Taken Club - Ile Saint-Louis - Paris
The libertine Marais, it's Paris with the senses awakened. This historic district of Paname is well-kept and clean during the day... but at night, its stones heat up and its alleys become the backstage of a theater of desire. In the swingers clubs and places of cruising between males, sex is explored as an art : dressed in leather, lace, stiletto heels, jockstraps or naked as a worm, everyone comes to play their part. In the opacity of a cruising labyrinth or in the subdued light of a naughty lounge, plural sexualities are fully expressed.
In a swinging couple, in a threesome (or more...or even much more!), between bisexuals, heterosexuals and guys only among themselves, bodies seek each other, meet each other... and sometimes devour each other without foreplay. Or after an hour of eye contact, rounds of cocktails and precise brushing…
Le Marais : a long history of libertinism…
Libertinism in the Marais certainly does not date from yesterday. Since the Ancien Régime, aristocratic private mansions housed shining lounges and burning alcoves. Libertinism at court continued there in suppers that were more erotic than diplomatic. Close to the future Place des Vosges, Henri III, who was not without ambiguity towards the male gender, paraded around his Court with his " cute bunk beds " before introducing them into the room of his Royal Hotel of Saint-Pol for the night... To console himself for his separation from his successor Henri IV, the Queen Margot made the Hôtel des Sens his "kissing place" for young dandies. In the literary salons of the 17th and 18thrd centuries, friends of Madame de Sévigné engaged in verbal jousts which often ended in more carnal games, causing many corsets to burst. These famous " scandalous" of the Marais – rebellious, wild and provocative duchesses – organized masked balls and fine suppers where brilliant conversation andperfectly orchestrated orgy, with the blessing of a few abbots more inclined towards wild eroticism than towards love of the Gospel...
Nicknamed " Notre Dame of Loves”, the sulphurous Ninon de Lenclos represented in the 17th century the quintessence of the French art of living. A century later, the extreme erotic games of the marquis de Sade earned him a five-year stay in the dungeons of the Bastille, imprisonment which he used to write, in part, one of his masterpieces: The 120 Days of Sodom, which became the bible of sado-masochism! But the market for pleasures did not stop at the gilded salons of Marais. He also ran for a few cents. docks of Seine, invited himself under the arcades of the Place des Vosges, was flirting rue de Lappe , Bastille, and played other paid scores rue Saint-Denis, where passers-by in a hurry encountered alluring silhouettes, without fuss or false modesty. Men, women, transvestites, one-night lovers or regular debauchers: the Marais was already this crucible of desires and transgressions.
The most vibrant gay district in Europe
But it is at the turning point of the 1980s when it became the epicenter of Parisian gay culture, booming. Bars, saunas, clubs, backrooms, party and sex venues are multiplying in a militant, sensual and joyfully provocative effervescence. Even today, the Marais concentrated the highest density of establishments dedicated to homosexual pleasures in Europe.
In the Marais, homosexual, bisexual or heterosexual swinger loves are plural, uninhibited, chosen. We give ourselves “for free”, between consenting adults, after paying the entrance fee to a cruising area, a sauna, a libertine lounge. Here, practices don't shock, they explore. And everything can be gentle, raw, elegant, animal... or all four at once. But whether you come in leather, a suit, a garter, a kilt, a puppy fetishist or with your butt exposed, one rule remains sacred: the consentNo room for intrusive voyeurs, insistent pests, or old-fashioned frotteurs. Libertinism here is a pact. And those who don't speak the language of respect are quickly spotted... and very politely shoved toward the exit.
Find yourself there today in the Marais desires
On my map below you will find the places to explore: in purple, the mixed addresses for straight couples, single women, naughty people from all walks of life; in Black, the exclusively male clubs – sometimes more direct, just as coded, even more radical. For women among themselves, apart from having a drink and dancing – there is nothing in the neighborhood (or anywhere else for that matter), sorry for them. sex shops and naughty shops are in blueIn green, two extraordinary erotic art galleries.
Know therefore that in the Marais, it all starts with a look… and can end in fireworks.
For open-minded straight and bi swinger couples
In the Marais, the pleasures are varied for solos and heterosexual couples swingers – willingly open to bisexuality with a third (or more) playmate – who like to have fun with limits, refinement… and sometimes handcuffs. Everything can start at noon in the sensual vapors of L’Éclipse, 2 boulevard de Sébastopol, a love spa with an exotic feel just a stone's throw from Beaubourg, with sauna, hammam, whirlpool, seven love rooms with varied atmospheres (mirrors, total darkness, swings, etc.), naughty buffet and cocktails offered from 21 p.m.: ideal for getting in the mood. Then, head to the legendary swingers club from 22:30 p.m. WE Club Privé, 83 rue Quincampoix, an unusual address located in a former brothel that belonged to the famous criminal of the 70s, Jacques Mesrine himself! Seven floors to climb, seven skies of pleasure, bar areas, a pole dance floor with a transparent floor (breathtaking view under what you know...), alcoves with jacuzzis to rent by the hour, and above all a libertine rooftop with barbecue and direct view of the Centre Pompidou – the only terrace in Paris where you can make love while grilling a rib-eye steak in the best of clothes ! That's impressive, isn't it?
