Founded in Antwerp in 2019, SPNKD now begins its next chapter, in Berlin, under the creative direction of Ena Dahl.
A conversation about aesthetics, trust, and the quiet revolution of desire.
Beyond the Red and Black Dungeon Clichés
There’s that moment when you discover a place and suddenly see what’s been missing all along. For Ena this happened in 2020, when SPNKD’s founder Paul Meyers invited her to contribute articles to the website of his hidden Antwerp loft. When she looked up the space her answer was immediately: Yes!
At the time, she was a couple of years into exploring Berlin’s kink scene, fresh out of a long, suffocating relationship, and in the middle of rediscovering herself. Though fascinated by the depth, honesty and intensity, she was often left uninspired by the aesthetics.
“Why did every space connected to kink or BDSM have to look like a cheap dungeon from a low-budget porn set?”
the Norwegian designer and author asked herself.
Red and black PVC. Raw steel. Neon light. Functional, maybe, but neither sensual, nor inspiring.
What she found in SPNKD was the kink space of her dreams. With features like exposed brick walls, polished concrete floors, glazed tiles, and handcrafted details in cognac and caramel leather, Paul had created a space that was an extension of his own personal quest: a refined, intimate loft that felt intentional, warm, and curated. A place where erotic exploration could unfold in beautiful surroundings.
“I remember thinking, ‘Imagine having something like this here’.”
It’s been a dream since that moment, six years ago.
From Idea to Intention: SPNKD
Fast forward to summer 2023, over a glass of wine with Paul on a Berlin balcony, the idea resurfaced.
What if SPNKD expanded?
What if it found a home here?
After that evening the preparations and search for the right location began: a space that can hold both the aesthetic vision and the emotional depth the project calls for.
For Ena, the project is a convergence of many paths.
Before becoming a sexuality writer and kink educator, she spent over a decade working as a creative art director, shaping visual identities, books, digital platforms, interiors and spatial concepts, from restaurant spaces to large-scale productions. Today, that design language merges with her work as a Shibari artist and facilitator.
“All the roads meet here,” she says. “SPNKD allows me to bring together everything. Aesthetics, intimacy, education, creative direction, kink. It’s the culmination of many facets.”
A Place to Begin, and to Deepen
Berlin already has a lot. Ena knows that well.
From KitKat and Insomnia to Klub Verboten, a handful of rope studios, munches and other gatherings, there are plenty of offers for those already immersed in the scene. But there isn’t a lot for those who feel curious but would rather quietly, and discreetly open a door. Without black fishnets, without heavy boots, without the sense that they first have to adopt an aesthetic before even knowing what they want.
“SPNKD is an entry point,”
says Ena.
“And often it also becomes a spring board. We see people coming in as beginners, spreading their wings and exploring the wider scenes whilst returning to SPNKD as their home base.”
It’s a playground for intimacy and depth as much as for kink. A tasteful loft that can be rented by the hour or day, as a couple, or as a small group. An environment where curiosity is welcomed without pressure to already know who you are.
The studio also hosts salons, parties and workshops that range from introductions to BDSM and power dynamics to Shibari, erotic embodiment, and themed temple nights with a sensual, sometimes tantric undertone.
Some participants are complete beginners. Others are experienced. The common thread is intention. And the space itself: discreet. Those who come decide whether anyone even knows they were there.
“It’s for anyone who values depth,” she says. “Not just sensation—but connection.”
BDSM Is Not Pain. It Is Trust.
When Ena speaks about BDSM, the word “pain” comes up late—and only as one aspect among many. What she names first is communication. Trust, attunement and vulnerability. The ability to let go, and to hold.
“What we do in BDSM requires a ton of communication,” she says, “because we play with things that can be risky—emotionally and physically. We have to be truly honest with one another. And that opens a level of vulnerability I rarely find elsewhere.”
The misunderstanding she encounters again and again, that BDSM is all violence and humiliation, misses the point. That’s what you see in bad films and other mainstream depictions—harsh, cold, and without tenderness. “Of course those aspects exist too,” she says. “And it can be very hot. But there’s so much more to it.”
And then she says something that lingers: “To be able to (consensually) give someone pain, or to dominate and take the lead, you have to be incredibly empathetic. Otherwise, you’re just an asshole.”
Shame Doesn’t Appear on Its Own. It Was Created.
Ena hails from Norway, from a Christian family. “Good girl conditioning,” as she calls it. When she began exploring—FetLife, posting her first photos, first writing—she was tormented with anxiety. Her photos were faceless, she used an artist name, but still: What if someone finds her? What if someone knows?
Many know this path. The fear of the discovered double life, the certainty that one should feel ashamed—even without knowing why.
Sexuality and shame grow up side by side in our society—intertwined with religion and patriarchy—silenced.
Even today, those who speak openly about sex risk something. Their job. Their reputation. The image others have of them.
“I’ve walked my path of liberation,” says Ena. “And I give less and less of a fuck.” Starting as a penname, Ena Dahl is now the name she uses 90 percent of the time. It has become her name, and it has space for all of her: the woman who writes, designs, practices Shibari, facilitates and teaches—and who eventually stopped hiding for it.
Returning to Power That Was Always There
It all began in 2017, after the end of a relationship, one she now describes as a “non-consensual 24/7 D/s dynamic”—but without negotiation, care or safe communication. “I slowly lost my voice. I felt small. Trapped.”
And then entered BDSM, and writing, her first Smut Slams, and BERLINABLE, where she was first published. And SPNKD Antwerp, where she wrote and taught workshops, and eventually that evening on her balcony with Paul, and the query:
“Maybe I could run this here?”
“The beautiful thing about BDSM is, no one holds you captive and hurts you against your will. You decide what you want. How and for how long. You negotiate. You plan. And you decide how far you go. Ultimately—even if you are the submissive—you are the person in power. You have control over your own experiences.”
For her, that was cathartic. To explore things she desired—but from a position of strength.
SPNKD Arriving in Berlin
SPNKD initially opens in Berlin with an event series—a soft touchdown, a gentle arrival in the city. The 2026 opening party takes place on March 7 & 8. Ena won’t reveal too much about the rest… yet. But the permanent location is in the works, and it’s going to be grand!
Ena is also careful when it comes to comparisons with Berlin’s existing scene. “What Berlin has is wonderful. I don’t want to compete. We offer something different.” Something intimate. Smaller. Elegant. More discreet. Where curious individuals and couples can attend a play party or workshop for the first time—and at the end of the evening look at themselves, and each other, differently than before.
“I’ve seen couples in our workshops who, at the beginning, don’t know how to touch one another. Who don’t know how to read their partner’s nonverbal language. And by the end of the evening, they see the light. They see each other in a new way.”
Upcoming Events at SPNKD
Intro to the Art of Shibari Workshop: HERE
SPNKD Berlin Opening Party: HERE
Other Workshops: HERE
