember that we approach all potential conflicts with compassion first.
- Guest Interaction: Always approach guests with a friendly, respectful, and professional demeanor. Be proactive in offering help and answering any queries they might have. If you don’t know the answer to a question, consult a team member.
- Knowledgeable: Familiarize yourself with the different playrooms, the supplies available in each, and the rules pertaining to each area, so that you can guide the guests effectively.
- Take Breaks: If you’re feeling tired, unwell, hungry, or thirsty, communicate with other team members so you can see to your own needs. We encourage you to rest, recharge, and be at your best.
Emergency Procedures
Be aware of the emergency protocols to ensure the safety and well-being of the guests.
- Code Purple: Medical Emergency
- Calmly assess the state of the emergency. If you have basic medical training, you may attempt to provide supportive care and instruct another individual to locate a senior staff member.
- Clear an area around the individual and remove all non-essential individuals from the room. Be direct, reassuring, and compassionate in your tone.
- If you do not have medical training, stay calm and wait for a senior staff member to arrive. Once they do, hold the cleared area around the individual and prevent bystanders from crowding or onlooking.
- In case of extreme emergency where an individual is not responsive, call 911. Inform other guests that emergency services have been called and ask them to remove themselves to a different area of the space.
- Code Red: Fire Department - Alert a senior staff member to meet the fire department at the door. Notify other volunteers to quietly and respectfully interrupt any scenes and advise guests to pause, put on clothing as needed, and await further instructions.
- If a fire complaint has been made, we are required to allow the fire department in to assess the situation. With our current occupancy, if more than 56 persons are in the building, we will receive a citation. In this event, if more than 56 persons are present, quietly and efficiently guide extra individuals out the back door.
- Do not interact with officials on any level nor answer questions. Direct them to a senior staff member.
- Code Blue - Police Department - Alert a senior staff member and they will meet any officers at the door. Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES may an officer be allowed to enter without a warrant!
- Senior staff will meet the police outside and further instructions will be given to volunteers at the door.
- Calmly interrupt scenes and advise guests to put on clothing as needed and await further instructions, just in case.
- Assure them that everything is ok, it’s only a precaution.
Communication
We endeavor to practice healthy communication at all levels of our organization, and that especially includes our volunteers.
What to Do
- Open Channels: Maintain open channels of communication with your team leaders and fellow volunteers. Be receptive to communications from the event organizers and other team members.
- Identify Team Leads: These people may vary from event to event, so be sure to inquire as to who is in charge of which areas and who to go to with issues or questions.
- Conflict Resolution: In case of disputes or disagreements, opt for a calm and respectful conversation. If necessary, escalate the issue to a higher authority for resolution.
- Inclusive Language: Use inclusive and respectful language while communicating with attendees and fellow volunteers.
- Feedback to Attendees: While communicating with the attendees, be open, and respectful, and maintain a positive and helpful attitude.
Procedures
- Pre-Event
- Briefing: Attend pre-event briefing sessions to understand your roles, responsibilities, and the communication channels in place.
- Queries: Clear any queries or doubts during the briefing sessions to ensure smooth communication during the event.
- During the Event
- Reporting: Report any incidents or important observations promptly using the established communication channels.
- Help and Support: Don’t hesitate to ask for help or support from your fellow volunteers or supervisors when needed.
- Post-Event
- Debrief: Participate in post-event debriefing sessions, sharing your experiences and feedback constructively.
- Written Feedback: You may be asked to provide written feedback post-event to help in further improving the event management and volunteer coordination.
Incident Reporting Policy
If there is an incident, please report to a senior staff member immediately and be on hand to provide witness testimony.
We have zero tolerance policy for abuse, consent violations, or attacks against members (physically, mentally, or emotionally).
- Anonymity: Reporters can choose to remain anonymous; however, providing contact information will aid in the investigation.
- Confidentiality: All reports will be treated confidentially and shared only with the necessary team members involved in addressing the incident.
- Retaliation: Any form of retaliation against the person reporting the incident will not be tolerated.
- Urgency: Incidents involving immediate danger or violations of consent should be reported to a staff member immediately for prompt action.
- Responsibility: Volunteers are responsible for reporting any incidents they witness or are reported to them by guests.
Procedure
- Immediate Response: Ensure the safety of all involved parties immediately following any incident.
- Reporting: Fill out an incident report form in as much detail as possible, either on behalf of a guest or as a witness.
- Submission: Submit the report to a designated authority or via a specified reporting channel as soon as possible.
- Investigation: The management will review all reports and undertake an appropriate investigation into the reported incidents.
- Resolution: Efforts will be made to resolve the incident amicably and appropriately, ensuring the safety and well-being of all parties involved.