Odella - luxurious prison

Under Code d’ Odalisque an odalisque has the right to proper lodgings in her own room, technically called an “odella”. This is a right that an odalisque has over lower slaves (memlooks). A memlook would not ordinarily have their own room – they might sleep on a mat in the kitchen. An odalisque, though, is a special slave. She has a status above memlooks. One of her privileges is that she has an odella, i.e. her own bedroom. Moreover, the Code specifies that her odella is not a sexual venue. Her Master should not enjoy her in her odella. It is, to a degree, her domain. Her Master must take her elsewhere – such as to his playroom (saray) – to enjoy her. Her odella is a place for her sleep and her recreation. It is where she (usually) sleeps. It is where she hangs out. It is space for her use.

But it is also her prison. She is kept in her odella where she waits to serve. She is kept naked and is not permitted to come and go as she pleases; she is to remain in her odella until her Master says otherwise. In practice, a slave spends a lot of time alone in her odella. It is a well-equipped prison cell. She is a captive slave. She is a special slave who enjoys certain luxuries, but she is a slave all the same. She is held captive to be used by her Master for his sexual delights. When she is not being used, or tantalizing her Master in other ways, she lives in her odella, hidden and occluded from the world.

Preparing a room as an odella in which to accommodate an odalisque requires considerable thought. Since she spends so much time in the room it needs to be properly equipped. An odalisque usually sleeps into the day: her room must be quiet and away from street noise. Since she is naked (or nearly so) the room must have an even temperature, comfortable when nude. A decent heating system. The room also needs to be private, in some hidden part of the house, secluded. An odalisque is kept in occlusion. She is hidden from the world, imprisoned in her odella. The room will usually have a bed, a profusion of pillows, a rug, a reading lamp. Attention must be given to surfaces. No rough or abrasive surfaces. It is not a dungeon. Memlooks are kept in dungeons, but not odalisques. Silk surfaces. Smooth, cool leather. Furs. It is best if the room has its own ensuite. An odalisque needs access to a shower, bath, toilet. Mirrors. Then there are safety considerations: good ventilation and adequate fire prevention are essential. Other features are at the Master’s discretion. He may allow her a television, or a radio, or a DVD player, or a computer, or nothing but a book and a pen and paper – this is up to the Master. The Code merely insists that the odalisque has her own room and that it be of a decent standard and suited to the odalisque’s vocation. Comfort and a certain amount of opulence is not out of order.

If a man is serious about owning an odalisque, he will devote some time and perhaps money to preparing a suitable odella. Very often a heating system will need to be installed. Perhaps other renovations. The important thing to remember is that while an odella is her right and privilege, it is at the same time her prison. An odella should be planned and prepared with this in mind. A truly ideal arrangement would be a well-constructed room in a basement, with its own ensuite. When she is not in service to her Master, she is locked in there, hidden from the world. Visitors to the house would have no idea she is there. That is what “occlusion” means. This is a test of a suitable odella – it should be a room, a part of the house, well out of view of all casual visitors. A bedroom near the front door is no good.