The Empress Chambers, a hidden gem
(Edit, December 2024. Unfortunately, the Empress Chambers now appears to be shut)
Every week I explore the Second Life search feature for 'hotel', 'motel', and 'resort', hoping to discover new gems hidden among the numerous 'handjob hotel' type joints that dominate the search results.
Recently, I stumbled across The Empress Chambers. It was a really great find.
Owned by Selene Nirvana (delhammer7), The Empress Chambers is a Far Eastern-themed beach resort with an adult twist. It features a lovely beach area, open-air pavilions with bedrooms, a spa, and a temple. I found it impressive and wondered why it wasn't more popular.
It's free to visit, and I highly recommend it.
Upon arrival
The landing point faces a temple with a path leading to the beach. There's also a teleport system for easy navigation.
A tourist information booth offers a free baseball cap and a notecard with rules, which can be summarized as follows: This is an adult resort, so behave accordingly. No children are allowed. Everything is free to use, and shoes should be removed. A bike rezzer is available nearby.
Resort features
The resort is surprisingly extensive, occupying an entire island surrounded by beach. Its attractions include:
A teahouse with indoor and outdoor areas featuring a fusion of Western and Asian decor and a cozy library-like seating area, this was probably one of my favourites.
The Empress Chambers itself - a grand hall showcasing mesh figures in historical Chinese costumes. While I'm not usually fond of NPCs, they work well in this setting.
An underground cave area with dungeon cells and a "bat attack" game for entertainment.
A city area with houses, canals, a central square, and statues of Chinese warriors.
The 'Empress Brothel'. This is more of an inviting bar with vintage Chinese and Japanese ads adorning the walls (I didn't see anyone work there). It's an excellent spot for socializing.
An underground swim area with swim rezzers and a sauna was actually the one area that didn't really work for me.
A "Beijing Highway" leading skyward, culminating in a sea at the top of the world after a lengthy ascent. Note it will take you a good 15 minutes to get to the top. Unfortunately, the motorbike at the entrance didn't seem to work, but the bike rezzers did
The beach features Casanova loungers (500 anims apparently), a horse rezzer, and a spa pavilion with a small garden around the back.
Four open-air suites are also available, offering high-quality furniture, such as YukioOnna's 'BENTO PHYSICS PERVERSION BED (pbr)'. The rooms include working mirrors, indicating recent updates for PBR compatibility.
One villa I explored had an outdoor seating area with a dining table, perfect for a romantic date. It was as good as many places I see in paying resorts. Assuming privacy isn't a concern (there is none, but there is also no cost), you could do worse than bring someone here.
Other considerations:
The evening yellow / reddish windlight may not appeal to everyone, but it's easily changeable (I liked it)
Adult animations and furniture are present throughout.
Lag was not an issue, allowing for high graphics settings.
Overall
What can I say? This place is great. I loved it, and it deserves more traffic. Its diverse attractions, beautiful design, up-to-date furniture, PBR readiness, and lag-free environment make it well worth a visit. Experience it for yourselves.
