Come back swinging

A year after the Supreme Court ruling on swingers clubs, Montreal’s hopping échangiste scene is changing dramatically

by CHRIS BARRY
Come December, it will be one year since the landmark Supreme Court ruling came down, stating that on-site boinking in membership-only “swingers” clubs was no longer a criminal activity. The result, perhaps not all that surprisingly, has had a significant effect on the local swingin’ scene, as the curious but heretofore understandably cautious have been heading out to our fair city’s numerous échangiste, or swinger, clubs in record numbers.

No longer need one worry that the cops are going to bust in and arrest everyone just as you’re about to blow your love load into some sexy échangiste, dragging you and your unfulfilled erection up to the inevitable throng of media waiting outside to report upon your most important of arrests. These days, the concern among longtime échangistes tends to be whether the recent influx of newbies is actually helping or hurting the local swinging subculture.
Jean Hamel, who heads up the Quebec Swingers Association, notes that a lot of veteran (for lack of a better word) swingers have been avoiding the established commercial échangiste clubs lately in favour of more discreet, private gatherings, run out of people’s homes or in motels whose rooms have been rented out en masse for the occasion.
“What’s happened since the Supreme Court judgment,” says Hamel, “is that we’re starting to see more voyeurs than participants in the clubs. Before, on a typical Saturday night at, say, l’Orage, you’d find maybe 200 people, and 175 of them would be having sex while the other 25 were either newcomers or voyeurs. But that’s completely turned around now. These days you may have 200 people coming out and 175 of them won’t be doing anything while the other 25, who want to have sex, find themselves too intimidated by the other 175 people looking at them. This is a big problem.”
Home is where the hard is
Hamel estimates there are about 20,000 swingers in Montreal, with half that number being what he calls occasional swingers, i.e. folk who make the scene every once in awhile but aren’t full-on devoted to the lifestyle.
“Back when there were only one or two clubs, everybody would come out and these places would always be full,” he notes. “Now, sure, you have a lot more places, but the core community is still pretty much the same people, only they’re spread out in all these different clubs. So these days, it’s possible you could head out to, say, Club Nuance on a Saturday night and find no more than six other couples there. Honestly, I’d be surprised if we didn’t see some club closings in the next year or so.
“What’s been happening,” Hamel continues, “is that many of the real swingers have been abandoning the clubs in favour of the private houses, like Chez Catherine. At the private houses, you don’t have all the facilities of the clubs, swimming pools, jacuzzis and the like, but the people going there are looking to have sex—it’s not about going out to dance or just look at people. The private houses are smaller and a lot of the people already know each other. If you’re there as a voyeur, you could feel unwelcome, like you really should be participating. It’s not a legitimate pressure, certainly not one put on by the owners of the houses, but a pressure you might feel anyway if you’re, you know, the only person with your clothes on in a room full of naked people. Similarly, if you’re in a house with 40 other couples and you’re the only couple not participating, you might find yourself feeling kind of awkward.”
Young and the restless
One thing, as anybody who’s ever spent time at any of the local échangiste clubs will tell you, is that the swinging set are a very respectful lot—nobody is pressuring anybody to do anything they don’t feel like doing. As Alain Joyal, he of the hugely popular l’Éclipse/l’Auberge le 1082 complex and the man behind local Web site infolibertins.com, points out, “single women are way less likely to receive unwanted attention in an échangiste club than on the street or in another, more traditional, club. It’s just not acceptable. Everyone understands and respects that.”
Perhaps that good word is getting around more these days. Joyal reports that the clientele stepping into l’Auberge le 1082 complex keeps getting younger and that the number of single women coming out continues to multiply.
“The crowd at [dance club] l’Éclipse is actually very, very young. And on a good Saturday night, you’ll find maybe 200 people having sex inside l’Auberge le 1082, with the average age being about 30. But we get many people in their early twenties coming here now as well. On big theme weekends, people are reserving their rooms and lockers well in advance, because inevitably they’ll all be sold out if they decide to wait until they get here.”
So, if l’Auberge le 1082 is any indication, certainly not all local swinger clubs are feeling the negative effects from the sudden influx of voyeurs among their ranks. It might well be that these newcomers to the scene just need a little time to adapt to the magical world of swingin’. And then, before you know it, perhaps a whole new legion of young swingers might find themselves comfortably throwing their panties to the wind and announcing loudly in a room full of strangers, “Come fuck me, everybody, I understand the scene now and I’m all ready to go!” Perhaps the local swinging scene is just suffering from growing pains. Time will tell.

Racy places

>> Spots where things get hot

    So, you’ve been entertaining the idea of getting naked in a room full of swingers but haven’t quite figured out where you want to do it yet? The following is a list of establishments where you can find other couples to do the nasty with, or, to simply explore the swinging lifestyle before deciding to get down and dirty yourself.

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- L’Éclipse Night Club/Auberge le 1082 1082 Rosemont E., 272-1082, www.le1082.com
The happenin’ spot at the moment, l’Eclipse/Auberge le 1082 is an enormous complex. Attracting a slightly younger, “good-looking” crowd, le 1082 boasts a whirlpool spa that can accommodate up to 30 people, a large, spacious sauna and a “fantasy room” that’s said to really get going weekend nights.
- Club Nuances 4467 St-Laurent, 845-1741, www.clubnuances.com
The former home of the notorious yet highly celebrated club l’Orage, Nuances may not be packing them in lately like l’Orage did in its heyday, but it’s still well worth investigating.
- Club Nuances 4467 St-Laurent, 845-1741, www.clubnuances.com
The former home of the notorious yet highly celebrated club l’Orage, Nuances may not be packing them in lately like l’Orage did in its heyday, but it’s still well worth investigating.
- Le Lucky 7 7 René-Levesque W., 874-7777, www.clublucky7.com
The newest kid on the swingin’ block, having only opened officially this September. Gang-bang nights every Thursday and Friday.
- Auberges des Libertines 2100 Mario (Brossard), (450) 656-0160, www.aubergedeslibertins.com
Where South Shore libertines go to get down.
- Complex 3333 3333 Belanger, 807-2424, www.sauna333.com
Described on the Montreal Escort Review Board as “like a gay sauna/bathhouse except for straight people,” the 3333 has a large swimming pool, glory holes and, of course, their notorious “sex swing.”
- Montreal Sexy Boat www.montrealsexyboat.com
In the warmer months, you and your honey can climb aboard the bacchanal that is Jean Hamel’s Sexy Boat and do the deed under the stars while cruising the mighty St. Lawrence River. Leaves from the Boucherville wharf.
- Le Celeste 7067 St-Hubert, 886-5633, www.leceleste.com
Glory holes, a “Garden of Eden” room, a mirror room—what more could you ask for? Bring your mom

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    For more information on the Montreal swinging scene, and to find out where the private swinging action is, be sure to check out Jean Hamel’s Quebec Swingers Association’s Web site at www.aeqsa.com, and/or Alain Joyal’s site, www.infolibertins.com. Both Joyal and Hamel sponsor introductory swingers evenings, if you decide you want to learn all the proper etiquette before taking the plunge.

—CB