When Austrian filmmaker Phillip Fussenager reached out to Berlin-based writer Alexis Smiley Smith about bridging the gap between uber-realistic, 180-degree stereoscopic VR and high-tech silicone sex dolls, the two began a sex-positive business partnership that culminated in Berlin’s first virtual reality cyber brothel. Based in an unobtrusive private residence within Berlin’s family-friendly neighborhood of Prenzlauer Berg, the aptly named Cybrothel offers customers the chance to live out a sexual fantasy that’s about as close to Westworld as you can get.
Here, in the city Alexis calls “the hedonistic capital of the world,” Berlin’s kinky, sex-positive clientele flock to the doll brothel to shoot their shot with one of the five silicone sex partners available for “sex and play” at Cybrothel, like Kokeshi.
Described as “a galactic traveler with a heart of gold” — even though her heart is made from medical grade silicone — Kokeshi comes from China, where she was molded in the likeness of a genuine human female. An hour with Kokeshi at Cybrothel almost looks like sex with a tried-and-true human sex worker, except for the complete lack of a circulatory system. Step into the private room (complete with a bathroom, kitchen and home cinema), put on a pair of VR goggles, and watch Kokeshi come alive in front of your very eyes.
“Kokeshi was born from us wanting to really create a galactic being,” Alexis tells InsideHook. “I mean, if we’re being literal, her silicone body comes from China. But we’ve imbued [her] — much as we have every single doll at the brothel — with this galactic heart of gold. She was born of a milk bath, she came from the cosmos; you can see her whole birth narrative on Instagram.”
But while Kokeshi’s milk bath origins may seem other-worldly, this blue-haired beauty still conducts her business with a degree of human sensibility. “She’s very empathic. She’s sensitive,” says Alexis. “She promotes shame-free interactions that are all about softness and getting close and listening. She can get super dirty and super crazy, but you need to ask for consent and you need to really be cognizant of the process of sexual interaction.”
In addition to Kokeshi, Cybrothel customers can also choose from four other silicone sex workers. There’s Haito, a Japanese Manga nerd. Stepmom by day, dominatrix by night, Mistress Oxana is a sophisticated, older doll with a dark side. There’s a blonde bombshell named Paris who fits the “girl next door” motif so popular in sex and porn, and there’s even a dude. Alexis describes Guy Ryder as a “blue-eyed, sultry, bisexual male who loves to listen.” Oh, and he’s also a demigod.
Each doll is equipped with technology that links their body to an offsite “voice queen” who provides all the “oohs” and “aahs” that can’t otherwise be exchanged between a human and a hunk of silicone.
Most Cybrothel clients are men between the ages of 25 and 40 who are either looking to explore a budding kink, tech-obsessed looky-loos who wanna see how silicone genitals feel up close, or adventurous Berliners who dare to call themselves kinky. And yes, each and every doll is thoroughly cleaned after each session.
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The brothel offers three plans:
The Basic Option: Just you and a medical-grade silicone sex doll for sex and play. No VR, no voices, just you and Haito or Mistress Oxana.
The Blindfold Option: Audio features are turned on; the dolls can “hear” and “speak” to you in real time. “This service is made possible with audio components in the room linked to a control room where a real human operator can hear and speak with you,” explains Alexis. “The operator lends her ears, voice and consciousness to one of our doll characters to provide an immersive experience in real time customized for your wants and desires.”
The Full Option: Audio and video features are combined, with a voice queen lending her eyes, ears, voice and consciousness to a doll. Alexis says this is the best option for those seeking the ultimate “real” doll experience.
Cybrothel also recently linked up with VR porn production company BaDoinkVR to produce a steamy sex scene in 180-degree stereoscopic VR starring Kokeshi opposite Finnish porn actress Angie Lynx, who plays the silicone sex worker’s human counterpart. Merging Kokeshi’s world with the “real” world involves a coordinated mix of practical effects with physical projectors and post-production graphic layering techniques to tie together two different planes into the ultimate VR fantasy. With the help of this first of its kind crossover, Cybrothel has successfully turned the rent-a-sex-doll business into an art. Offering a chaotic blend of simulation, reality, silicone and skin, Alexis, Philipp and their team might have cracked the code on anonymous, contact-free, shame-free, no-strings-attached sex.
While some skeptics may still question what a sex doll can offer over sex with a live human partner, Alexis points out the virtually limitless possibilities for fantasy fulfillment Cybrothel’s sophisticated blend of sex dolls and VR can provide.
“Each doll has their own personality, narrative and lives in a unique world,” says Alexis. “Depending on what a person or a couple might be interested in exploring, they can curate something special at Cybrothel. Do you want to travel into a soft, sexy, galactic pleasure palace and try out a threesome with Kokeshi? Or would you rather dip your toe into full submission and be dominated by Mistress Oxana? Or somewhere in between? It’s really about a conversation between our clients and us as to what they desire.”
So what’ll it be? Human or doll?
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