Reviews of Leather Archives and Museum (Museum)

Shane Boommer

excellent place to know more about Leather archives

Blythe S

I love this museum so much! The archivist is also really sweet!

Ash Rich

So glad this place exists! For a culture that doesn't have a lot of written text it was very educational to explore and experience this museum. I definitely enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning more about the kinky side of life.

Johanna Brocker

Interesting LGBT HISTORY of leather gay male bars in Chicago. Small but significant representation of women's leather.

Dale Keeney

Fun educational place to go and the employees there are really nice

AmirReza Oghbaee

Great for LGBT community. Also seeing new stuff which can be fun

Sarah Asbury

Amazing!

Mika Baer

Awesome stop! Would recommend!

Tobrina jolly

Great collection of Leather history and fascinating to see how the collection has expanded.

Joy Leverich

Great exhibits. Lovely location. Friendly employees.

Christopher Owen

Doesn't contain as many variations of items as I would have thought

W S

If your interested even in the slightest way in the history of leather and BDSM this a place YOU HAVE TO VISIT! Perfectly curated and presented in wonderful detail!

Rick B

Amazing as always! The work that has been done over the last 25 years to preserve our history is invaluable. Great staff and exhibits.

Jonathan Castejon

Historic LGBTQ memorial that is a definite must see... Especially for those Into the Leather scene...

Angela Miller

Very interesting, highly educational

justin hardesty

Kinky place. The galleries are quite amazing and the old art work of the Chicago gay community is quite impressive. Etienne was an amazing artist. I want to see more. Also a great venue to host events.

Maddy Osman

To put it frankly: it’s a BDSM museum, featuring handcuffs, bondage, and other tributes to Fifty Shades of Grey-like fantasies. So whether you’re into kink or are just a little curious, this will be an interesting stop on your tour of Chicago’s weirdest museums. Oh, and naturally, you have to be 21 or older to enter.

Will McShane

Learn about LGBTQ+ and BDSM history and culture in an open, sex-positive museum with knowledgeable and helpful staff!

Clay Goodpasture

A Slap and Tickle GOOD TIME.

James Cummings II

Great space for Leather and BDSM history study. They have a great space for lectures.

Drop Dead Fred

Amayonaising!

George Stowell

Displays much valuable history.

Catherine Eby

A wonderful collection on a little known community. Friendly staff, easy to navigate, and full of new knowledge.

Jamie Grace

This place is an incredible Museum. You will learn more than you ever imagined. It's worth every penny and it's not very expensive.

T Branson

Words aren't enough, as a member of a Leather Family, it was like being in church. Thank You.

David Gore

This is a great place to learn about the leather lifestyle, and light history.

Dave Watt

Excellent resource for all things leather kink and fetish. Friendly staff makes the experience wonderful. Really really impressive collection.

Dan Nelson

Excellent, well planned out. Library great for research. Helpful, knowledgeable staff. The dungeon gives you ideas... Very worthwhile.

Chris Cleland

This place is worth a visit to show how influential gay and bondage culture were in shaping certain aspects of American pop culture.

Ian Hyzy

Very fun! But much bigger than I expected, it's tough to take it all in quickly. Take your time, fill yourself with knowledge, and enjoy

Alex Hayes

Very well put together museum covering the leather subculture and other related fetishes

Wayne Davis

Awesome place

demetrius carruthers

Good stuff

Tim Law

Very interesting and sexy collection

Ian Walsh

Vital to the presentation of our history.

James Bradach

I think I expected it to be a bit more than what it turned out to be, but I'm glad I went and I'm glad it's in my neighborhood. It lives up to the archives and museum in the name; it feels very academic.

Remmington VanAllen

Great place to learn about the the leather community and see pieces of art and historical items from the various communities INTERNATIONALLY

Eric Curtis

I didn't know quite what to expect. It's a smaller museum than I thought it would be. But the museum is very well put together. Some of the exhibits are quite small but all really interesting. The library was neat too. Glbt culture and reference from all sorts of different angles. Highly recommend

Dave Fredericks

Interesting place, but more a tribute to the greater Chicago area scene than a museum.

Yvonne A

Very informative, great staff, some risqué photos and such so probably not kid friendly. Library and auditorium inside.

Timothy Hart

So much history in one place for the LGBT community. Worth a visit to see art featured at prominent leather bars now closed. Also a wonderful collection of books.

DJ Steele

Huge landmark for the leather and fetish community... Very inyeresting

Bob Scarano

Great place with a wealth of leather history.

Gary Jelewski

This Great Museum, makes you want to Lust, Lick, Love, and LIVE your Leather and kink filled Life. ENJOY IT SOON !! REGARDS Gary Jelewski

Bootblack boy john

Always a great place to re-live O/our history of Leather. And the manager .... Dayum Daddy!!

chad huber

Awesome!!!! Amazing job with the archive spaces, information, library, etc. And staff was super informative, passionate, helpful, and enthusiastic about the spaces! A MUST visit!

ULTRA Chicago

Interesting and different museum.

Justin Hartman

One of Chicago's hidden gems, where you can learn not only about leather and fetish history, but also LGBTQ history as well.

charlieblacklab

Was not what I expected it too be, but loved it anyways.

Polly Moonwater

Love the Fakir tribute! Thanks so much for representing him.

Riley Henderson

Learned a ton about a section of Chicago culture and history that I knew nothing about. It's a clean and we'll organized museum with rotating exhibits. I didn't see it, but they also have an archival library and auditorium where they hold lectures and such. Adults only.

Steve Ranger

Great museum of the leather and kink history.

Sy Guzman

To be honest, I didn't know it was an R rated museum... The museum popped up on my Facebook as a recommended museum. I didn't bother reading any reviews or anything beforehand because I didn't want anyone's opinion- I wanted to form my own! So there I go on 3/23/2018 and asked the front desk staff if students or military members get discounts. I was generously given a discount on my admission price (thank you) and was asked to use the free lockers to store my purse and jacket. There's a video in the locker room showing how leather jackets are cleaned and repaired but as soon as I took down the flight of stairs, I realized that by "leather," they didn't mean cowboys and horses but bondage and dominance. If you are religious, get offended easily, are immature, or are homophobic- stay out of this museum. It's not for you. Consider going to the Field Museum instead. Thanks for reading my review!

Ama Levitt

This place is amazing and I'm so glad it exists. For a culture that exists almost exclusively as an experience, without a lot of written text, it's so awesome to get to come here and see parts of where the leather culture began. I have been here twice as part of a discussion group and I look forward very much to going back again. Thank you LA&M! -a local titleholder-

Mystic Valraven

Fabulous! If you are in Chicago, you have to go!