Balance June 2019 - 24

PARTY
Outside the clichéd image of car keys in a bowl, adult events are
becoming a popular staple on many enlightened Londoners'
"to-do" lists. And what once seemed seedy could now unleash
untapped desires, as our man on the inside discovered...

hy would someone want to attend a sex party, I hear you ask. Fear
of the unknown and outdated preconceptions have personified their
image, and made it a big, bad, scary world to step into, but it has
often piqued my interest. I've always been fairly sexually liberated
(although I've never spoken openly about it) so when the opportunity
presented itself I stepped up, prepared to take one for the team.
FOREPLAY
The seed was planted following a conversation on a date about New Year's resolutions,
and how attending a sex party would tick a bucketlist "to do" box. After a little research
on the range of parties on offer, it was clear: if you want it, it exists. From S&M, ladies
only, gay and bisexual, there are events for all tastes. Le Boudoir kept popping up, with
amazing reviews that referenced a "friendly bunch" and boasted it was good for firsttimers. After browsing their website and studying their online gallery, I decided this was
the place. Le Boudoir hold weekly parties on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and also
every first Wednesday of the month. I chose to check out the Saturday, strictly for couples
and single ladies. I floated the idea to my female friend, who was, surprisingly, up for it.
That was the easy part...
THE NIGHT
Aiming to retain an element of normality to our pre-orgy Saturday night, we get dinner.
A nice Pizza Pilgrims and a beer don't really settle my nerves, but at least it involved carbloading. There is a slight spanner in the works as my date has forgotten her passport (used
as proof of age and address), so we have to swing by her house before party time. She has

told all her housemates about her plans, so you
can imagine the look of excitement, followed
by disappointment, on their faces as we walk
in, only to reveal we haven't been yet.
The Uber ride to the East London venue is
quiet and tense: we speak a bit about how we
both feel (terrified, obviously) and comfort
each other with "We're in this together".
We decide if one of us isn't into it, we would
both leave as a sign of solidarity. We have quite
literally made a sex pact.
As we get closer to the venue, a million
and one thoughts are racing through my head:
"What if I can't perform? What if I recognise
someone? What if I don't like it? What if I love
it and get hooked? What if she doesn't like it?
What if she leaves me for someone else?
What if I can't perform?"
Le Boudoir is bring your own bottle (BYOB),
so after buying some wine we descend into
silence. A nondescript wooden door with a
video buzzer marks the point of no return.
Once inside, I am pleasantly surprised by the
non-threatening reception area and the couple
registering for the evening.
We walk in, pour our drinks and are
introduced to our new surroundings by one of
the lovely hosts. My first impressions are it
feels surprisingly familiar. Good music blaring,
good looking (and younger than I thought)
people chatting and laughing. We go for a little
walk about to explore. Downstairs we first see
the headmaster's office, complete with its own
whip, then arrive at a dimly lit corridor which
begins to heighten some of my other senses. It
is pretty quiet; no one is around. We come
across the dungeon. A half-naked woman is
bent over, being spanked by a well-dressed
man. It's a gentle, if disciplined, reminder of
where we are.
GO TIME
Fast forward an hour, and we have settled into
the party. Slightly. We have met some lovely
people, from staff members to partygoers, all
with nothing but amazing things to say and big
smiles on their faces. We've now seen people
walking freely in lingerie, a few "performances"
by beautiful couples/threesomes/groups and
brave women showing off pole fitness skills.
The sexual tension between me and my
partner is at an all-time high, so I take a swig
of Blossom Hill and we ascend the stairs
towards "The Lounge". It's not quite what you'd
expect. Not many people are lounging. The
low lighting and R&B music set the tone,
but nothing could really prepare us for what
was to come.
A big FrankenBed on the left hosts four or
five couples in the swing of things. A few are
dotted around the floor and the seating area,
some participating, some just watching. On the
right, there are three beds with sheer curtains
providing not much privacy; more an illusion

Balance June 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Balance June 2019