Hammers & Nails Fetish Club Gets Kinky in Wynwood

Twenty-five years ago, Luis Moya was invited to a party that changed his life forever.

“When I got to the house and they opened their door, I saw from the outside looking in and thought, Oh my God, what did I get myself into?” Moya says, recalling his first fetish party.

For the past 15 years, Moya has been working and living the fetish lifestyle. The former military brat who moved to South Florida from Manchester, England, two years ago says fetishism back home welcomes anyone willing to explore sexual fixations. He recently opened Hammers & Nails, a dungeon with BDSM equipment that doubles as a fetish photo studio and transforms into a club Friday and Saturday nights, in Wynwood. Moya says he hopes to re-create that inclusive, playful spirit in South Florida's fetish community.

“I used to think, like the majority of people, BDSM? Oh, no, that’s about beatdowns, blood, pain, and Satan," Moya says. "People think BDSM has to give someone pain all the time, but it has nothing to do with that. The majority of BDSM is about having control over someone’s feelings and beliefs and making them feel awesome. We’re humans; sex is a part of every human's lifestyle.”


The dungeon has 14 pieces of equipment that range from electric play used to give the receiver shocks of current, suspension apparatuses, double and single St. Andrew’s crosses, cages, and even a coffin. Although the venue is used for fetish exploration on weekends, no sex, alcohol, or drugs are allowed at any time. Participants must be 18 or older to enter, and Moya, known as the “dungeon master” or “pro-dom,” says he is always present, though he stays behind the curtains to ensure the safety of the participants.

Moya learned the ins and outs of 120 fetishes and techniques of flogging, bondage, and tying from a grand master in Europe, studying with him for several years to become certified as a professional "dom." He says being a dom is like being a psychologist or doctor; he does not discriminate with his services, and just like a physician, he says, he wants to help everyone he can. Moya begins his sessions with a 15-minute consultation to establish a connection with his customers. To stop a session, the safe word “red” is used. Sessions can cost up to $200 per hour; Moya says he's had clients fly to Miami and pay up to $2,000 to stay in the dungeon with him all weekend.

“I can be sexual with a man, telling him things to do to put him in the zone or subspace, and be perfectly comfortable with my sexuality. I’m not going to fuck him or do oral with him; I’m just going to play with him mentally by hearing my voice or brushing my body against his, getting him prepared for what will happen,” Moya says. “If you’re going to be a professional dom or domme, you can’t say no to guys or girls. If you’re going to be a doctor, you have to be a doctor for everybody. People who come here have issues, and I help them get through them. I’m not scared to touch their bodies. There just is no sex with anyone. My primary objective is to get paid, because I have bills, but my second objective is to get them to that place.”

Kerri Aultman, a performance artist, has visited the dungeon and, through her brand Vikerrious, has helped people explore their fetishes around Miami. At one of her more recent events, her "vixen" character walked around the Anderson while whipping people.

“I think what’s so cool about the scene is that it is the place where whatever the fuck I want to do is accepted," she says. "Expression isn’t looked at oddly and gawked at. I do a lot of things that are not considered normal. I don’t dress or behave in what is a normal manner. I like dressing up and running around, and I carry a whip during my performances, and people love it. The character is like a playful dominatrix and playfully spanks you when you least expect it.”

Moya emphasizes that Hammers & Nails is not a swingers' club or “fuck club” — it's simply a place for people to explore their mental and physical desires, he says.

“Come and experience what it is to be yourself — no hangups, with no one telling you ‘that’s disgusting, nasty, you’re a fucking pervert, and I can’t believe you like that.’ Come and experience what it’s like to be free and open.”

Follow @RoamFreeWrites on Instagram.

Hammers & Nails
2401 NW Fifth Ave.,  Miami. Open by appointment during the week and from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Cover is $20. A yearly membership costs $60. Visit facebook.com/HammersAndNailsWynwood or call 305-791-4058.