Naughty Paris

This Thursday (5th) is the second Scandalous Ball at Sens (23 rue Ponthieu, 8th) from midnight until dawn. It's organized by the celebrated New York nightlife queen Susanne Bartsch, accompanied by her friends Kenny Kenny, World Famous Bob, Johanna Constantine and Lady Fag.

If you're looking for a good warm-up party, there's always Au Bonheur des Dames at Régine's Club, every Thursday from 9:30pm (women only for a super girly show and entertainement and cocktails, 100% free), and your men can join you there from 11:30pm.

It's time for the 7th annual Nuit Démonia, not just one night, but FOUR nights of events in Paris crowned by the one of the biggest fetish parties in Europe. No matter if you've never been to a fetish party in your life, get out that sexy latex Halloween costume and check out the action!

Saturday night I went to check out the Zinella fetish soirée at Le Continuum (48 rue Duhesme, 18th) with Pleasure Coach Victoria Vesta of DFT. It was billed as a "hotter" night that the Nuit Elastique, and being a journalist it's important for me to confirm these things. ;)

With Victoria, our mystery MIK, et moi, at Le Continuum.


So the club itself is on the quiet north side of Montmartre, with no signs at all indicating there's anything going on inside (we weren't sure we were at the right place until someone opened the door). It was free for women, always a bonus. We checked our coats and headed to the bar. Le Continuum is set up nicely for socializing. The main room on the ground floor is huge, with high ceilings like you're in a church (or a barn), with a bar on one end, and rows of sofas and tables in the center where everyone chats. It's a pretty small community, so a lot of people recognize each other.

At fetish parties you're expected to dress up: leather, latex, vinyl, etc. "Bizarre" is a category, and there were a few "things" out there so well-disguised that we couldn't figure out the gender (imagine the alien costume from the Schwarzenegger film "Predator", but in chains). Uniforms are also allowed; who doesn't love a good soldier or fireman outfit? Just like Halloween! Our Scottish Man in the Kilt (aka MIK) fit right in and didn't have to worry about what would happen if a draft came along and lifted his kilt (do they ever really worry about that?!).

Peeking under the kilt...want to see what I saw? Let's hear it! If at least 25 of you respond to this blog, I'll post the full monty!

There are also a lot of men dressed as women, some more successfully than others. "My purse is cuter than his," said Victoria, nodding to the man at the table next to us.

Next door is the dance floor, but aside from a few good songs at the start, the DJ seemed stuck on undanceable (IMHO) techno. MIK even managed to do a little Riverdance for us, trying to get the "thing" to join in. A couple then decided to co-opt the floor for a public show of affection.

Downstairs is the dungeon-like spaces where the traditional S/M activities take place (whipping, spanking, getting tied up). It's more like the other s/m/fetish clubs -- crowded, low ceilings, dark, not much socializing. You're not supposed to laugh down here, so we headed back upstairs to the bar area. I got my shoes shined. Twice. Then I got picky and started turning people down. There is certainly no shortage of men willing to crawl around on the ground for you ladies! In general, the submissive males seem to outnumber the dominant ones. Perfect if you're looking to practice your flogging technique. But where's the testosterone?! Even the doms are so well-behaved in these clubs that it makes it hard to go back to "regular" night clubs (where the aggressive come-on's seem to get out of hand by 1am).

We met a nice Australian man visiting Paris (he overheard us telling dirty jokes in English), and chatted a bit with the soirée organizer, Michael. By then it was 4am, and this reporter needs her beauty sleep, so it was back to the coat check room, slip into my winter clothes and flat ballerina shoes (ahhhhhh....), and out into the real world with a handfulof flyers for the upcoming parties around town. Until next time!

The Mardi Lolita sounded like a fun things to do on a rainy Tuesday, so I called some girly friends to go check it out. "What time should we meet?" emails Gentry. "It starts at 7pm," I reply. "Won't we be total dorks showing up on time? It's Tuesday in August,no one will be there." "Well then you can come at 8. I'll be there getting my manicure at 7:30," I reply. Brenna had yoga until 8pm, but I told her we'd still be there watching the Desperate Housewives episodes on the big screen.

