Club Scene Page

WHILE PERFORMING THEIR NIGHTLY DUTIES swing club owner/managers often find themselves needing to be part-counselor, part-confessor and part-coach. In Club Scene we offer owners and managers a forum to share thoughts and experiences about the Lifestyle from their unique perspective. This premier installment is written by "Little Allen." He is marketing and promotional director for the Trapeze swing club organization, and host of the company's flagship Fort Lauderdale club. As Allen has specifically asked us to inform readers, he is also one heck of a nice guy.

“GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO TRAPEZE!” ...familiar greetings I offer to hundreds of people five nights a week. Funny, how almost every single time I can spot the newbies as they enter the lobby of our club, just by their reaction to those few simple words. There's a certain look on the faces of a new couple that is a dead giveaway, a curious and somewhat frightened expression that broadcasts ”newbie” loud and clear. Of course their high anxiety is totally understandable, since they haven't shown up at our front door just on a whim. Typically they've heard about the “Lifestyle” from friends, they've seen documentaries about swingers on national TV, they've listened to talk show discussions about the subject, and most importantly, they've fantasized for weeks, months or even years about being with someone other than their significant other. Now, the moment of truth has finally arrived. Anxiety aside, it often amazes me how differently people approach the reality of becoming swingers. Dick and Jane may enter the club with the enthusiasm and gusto of children being offered their first ice cream cones, whereas Tom and Mary stand at the registration desk shaking so hard I can hear their knees knocking together. In either case it doesn’t take very long for newbies to find that entering a swing club is probably one of the most exciting, pleasurable experiences they'll encounter as a couple. As a matter of fact, the newbie couples that come to Trapeze for their maiden swing voyage are often among the last to leave the club on their first evening.

Greeting the new couple and reassuring them about what to expect is one of the most fascinating aspects of my job as a Trapeze host. I meet people from all walks of life and talk to them about what brought them in and how they made their decision to involve themselves in the Lifestyle.

Who are these swingers? Unfortunately, outsiders labor under the misconception that those who indulge in the “Swinging Lifestyle” are a bunch of perverts and degenerates. In actuality, the caliber of people in the swinging community is far removed from such negative stereotypes. The clientele of Trapeze and many other swing clubs includes multi-millionaire CEOs, doctors, lawyers, law enforcement personnel, judges... as well as that young newbie couple that manages both to get up the nerve and to budget enough money from their weekly paycheck to come to our club and explore their fantasies.

Rules Of The Game

“What are the rules?” asks a timid gentleman as he is nudged by his better half. Well, first, in any upscale swinger’s club and especially in Trapeze, “NO, DEFINITELY MEANS NO.” I explain that there is no pressure whatsoever to do anything with anybody that you don’t feel comfortable with. Conversely, it is not appropriate to think that you could go up to anyone and touch them, as this is not a meat market. Fortunately, situations like that happen extremely infrequently. The most important rule I tell new couples is simple: Relax and ennuyé it.

There's a natural progression most newcomers follow when they first visit Trapeze. They head over to the gourmet dinner buffet and enjoy the food our chefs provide each night. Then they order their BYOB drinks from the bar, mingling with the crowd along the way. Afterwards it’s time to join in on the dance floor where high energy and sensual dancing gets the crowd in a tizzy, with women touching and teasing other women, as is quite common in swing clubs. The erotic sights and sounds of an on premise swingers club are enough to raise the temperature to “simmer” in any human being.

Finally, it's time to visit our lockers and change from club clothes to towels, before getting to the point of it all... our towels-or-less back area where in open spaces and in small private rooms, anything goes... anything completely consensual, that is. Simply seeing so many people engaging in erotic activities begs the question, “What have we been missing out on all these years?”

So... the newbie couple has finally taken the plunge, as they encounter couple after couple, pleasure seekers like themselves, entering the wonderful world of erotic fantasy. It may very well be that the new couple only wants to watch other couples having sex on this first night. Or they may be ready to engage in either soft-swap or the more adventurous full-swap. Whatever the case, the term “newbie” lasts only for a short period of time in the Lifestyle. The new couple has finally entered the Garden of Eden and tasted the formerly forbidden fruit. Now the things they'd only dreamed about are blossoming into reality.