Change of scenery on the island of Saint-Louis visit us at the Taken Club, 8 rue Le Regrattier, almost at the foot of Notre-Dame. So this is a very useful location to find a confessional in the early morning and be forgiven for your sins of the night... Here, you will find luxurious lounges, soft cushions, large shared beds, discreet alcoves and a subdued atmosphere for a refined exploration of fantasies in a setting worthy of a libertine version of a Kubrick film. Let it be said, the Refinement and courtesy are the key words. Yes – yes, that’s the rule!
Another option, unravel mysteries at Secret located at 1 street Cloche Perce to the metro Saint-Paul. Here is another elegant club nestled under the medieval vaults of the 14th century where creamy dinners (remember to book), themed evenings (Uniform Party, Lucifer BDSM evening, etc.) and a sharp dress code (heels, corsets, impeccable shirts for gentlemen please) create a chic and sensual universe. No single men here (even if you pay full price): just queens and their well-behaved knights! For once, I must also invite you to leave the Marais head to the Louvre district – because here you will find a real institution: the restaurant-club Les Chandelles !
For more robust cravings, head to the Club SM L’Escarpin, a fetish and sado-maso den run by Madame Stéphanie, the mistress of the place at 12 rue du Prévot, also at the station Saint-PaulThe atmosphere is subdued but without taboos, black dress code for men, sexy-fetish for women, and personalized support for lovers of the extreme.
For boys who like boys...
In the Marais, male desires are lived out directlyHere, men who love men have their landmarks, their habits, their addresses. From a quick wink to a more emphatic exchange, from hushed atmospheres to unfiltered cruising evenings, the neighborhood has everything planned. for those who like it when the pleasure gets straight to the point. Everything can start at the end of the morning at Boxmann, 2 rue de la Cossonnerie, opposite Les Halles. This well-stocked sex shop hides a cruising space that comes alive on two levels from 10:30 a.m. Booths, glory holes, long glances: perfect for a quick happy hour or a longer moment... without an appointment. A few steps away, the Krash Bar, 12 rue Simon le Franc opposite the Centre Beaubourg, offers a efficient, no-frills backroom. Dim lighting, direct atmosphere: we don't linger at the bar, we get down to business in the basement. For those who like more structured evenings, Secteur X, 49 rue des Blancs Manteaux, is another reference. Explicit themed evenings – pumping, jerking, swimming… or other delights – to be consulted on a clear and assumed agenda. The atmosphere is frank, the audience loyal.
Just opposite, the Full Metal deployed at 40 rue des Blancs Manteaux its 150 m² of vaulted cellars in a dark and virile atmosphereThe decor is raw, the intentions too.Impact Bar, 18 rue Greneta, displays its particularity: here, clothes fall at the entrance. On two levels, we alternate between a friendly bar upstairs and a more explicit atmosphere underground. Everything is clear from the moment you walk through the door. In the Haut Marais, the Mensch Bar, located at 34 rue Charlot, plays the card of Berlin-style fetish and BDSM clubThe agenda speaks for itself: masters & slaves, fetish, golden shower, naked… everyone will find something for them. At number 28 on the same street, the One Way , known as the “cap bar” (ask the owner why), satisfies your desires in the basement… Bastille, Le Keller, 14 rue Keller, remainder an institution. Since the 80s, this hard and fetish club offers cutting-edge themed evenings, for a very knowledgeable clientele who are not afraid of anything. And for those looking for a complete experience, the Sun City, 62 boulevard de Sébastopol, is thethe only gay sauna in the Marais. With its 3000 m² spread over three floors, it offers long cruising corridors, swimming pool, hammam, sauna, jacuzzi, gym, bar and relaxation areas. Open until 6 a.m. on weekends!
Free sex between gays does not only focus on the Marais, because there are so many other addresses in the roguish Paris ! L'calendar of events and special evenings is to be consulted on www.agendaq.fr, the most complete and always up-to-date site. A LGBT+ guide to Paris is also available to you online here by the Paris LGBT association. Note that before your naughty plans, if you want to go dancing in the best gay dance floors in the Marais, you have my selections in this article ! More intellectual, I finally invite you to read my article on the history and current events of the gay district du Marais and to enrich your library ofreference works on LGBT life in the capital.
In theory as in practice, you have become specialist in Marais naughty, the most endearing libertine and LGBTQI+ neighborhood in Europe – congratulations!
© Julien Dumarais My Marais Paris
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