I didn't actually make it until 8pm (it's in one of those transportation black holes...I had to take three metros). Gentry was on the upper deck drinking her free Cosmopolitan. "Only the Cosmos are free," she reported. Good thing I like cranberry juice. "And the 'boudoir' sucks." She had arrived at 7:20pm and immediately signed us up for the massages and tarot reader. We were, like, 50th in line. "There's no manicurist tonight, and the make-up person only has eye shadow."

We finished our drinks on the deck and when it started raining again we headed below deck to the 'Boudoir'. It was pretty sad, but what can you expect for free? I brought money for extra drinks, but never ended up buying any. It wasn't that crowded, but there's limited seating options, and most of them are taken up by the friends of the masseuses, make-up artists, tarot reader, etc. We camped out next to the sex toy table, and since we couldn't see the TV screen while we waited for our appointments, we played with the toys.

Apparently they were for sale, but the girl manning the table ignored us when she wasn't flicking her cigarette in our direction. "Wow, I'd really love to know how these things work," I say loudly. "I'd really love to buy one!" added Gentry. Still no attention. At one point a magician came over, obviously paid to entertain us, and started entertaining the sex toy girl and her friends. We began scheming our plot to sell the sex toys ourselves to anyone who looked interested (that might get her attention), when Brenna arrived. "Any toy you want, five euros!"

We found some seats closer to the TV (they'd never seen Desperate Housewives, I was trying to fill in the gaps). Gentry was too distracted checking our progress on the list every ten seconds. "There are 25 people ahead of us and only an hour left. They leave at 10pm," she says. And, right on schedule, at 10pm they all packed up and left (not even a "desolée, on ferme!"). The show we were half-watching cut off mid-episode. The gauzy table cloths and three fashion magazines constituting our boudoir were taken away.

Total bummer.

Not that we didn't have fun. How can you not have fun when out with the girls? So, my advice: go with friends. Get there at 6:45pm. ;)

Last night I went to a concert at Paris-Paris to see a Franco-American group called TRIK (opening for JAD WIO). I invited along a few friends. "Do we have to wear fetish gear?" asked one, wary of participating in my Naughty Paris "research" excursions. "Only if you want to; personally I think it's a bit too chilly." I was just joking (not about the chilly part though; firkin' freezing out there!), but once we arrived on the scene I could see that anyone wearing fetish gear would fit right in.

We were among the first to arrive, but by the time we got our drinks and secured one of the few seating areas, it was already packed. We had almost an hour to hang out before the concert started, so we had time to check out the crowd's...er...eclectic style.

Some of the more eye-catching outfits in the crowd.



The house cocktail, with fresh strawberries, mango and vodka.

TRIK is made up of Nancy, a veloptuous sex pot of an American (the kind you rarely find in America these days), and two French dudes, Mathieu and Cédric. Rumor has it they met during one of those speed dating sessions. Their style of music is self-described as "ElectroGlamBooty". Why not? You can listen to excerpts on their website, or catch them on July 12 at Le Pulp, but don't bother looking for their CD in stores, because they only ever recorded enough CDs to sell to their friends.



Last night they were in fine form, entertaining the crowd with devil horns, a glow ring, a few naughty flashes of skin, and some extremely raunchy franglais that must have had her mother blushing. "How did I get so vulgar?" asks Nancy. "Why don't we ask my mom, she's right over there." And indeed, there was a motherly looking woman standing beside me.

Who knew the flute (far left) could rock?

Nanct gets up close and personal.

After TRIK was the headlining band, JAD WIO, a French band who have a sort of goth-punk thing going. I hadn't done any pre-concert research (I know, I know; take away my press pass), so I wasn't exactly prepared for the singer Denis Bortek to come out wearing a mask and a corset.



Only two of the five members of the band performed last night (Fred the bassist, below).



Original, to say the least...I can't look either!

