Swingers Scene in New York City Changing

The stubborn and deep recession has had an effect on swingers clubs, particularly the lifestyle clubs in New York City, according to a recent report in the New York Daily News.

New York City is a hotbed for both on premise and off premise swingers clubs (the distinction between the two is whether the club is simply a meeting place for swinging couples or if it also allows them to have sex in the club.) In Manhattan alone, there are five on-premise swingers clubs that host parties on a relatively regular basis, and there are more that host swingers parties at hotels, clubs and private homes around the city.

While it would be a stretch to say that the swinging lifestyle is completely in the mainstream, there is little doubt that it has a huge number of participants. AdultFriendFinder is a website that helps swingers find and meet one another; early in 2010 it filed to go public and said it had over 860,000 registered members around the world that generated about $82 a year in revenue for the company. It is clear that swinging, or "The Lifestyle" as it is often called, is big business.

While many believe sexual activity increases during a recession, the businesses that base themselves on sex can suffer a downturn nonetheless. The porn business, for example, has been squeezed difficult economic conditions as people are less willing to pay for porn and have instead turned to the free porn sites that have proliferated as part of the Porn 2.0 phenomenon.

Swingers clubs in Manhattan can charge upwards of $150 per couple. And that price generally does not include alcohol as most are byob establishments. And with websites such as the aforementioned AdultFriendFinder and the free Craigslist offering an easy and cost effective way for swingers to find one another and meet, many apparently are deciding to cut the swingers clubs fees out of their budgets.

Of course, perhaps the downturn in New York City's swinging club scene is merely another example of a correction in an extended market; most of these swinger joints in Manhattan were founded as the credit driven economy ballooned in the mid to late 00's.

Based on their popularity and number, it is clear that the demand for swinging establishments in New York will not go away completely, but perhaps a consolidation and price deflation is underway.

Sources:

Sarina Trangle, "NYC swingers sex parties are feeling the pinch of the tough economy", nydailynews.com