Sex clubs - ever been?

In My Humble Opinion
1

During the late 70s and early 80s, at the corner of Broadway and West 73rd in Manhattan, one could visit a genuine swinger’s sex club: Plato’s Retreat. It was supposedly a hedonist’s delight, with all sorts of possibilities for both observation and participation in carefree sexual congress.

I was well-informed about this place, being an enthusiastic (though necessarily covert) young reader of Penthouse magazine, in which several descriptions of the Plato’s experience appeared over the years.

Now, of course, Plato’s is long gone, a victim, so to speak, of AIDS. And I would guess that for the same reason there probably aren’t too many similar places in existence today. I couldn’t partake of those fleshy delights in the 70s ‘cause I was underage, and now, of course, I’m a married man with no desire to share my wife or even perform with her for others’ admiring eyes.

But what did I miss? Later reflection on Penthouse’s other stories makes me realize that - just maybe - their reporting on Plato’s may have been a bit… eh… exaggerated for effect. Literary license may have been employed.

So I turn to the SDMB, among whose members we can undoubtedly find folks that have done EVERYTHING.

Anyone ever actually been to a Plato’s-type swingers establishment? (I distiniguish this from any strictly amateur swapping/swinging experiences you’ve had, which were undoubtedly fascinating and titillating but not what I’m going for here).

What was it like?

2

They still exist. There’s a very popular one in San Francisco called the Power Exchange.

And there are various ‘retreats’ scattered around the Bay Area I do believe.

3

The trouble is…no one believes when you say you have seen so-and-so(someone famous) there. :frowning:

4

Wouldn’t it be a bit… troublesome for someone famous to show up there?

I mean, if people come up to you at a restaurant and bug you just to get an autograph…

5

I’m just waiting for FormerMarineGuy to show up here…

6

What about before they were famous?

7

I’ve been to one and described the experience briefly in a thread I started on the subject. The main difference (I guess, I was born in 1977 so I wouldn’t know) from the 70s ones is today, there are bowls of condoms there.

What it was like? Great. Exciting. Electric. One of the most unusual, memorable, cool, boundary-testing, exhilarating experiences of my life. And that was without actually having sex with anyone else but my partner. Just watching, being watched, and the mood in that place, where everyone comes knowing they’re going to have sex and everyone else is going to have sex and people come clothed and you’re wondering what they look like naked and then you get to find out, and everyone’s really unselfconscious and natural.

I loved it. Mileage, as always, varies.

8

On a re-read, it sounds like you wanted a more practical description of what it was like. Well, here goes.

The one I went to was strictly for couples, although couples could bring friends along (within some limitations, as the club would otherwise be flooded with men). They had a bar tended by a skimpily dressed attractive woman, and the evening usually started with the couples sitting there, having a drink and talking. There were TVs everywhere constantly running porn films.

At 10pm, everyone had arrived who wass going to and the bartender beat a gong (why, I’m not sure, but she did). People start making out, undressing, and having sex, basically. Of course, you could start earlier, or wait. Generally speaking, it’s a very accepting atmosphere.

There were couches, a room with mattresses on the floor, a massage table, a jacuzzi big enough for four people, a wall with glory holes and a bunch of other stuff like that. The couples mainly started off with each other, and then when you wanted to have sex with someone else you just approached them, usually by having sex close to them and reaching out a hand. Some long-time members knew each other and knew what was acceptable to each other, so they had sex with each other much like someone would with their partner.

Was this what you wanted to know? Feel free to ask questions if you like.

9

T. Rex.

10

They’re still around, at least in NYC. There’s one called Le Trapeze on 27th and 5th, and another one called Checkmates, although I’m not sure where that is or if they have a website.

Never been, but certainly wouldn’t be adverse to going.

11

'Cause a cowbell would just be silly. :wink:

12

All I know about sex clubs I learned during Jack Ryan’s failed campaign for Senator.

And speaking of famous people at sex clubs, he was married to Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine) at the time.

13

Well, they continue to exist for gay men, of course. Baths and Saunas. Even in San Francisco, where they shut the baths down, they have sex clubs.

I actually hadn’t believed that straights had anything comparable until I read this thread.