The City that Never Sleeps has always attracted a crowd that both works hard and plays hard, and there’s no exception for those interested in indulging their fantasies. Such was the case for revelers at OneLegUpNYC’s recent House of Pleasure “Take-Out” soirée, held at a trendy club in Manhattan. There for a weeklong stint in the Big Apple, we good girls checked it out, intrigued by how people get naughty on the other side of the Big Pond.


Founded in 1999 as a conventional party machine, OneLegUpNYC has been since reinvented to embrace what “Sexy President” Palagia terms the “sensual movement.” Emphasizing that her events are not mere swingers’ parties, this self-described sexually liberated businesswoman offers a cozy venue with plenty of visual stimulation (including a very cute masseur!) for both couples and single women to push their sexual limits…but only when they are good and ready to. “Respecting boundaries in a very safe environment is the most comfortable way to explore new horizons,” underlines the OneLegUpNYC Web site.

The soirées are divided into two categories – “Eat-In” and “Take-Out” – both catering to couples and single women (the third category, “Side Dish,” created for singles, is being phased out). “Take-Outs” (such as the House of Pleasure event) the tamer of the two, are usually held in a club and welcome participants and voyeurs alike; if you want to hook up, you can, but if you’re not ready – or not interested – one needn’t feel unwelcome.

“These exhibitionists need voyeurs in order to do their thing, after all” explained one woman who has been attending these events for a number of years, referring to the twosomes, threesomes and foursomes frolicking on a nearby couch.

While at times reminiscent of a high school dance where not just making out, but sex (and even group sex) is on the menu, Palagia has indeed succeeded in providing a secure environment where the curious and the interested can mingle at their own pace. Women coming alone don’t have to worry about being mauled if they don’t want to be, and couples exploring the scene for the first time may find it an ideal environment to open up a new dialogue. Everyone goes as far as they want to go, if they want to do anything at all. The crowd is both respectful and convivial…and much more laidback than what one normally encounters in more traditional settings. There is no dress code (Palagia prefers that one wears what makes them feel beautiful), but there were plenty of corsets at garter belts worn this evening. And the house rules are strict; anyone who breaks them is thrown out with the chance of never returning again.

Those who like what they experienced at “Take-Out” events eventually graduate to the more hardcore “Eat-Ins,” for which memberships and screenings are required. For members, “Take-Outs” run about $45 per couple and $10 per female (prices are higher for non-members); “Eat-Ins” (which are held at private lofts or suites) cost $250 per couple and $50 per female. For more information, visit http://www.onelegupnyc.com

(Note: the photos have been edited for a PG rating)

“What are good girls like you doing in a place like this?”

No one posed the question last night at “Fetish Gothic: La soirée fétichiste sombre et désespérée” – a regular event conducted by the organizers of Paris’s Soirée PervArty series in conjunction with Boutique Dèmonia. But it’s remarkable how quickly good girls adapt, and, strolling around the dungeon of Le Klub on 14, rue Saint-Denis at Metro Châtelet, three vinyl-clad women who could each easily pass as the girl next door (hey, there’s definitely a fetish for that!) mingled with those who come out of the woodwork long after the sun goes down.


Our shy maid

This doesn’t mean that some of us adaptable good girls don’t suffer from bouts of shyness (O.K., so we’re not talking about Heather) when, for example, asking a cute French boy in a maid’s outfit to pose for a photo. Perhaps it was her appreciation for good fashion and high cheekbones (his crinoline was to die for, and, well, his cheekbones were, too), but it took Carolyn a couple of sips of a vodka and tonic before approaching her subject. How, after all, does a Good Girl break the ice with a fetishist? In this environment, the standard, “Do you come here often?” just doesn’t seem appropriate.


A life-sized troll.

While the uninitiated may find fetish night people-watching a bit bizarre, this regular event – which, as Heather observed, is more “Sexy Hallowe’en” than hardcore S&M – offers a relatively laidback opportunity for curious onlookers to gain a glimpse of how the other half lives. But newbies beware, while you can look and aren’t obligated to touch (or be touched), you still have to play along: a strict dress code is enforced, requiring patrons to sport traditional fetish wear, such as vinyl, leather, latex, or uniforms, such as the aforementioned maid. (Note to those with a fireman fetish: there was even a pompier in our midst!) Last evening, participants went to great lengths on their nurse, sailor, dominatrix and slave ensembles; one individual (we never did conclude whether they were male or female) combined Friday the 13the with modern day fetishism by donning a red and black vinyl suit complete with chains, tethers, mask, and, yes, a tube through which they could breathe! It may have left us good girls gasping for air, but to each his (or her) own.


