If you’re a long-time reader of this site, you might have come across mentions of the Savage Lovecast, a sex and relationship advice podcast that I highly recommend.

I usually put it on while I’m cleaning my apartment. It makes the whole boring process a lot more interesting.

Dan Savage, the host of the podcast, often gets calls from couples who are looking for a bit of adventure with people outside of their relationship, but who don’t want to open things up.

Dan’s advice is often to seek out a sex club and engage in couples play.

You’ve probably heard something about sex clubs. It’s easy for the imagination to go off on a tangent about what happens in them.

Thankfully, uncovering the truth about sex clubs doesn’t have to involve going off into the night to try one out, because Betches‘ Rachel Varina has done the work for you.

As someone who is jealous 98% of the time, it made zero sense for me to hit up one of these places. I can’t handle confrontation, comparisons, or situations where my self-confidence will be tested in the slightest. Why did I go, then? The same reason anyone would: My husband and I were drunk, bored, and didn’t feel like going out for sushi again.

Rachel goes on to describe the ins and outs (so to speak) of the sex club experience, starting with what happens when you arrive.

Walking into the club and signing waivers and getting a tour of the nearly-empty facility? Very weird. Being set free post-tour to go to the bar and start flirting with strangers? Very, VERY weird. There’s no denying it—this was way out of my comfort zone.

Once inside, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. Hollywood tells us that sex clubs are full of young attractive people. The reality is that sex clubs, like society, play host to all kinds of people. Which brings us to the ‘play areas’.

It took us a while (and by “a while” I mean a lot of drinks) to build the courage to switch over to the non-bar side, but once we did, we were astounded. Room after room of plush, king-sized beds greeted us, each with a different theme (a space room, a safari room, a fully red room), a mirror on the ceiling, and a window where other people could watch you get it on. Beyond the private rooms were the group rooms complete with, you guessed it, black, pleather couches. So. Many. Black pleather couches. Beyond that? Again, you guessed it: a dungeon with multiple cages, sex swings, chains, and a wall full of things like whips, gags, blindfolds, belts, and clamps.

You can read more about the costs and the club here, but in summary, Rachel’s experience was as follows:

I was dressed like a slutty elf. I spent $350 on ONE NIGHT OUT. We started drinking at 5pm. Yes, I had sex. Yes, stuff happened with strangers. No, my husband and I didn’t break up because of it. Yes, it was a f*cking blast. Yes, it made our relationship stronger. No, I don’t think it’s cheating. Yes, I would HIGHLY suggest going. No, you’re not going to get any more scandalous details from me about what went down. Not yet, at least…

There’s something to be said for spicing things up.

Just make sure you stock up on condoms before hitting the club.

You should probably also avoid any in-house hot tubs.

[source:betches]