PLEASURE PRINCIPLE

Brian Robinson just got back from Burning Man. “Iʼve still got dancing fairies in my head,” he said. Itʼs sundown in WEHO, and Robinson, the owner of Pleasure Chest, PleasureMed, Irie, and Hind, is gardening. Heʼs planting and fiddling with the lights hidden in the garden that laser-beam a 35-foot-tall projection of plants, flowers, and landscapes against the dispensary wall. “Iʼd shake your hand, but…” he proudly shows me his hands caked in dirt.

ZEST AND THE CITY

I have affectionately dubbed Robinson “The Prince of Pleasure.” He smiles demurely. Having studied acting, Robinson is self-contained, with a slightly bemused smile and a California laid-back charm. But when it comes to talking pleasure, he lights up.

“I think pleasure is a key pillar of health in everyoneʼs life,” he said. “Pleasure is a gift to our bodies and our beings that is uniquely ours. It inspires creativity, connection, feeling a part of a union, a community and sometimes it is a community of one. Pleasure is an essential part of relaxation and recharge.”

The block between Spaulding and Ogden Drive on Santa Monica Boulevard in WEHO is an all-inclusive pleasure campus stewarded by Robinson. Robinsonʼs dedication to gratification, gaiety, and enthusiasm is intoxicating. As we chat outside Pleasure Chest (an adult sex toy shop), a gaggle of middle-aged women say hi to him, couples come out quietly smirking, and tanned male models strut in and out. Whatʼs hot these days? I asked Robinson. The same as always: the Magic Wand vibrator and Sutil lubricant. “Sutil is a water-based lubricant that is as close as you can get to your own bodyʼs natural lubrication,” Robinson noted

Robinson, the son of a Midwest minister, had no clue heʼd be a top-tier adult and cannabis entrepreneur. He had dreams of being an actor, but when that didnʼt pan out, he decided he would follow the path of his beloved Uncle Duane, helping pleasure seekers get what they need safely. Uncle Duane launched the first Pleasure Chest in NYC in 1971 and built it up to become Americaʼs most famous sex shop chain. Uncle Duane passed away in 1988.

“As children, we all loved Uncle Duane,” Robinson said. “He had an amazing zest for life. We thought he was the coolest. As we got older, we discovered what business he was in, and he became even cooler. He took the fantastic energy of his chosen way of life and applied it to the world of sexuality and self-exploration. And he did it in a new way.”

After years of flailing without its founder, Robinson finally bought Pleasure Chest in 1996. He introduced light-heartedness, bright, playful colors, warm decor, and sophistication not seen in sex shops. It was all about making customers feel comfortable while shopping for handcuffs, whips, lubes, books, toys, enhancers, paddlers, spankers, and stimulants. The brand exploded into a national star when, in one of Sex and the Cityʼs most infamous episodes, the girls go hunting for the Rabbit vibrator at Pleasure Chest. And it didnʼt hurt that Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe bought all of his sex toys at Pleasure Chest for his honeymoon in Cancun with Pamela Anderson, which they notoriously filmed.

A BUDDING EMPIRE

A few years ago, Robinson had an idea: purchase the building east of Pleasure Chest and build a dispensary, restaurant, lounge, and bar. Robinson had traveled extensively through Central and South America and fell in love with the people, architecture, and food. He envisioned an elegant dispensary downstairs, a bong-renting-to-the-table four-star restaurant straight out of Key West upstairs, and a verdant cocktail bar in the back. He surmised that the cannabis business is where the sex business was not long ago. He knew what to do. Robinson wanted his compound to be like a magical neighborhood adventure, a place to spend a blissful evening.

“Connecting cannabis and sexuality is at the forefront of our minds,” he said. “We also have a Pussycat Theatre dinner night where we show softcore films. Guests love watching these movies from the 1970s while dining on a first-class dinner and smoking top-shelf cannabis.”

EVERYTHING IS GOOD, COOL & NICE

Designed by Studio UNLTD, visitors at PleasureMed are welcomed into a breezy, lightfilled space reminiscent of the apothecaries of OG Havana. Baroque checkered marble flooring and 13-foot-high theatrical ivory beaded chandeliers abound. Vintage Moroccan-style cabinets showcase the best brands in town, including Fig Farms, Cali Heights, and Kush Company. Books and magazines dot the tables.