We told Carolyn not to touch, and now look what happend!




Godamn Superstar heat up the salle

The vibe at the beginning of the night was quite relaxed; one got the impression that those at Le Klub were once high school misfits, and therefore weren’t interested in judging the behavior or physical appearances of others, because they’d already been through this themselves. Things became a little more heated, however once Marilyn Manson tribute band Godamn Superstar concluded their set on the main level, driving everyone back to the dungeon. Although the environment rapidly transformed into that of a fetishist meat market (with many inquiries from shirtless men in dog collars as to whether we required a slave – unfortunately, we forgot our riding crops!), there was no need for us to feel unsafe: inappropriate behavior such as unsolicited groping are not tolerated during these soirées. If only that applied to more traditional nightlife!

If you want to get into a Parisian echangiste club (aka swinger's club, sex club), you'd better follow the dress code. I'm friends with an attractive American couple in the upper 30s/lower 40s, who should have no problem at all getting accepted into the best clubs in Paris. But twice they were turned away because of inappropriate wardrobe. The first time the woman was wearing a sun dress and beige sandals. Cute, but not fitting with the sexy dress code (think black, red, sheer, sexy stiletto). The second time she was wearing a flowing black pair of pants that look like a long skirt from afar, but...no pants allowed at Les Chandelles! A skirt's a skirt, and that's all you're allowed (she went back to her hotel to change into a mini skirt and was let in).

They did report, however, that a woman in short-shorts was allowed in. If you've got a great Brazilian butt, go for it!

Nothing like a good massage to get in the mood for some naughty nightlife! L'Overside (92 Rue du Cherche-Midi, 6th, Tel 01.42.84.10.20) has regular massage soirées on the first Friday of the month (next one May 5). That's a "couples only" evening, but all of you GGs (Good Girls) can get in unaccompanied for €16 (not including any drinks). You'll need to find a "partner" at the bar because the massages are done in tandem on a huge hexagonal bed in the "Greek Salon" room by a couple of masseuses (male for the ladies, female for the gents).

You should be naked -- it's more fun! -- but if you leave your undies on no one will mind. Just remember that your gluteus maximus muscles are the biggest ones in your body -- they need a good rub! Don't expect them to get any knots out, this is a sensual massage done with oils (there's a shower in the club you can use before getting dressed).

The massages are free and last about 15 minutes, but get "in line" as early as possible (they start about midnight) or you'll have to wait while the others are out playing in the back rooms!

Before y'all start snickering, Le Slow Club is simply a dance club. And who doesn't love to dance?! Good Girls on the town are always looking for clubs with a sexy atmosphere, good crowd and music that practically carries you onto the dance floor. Le Slow Club (130 rue de Rivoli, 1st, M° Pont Neuf) has just been taken over by a hip, young management team who will be sexing up the schedule a bit (no worries, there will still be at least one night per week with a sultry live orchestra for the "slow" dancing we all love).

After a few glasses of Champagne.

Last night there was a special Gold Party hosted by Dame Becca, with gold cocktails, gold Champagne, and lots of gilded Parisian hotties tearing up the tiny dance floor (oh la la! pardon monsieur!). The venue is a series of five small, vaulted stone rooms lit by chandeliers. Everyone just looks so much better in this low lighting, don't they?

The Golden Boys.

Heather and Brenna still grinning around 3am.

Our lovely hostesse Becca announces the winner of the Gold Outfit contest.

This is the restroom attendant. There are German language lessons playing on that little turntable. Something to drown out the strange noises coming from the ladies room, in any case!

Stay tuned...I'll post the new program of Le Slow Club as soon as it's announced!