Tess Barker

Credit: Imcsike/Shutterstock

Inside a Thriving L.A. Cottage Industry: Selling Used Panties

Tess Barker
Mistress Panty (her now-professional name, by which she asked to be referred), needed a used bridesmaid dress for a costume in a play. Naturally, she turned to L.A. Craigslist. In the site’s clothing section, she absent-mindedly clicked through its expected oeuvre: vintage jackets, new-with-tags knock-offs. Then, she landed on an......
Credit: 10th Planet

These Martial Artists Use Marijuana to Get to a Higher Level

Tess Barker
On a Sunday afternoon in Santa Monica, dozens of men and women in rash guards and bathing suits grappled on the mats they’d set up at the beach. “If you want to roll, just fill out a waiver,” one woman told a curious young man who’d approached. “The snacks are......
The Burbank stalwart is an epicenter of activity for night owls.; Credit: Courtesy Coral Cafe

Ghosts and Night Crawlers Haunt Burbank's Genuine All-Night Diner

Tess Barker
There is a ghost at the Coral Cafe. That’s what people want to believe, explained Peter Vournas, one of the Burbank diner’s managers. Vournas is often asked about the spirit, who allegedly appeared in a 2006 Youtube video of the restaurant at 4:16 a.m. Whether said ghost really floats between......