University student Brandon Yants said his ex-girlfriend had a fetish for having sex in public.
“She was always pressuring me to have sex in public places,” he said. “She had a fascination with it.”
Fetishes are described by some as any non-sexual objects that excite erotic feelings or non-traditional sexual behavior that does not follow societal norms.
Stylus Grooves co-owner Jason Kamras and an unnamed partner have been throwing “Sin Parties” for exploring fetishes since 1996, with an estimated 50 to 150 people in attendance. The parties are held once or twice a year and include stage performances and a variety of music, including gothic and industrial.
Kamras and his partner began sponsoring the parties because the Eugene area did not offer people many opportunities to enjoy gothic music or to explore fetishes.
“Once I did the first one, I thought it was like what I wanted raves to be like,” he said. “People are really free, and a lot of people experience life changes.”

At Kamras’ parties, people can experience their fetishes in an environment meant to make people feel safe and ensure that they do not fear being laughed at, Kamras said.
“A fetish can be thought of as something that is not necessarily ‘all right’ in the eyes of most of society,” he said. “It is usually practiced behind closed doors by two consenting adults. Consenting is the most important part.”
At the parties, people can be tied up, be dominated by someone or dominate someone else, as well as watch others, Kamras said.
To get into the parties, Kamras has a strict dress code to ensure that the people attending the party know what will happen inside and should be there.
“We do not let people in unless they are dressed in all black or any outfit that shows they have thought about what their fetish is and what they want to do before the party,” he said. “We had one man come wearing all pink before.”
People should wear clothing such as PVC, which is black patent vinyl, or Pleather, a fake leather. Recently, clothing items made out of latex or rubber material have become popular for fetish parties, Delphina’s store manager Jewel said.
Other fetish outfits include big boots, leather corsets and dresses made out of see-through mesh material, chokers, and bracelets, bras and panties with spikes.
“Basically, it has to be sexy and sensual, and that is how you get into fetish parties,” Jewel said. “Someone can’t just wear jeans and a T-shirt to these parties and expect to get in.”
If someone has plans to attend a fetish party, Delphina’s will help anyone put together an outfit, Jewel said.
Performances at Kamras’ past parties have included people giving themselves piercings and dancing with fire. For fire dancing, people dance with poi balls, which are balls of flame, and they can also have flames dancing from their fingertips as well as breathe fire.
“Fire can be considered a fetish for many people,” Kamras said.
During Kamras’ last party on Dec. 29, 2001, the showcase featured one man wearing a full body suit that prohibited him from hearing and speaking, while giving him electric shocks and vibrations to different body parts.
Another requirement for getting into fetish parties is being 21 years or older. IDs are checked at the door, and a party usually costs somewhere between $15 to $20. Kamras said he would probably hold another party in the fall or winter of this year. Each party is held in a different location, such as a warehouse, and fliers are distributed beforehand.
“We do not want to make it too mainstream, but we like to keep it vocal,” he said. “At first we were hush about it, but than we realized we wanted to get the message out so the community could be more involved.” Kamras said he believes exploring fetishes is OK as long as it’s between consenting adults.
Yants agreed.
“Overall, I believe that fetishes can be fun and exciting if they are kept in moderation,” he said.