A glass-tombed staircase with an elaborate mural by Pablo Sison transports you upstairs to Irie. The restaurant, named after the Jamaican word for “everything is good, cool, and nice,” offers a highly curated, farm-to-table menu. Teeming with the tropical luxury of wild plants and natural light, Irie is an oasis of walnut-finished dining booths, green textures, prohibition-era artwork, and a marble-topped bar fused with copper accents. The walls are adorned with geometric sconces in a metallic gold finish, while mirrors, painted molding, and staghorn ferns frame it all.

“I wanted the design to feel like an inspirational home-away-from-home,” Robinson said. “But with the added benefit of tribes connecting over great drinks, food, and cannabis.”

The plant-infused Cuban decor puts you in the mood for sweet cannabis and delicious, spicy food. Once seated, diners are greeted by “cannaseurs” to take their cannabis order. The selection is top shelf: Alien Labs, Northern Emeralds, Connected, Pure Beauty, El Blunto, Garden Society, and more. (Bonus: rent a sci-fi-like Stündenglass or Grav bong for your table.) The space relies on a state-of-the-art filtration system, including TerraBloom carbon filters, to reduce smoke for guests.

“Itʼs designed in a way that if you donʼt use cannabis, you can still go and be part of the experience, enjoy the food, the atmosphere, and being around a bunch of high people,” said Robinson.

Irieʼs blend of comfort, soul food, and postcard ambiance makes it singular. Robinson hired a chef from the South to bring the spice to LA. There is something for everyone, from the barramundi rapini to the venison burger to the lionʼs mane cakes (“a perfectly healthy meal”) and the black truffle pizza. Other popular dishes include squash ravioli, grass-fed, dry-aged steak, chicories and apples, and beef nduja pizza. But hands down, the star of the show is the smashed butterballs. The crème fraîche, black garlic, and gremolata dish is “everyoneʼs favorite.” To round out the meal, Robinson suggests topping it off with the decadent chocolate chip cookie dessert dripping with salted caramel gelato.

When it comes to the zero-proof cocktails at Irie, itʼs all about quality and taste. Whether itʼs the Yellow Brick Road (pineapple, water, lemon, ginger, turmeric) or the Pinchai-lada (chai tea, coconut water, coconut cream, pineapple, lime), the juices are made fresh and not outsourced so that they donʼt get pasteurized, which changes the quality and sugar levels of the product. After dinner, enjoy reading a classic Playboy magazine or the new issue of Hiii on the pink couches in the lounge while enjoying a pre-roll. These days, Robinsonʼs go-to is Lemon Cherry Blossom by Sticky Status. Though its genetics are a well-kept secret, each draw uncovers a vibrant flavor profile of a citrus and cherry orchard.

“My experience is that it is the most social, pleasurable experience of any brand Iʼve tried,” Robinson said. “Their high balance of terpenes with the right amount of THC brings on the pleasurable as opposed to a lot of cannabis that feels more stoney.”

On most nights, Robinson can be seen strolling the restaurant floor greeting diners. Heʼll start the night sipping on a Pornstar cocktail (mango, passion, rum, vanilla bean, and coconut slush) before a dinner of heirloom tomato salad, Brussels sprouts, butterballs, and a steak. Everyone wants to chat with Brian. They gush, “Thanks for creating such a cool spot... we feel like we belong here.”

“As cannabis partakers, we have been relegated for a long time to a quick smoke, hidden away,” Robinson said. “At Irie, they feel relaxed and appreciated but still with a little bit of being naughty school children at first… until the food and mocktails arrive.”

LIFE IS BUT A DREAM

Located directly behind the dispensary is the verdant outdoor bar, Hind. Accommodating up to 45 people, pleasure-inspired craft cocktails (spirit and zero-proof) are served alongside dishes from Irie—the intimate space designed for socializing features custom white oak tabletops surrounded by foliage.

“We created Hind as a sorta secret garden,” Robinson said. “Vines grow freely on the walls and ceiling.”

As Robinson prepares for the one-year anniversary of Irie, he reflects on the long journey. Six years, to be exact. “Patience isnʼt normally my strong suit, but I got a lot of practice here,” he said.

Before we part, Robinson has some breaking news. Irie will soon become fully licensed to serve alcohol, the first of its kind.

“I have learned this last year that guests love pairing alcohol, cannabis, and food in one comfortable spot for the whole evening,” he remarked. “It takes two seconds to get high, but enjoying a bottle of wine can take hours.” Because these nights should last forever.