Lots of legendary New York clubs were born in 1970s: CBGB on the Bowery, Studio 54 west of midtown, Paradise Garage on King Street.
But lets not forget Plato’s Retreat, the notorious swingers’ club that epitomized the free-sex atmosphere of pre-AIDS New York.
Opened in 1977, Plato’s Retreat held court in the basement of the then-crumbling Beaux Arts Ansonia Hotel on Broadway and West 74th Street.
Management laid out strict rules: No gay men, couples only (though women could have sex with each other), no drugs, no booze.
Celebrities indulged in orgies with regular joes and janes from the suburbs. A “mat room” was for exhibitionist sex. Clothes were optional. Guests could bump uglies in the disco, the Jacuzzi, and the huge swimming pool.
Of course, it wouldn’t last long. In 1980, Plato’s Retreat moved out of the Ansonia to a much bigger space at 509 West 34th Street. Owner Larry Levenson went to prison for tax evasion in 1981.
And then AIDS hit the city. Mayor Koch ordered the health department to shut down gay bathhouses as well as straight sex clubs like Plato’s Retreat. By 1985, it was over.
Tags: AIDS in 1980s New York, Ansonia Hotel, CBGB, Continental Baths, Ed Koch mayor, Larry Levenson, New York in the 1970s, Paradise Garage, Plato's Retreat, sex clubs in New York City, Studio 54, Swingers Clubs NYC
April 27, 2011 at 2:28 am |
Gee, that is a lot of rules!
April 27, 2011 at 3:32 am |
Blech. I always imagined that this club was populated by farty, hairy Al Goldstein-types and their bullied wives. Judging from the body language of that chick in the tube top, I’m not far off the mark– she looks to be a rather unwilling “swinger”, doesn’t she?
April 27, 2011 at 4:24 am |
I’m now fifteen minutes into a Netflix (“watch-instantly”) selection called “American Swing”– a documentary about Plato’s Retreat.
The only celebrity Plato’s-regular shown thus far is Professor Irwin Corey– to give just an idea of how deliciously SEXY a scene Plato’s was, in its hey-day.
April 27, 2011 at 12:42 pm |
I came across references to Sammy Davis Jr. and the cast of Saturday Night Live stopping in. Maybe that was just rumor?
July 11, 2012 at 5:24 pm |
No that was not a rumor . I personally met Sammy me at the club
April 27, 2011 at 1:13 pm |
But Professor Irwin Corey was only on his way to pick the National Book Award for Thomas Pynchon;)
April 27, 2011 at 1:34 pm |
I finished the documentary– in addition to Prof Irwin Corey, we have Buck Henry (but, he seems to have gone there just to giggle & eavesdrop). certain male members of SNL, and yes– several people referred to the glorious night when Mr. Sammy Davis Junior stopped in. Abbie Hoffman went there once to check it out– but left a Plato’s virgin, the only man on record who couldn’t get laid there.
The documentary was pretty enlightening– Larry Levenson & gang were totally L7– conventional, lowbrow squares from Long Island (only naked!).
I guess I imagined the patrons to be just a little more sophisticated, my illusions are shattered. Al Goldstein seems comparatively suave & cultivated compared to the average member.
April 27, 2011 at 1:56 pm |
Al Goldstein is exactly the kind of guy I imagine frequented Plato’s Retreat. I think he used to reference it on his old cable-access show, Midnight Blue.
April 27, 2011 at 4:49 pm |
Today, the clubs are much better and much more exclusive (they screen based on physical appearance), which shall go unnamed, but if you want that old school feel there’s still Trapeze, Carousel, and Checkmates.
August 5, 2012 at 6:27 pm |
Cn you tell me some of the clubs? I want o join some of them,
JS
June 9, 2011 at 4:32 am |
I worked all over the city when I was a runaway…One night a john took me to Platos Retreat, I cringe now to think I actually took a swim in the pool. I guess it shows how young and stupid I was, swimming around in all those bodily fluids, I left the city in the early 80′s before crack and aids really hit, I dont believe in accidents someone was looking out for me for sure.
January 3, 2012 at 8:45 pm |
i absolutely love the ansonia… probably my favorite building in the city. i’ve always wondered what is in place of the baths/plato’s now? american swing said a parking garage but was referring to the newer location. does anyone know what the ansonia basement is now used for? i’ve never had any luck on google finding out. maybe i’ll take a walk over and ask a doorman… they probably don’t know though!
October 21, 2012 at 1:06 am |
As a child, I spent many happy hours in Plato’s Retreat. But… it was not yet the notorious sex club, nor was it even the Continental Baths where Bette Midler shot to fame. It was just the Jewish Men’s Health Club in the basement of the Ansonia and my Boy Scout troop met there. Yes, New York CIty Boy Scouts.
January 6, 2013 at 12:52 pm |
I, too, was in that Boy Scout Troop, and learned to swim in the very same pool where years later all those body fluids merged. I am tickled to have my recollections verified by the reverend. I think the Scoutmasters name was Roy, and the rumor was not to shower alone with him…