Bob

14

Yes, but didn’t she refuse to be assimilated?

15

IIRC she went, but didn’t enjoy it.

16

I can’t think of a NYC gay sex “club” in the '70s and early '80s that I didn’t go to; some of them I’d been to hundreds of times. And some of them (the trucks and the docks) stretched the meaning of the term “club” til the word was meaningless. From what I heard about Plato’s, it was super-sanitized and “civilized,” compared to the gay venues. I don’t think most women would patronize a place that’s best described as “raunchy,” but that’s exactly was most of the gay venues were.

17

When i was a young naive journalist on my first job, I worked for a “lads” magazine here in Sydney. One of my first jobs was to go to this club - the name escapes me now, (Headquarters, maybe?) to interview the founder of one of these clubs.

Wanting to impress my new boss, I got my stuff together, my best most professional business suit on, my brief case, my tape recorder and confidentally entered the club. I was, at that moment, Brenda Starr - Journalist Extraordinaire.

The first room was nondescript, the second room however, was a giant portcullis. I pressed the bell. The portcullis rose, and a large man in a thong and a mask entered the room.

He looked at me. I looked at him. I introduced myself, and explained why I was there.

He looked at me. I looked at him.

He said “The Sydney Masturbator’s club is male only. I think it would be uncomfortable not only for our patrons, but for yourself aswell should we allow you entry.”

With that - and with more dignity that I would ever have guess an overweight middle aged man in a leather mask and thong could possess, he walked back through the portcullis shutting it firmly behind him.

So while I can’t tell you what goes on IN a club. I can tell you what happens in the foyer of such a club.

18

…but was the headline two days later “Practical-Joker Editor Killed by Rookie Reporter”?

19

As soon as I saw this thread I looked for the mention of my name, thanks for thinking of me Argent Towers!

I started a thread similar to this “How About Those Swingers Clubs” a while back because I was curious about going with my wife. We did not want to swing, but be watched and watch.

So…here is someone who was curious and recently satisfied my curiousity. A few weeks ago I went with my wife to a local swingers club. We went out to dinner with some friends and afterwards departed our own way. In a local magazine there was this club that advertised that night (a weekday which I believe now makes a difference) as bisexual night.

We went in (about 11 pm) and there were only a few couples there sitting around the bar drinking. They were all in their 50’s and 60’s and the exact opposite of my wife and I. We are thin, in good shape, and an attractive couple (IMO). But we walked in and it was a pretty comfortable environment. We walked around and it was broken down to four areas, one for exhibition, one for group play, and one for private rooms (but they were not really private, just people are not supposed to go in if you are in there).

There were pornos playing everywhere and we sat and watched. With all of these couples there was this one guy who was alone and really weird, he kept just staring at us. So it started…

One of the older couples walked back into the room and started have sex on this table with stirrups. We went back there out of curiousity and the weird guy was there masturbating. About thirty minutes later my wife and I said “hell with it” and started having sex. One couple asked permission to touch but we said nicely that we were not really interested, and they backed off politely and asked if they could watch. Sure, no problem. BUT…that fucking weird guy (our age by the way) kept watching us jerking off in this accent (sounded European of some sort) saying “ooh, you so beautiful, you so sexy, what beautiful buttocks you have”. And he kept trying to get closer and closer to us thinking maybe we would submit to his sexy European voice.

My wife was kind of creeped out by the guy, but we did laugh about it.

From my lesson, it was a great first experience because it was not crowded and we got to see basically what it was like. If we go again, it will be on a Saturday night where it is more crowded with a younger, sexier crowd (from what the hostess told us when we were there).

Of course Argent Towers, I will be watching this thread with interest.

20

Yes, I’ve been. I partook of all the glistening, fresh produce: carrots, cucumbers, watermelons…mmm mmm good! Thumped a few big melons, squeezed some ripe tomatoes and even took a girl’s cherry when she wasn’t looking. The wife enjoys tea baggin’, so she was in heaven. Somehow, my big salami ended up in the Hershey aisle… Oh, wait…I misread the OP. I thought it said, SAM’S CLUB – ever been?.

Never mind.