A Merseyside swingers club has been inundated with an "unprecedented" number of new members in the wake of the pandemic.
Townhouse Swingers, in Birkenhead, has been open for business since 2005, with married couple Vicky and Jim at the helm since 2012. More than 25,000 members have passed through the doors of the Union Street club over the past 25 years and the venue has reportedly been "rammed" since all covid restrictions were dropped last year.
Vicky told the ECHO : "Across the country, they reckon there’s probably over a million swingers who attend clubs and parties regularly, and the North West has actually got the largest number of clubs in the country. I tend to call it swinging central because we’ve got so many people travelling to the region because of the clubs and parties going on, so the region's got a very vibrant swingers and fetish theme.”
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The club prides itself on its "warm welcome, spotlessly clean venue and relaxed atmosphere", with a programme of events ranging from MILF Mondays and Allure parties for under 39's. While there are a large number of swingers clubs based in the North West, many people travel for miles to visit Townhouse.
Vicky said: "People come from anywhere. People tend not to play on their doorstep in case they see people they know so we’ll get a lot of people from coming outside of Merseyside.
"People come from Scotland, London, Ireland. We have some people who fly over from Ireland for our MILF Mondays event in the morning and then they fly back in the evening. We also have people coming from Europe, especially from Germany and the Netherlands because they’re very liberated over there.”
The biggest demographic at Townhouse is couples and there is no presssure on new members to dive straight into the action. Vicky said: “We have specific events for newbies where they can come in and meet regulars. We have club buddies who have been coming to the club for a long time and understand how nerve wracking it can be and they help them get settled in. If people don’t want to get involved with anything, they don’t have to.
"They can just enjoy the live music, have a couple of drinks and find their feet. Even when people have been coming for years, they’re not expected to do anything.”
The club boasts a "massive" LGBTQ+ membership as well as thousands of people from the Fetish/BDSM community. While the building's understated facade, tucked between a greek restaurant and a railway bridge, allows Townhouse to remain discreet to the passing public, the Townhouse team work closely with the council, police and public health to ensure that all of the correct licences are in place, to facilitate a safe, legal and enjoyable experience for their clientele.
Speaking about the surge in membership post-pandemic, Vicky said: “It’s unprecedented. We have membership numbers going back 17 years, and since covid, we’ve never had so many new people join.
"I think with the pandemic people have thought life is too short and just gone for it. It’s been nuts. Like any business, we’ve had to cut our cloth a bit recently.
"We’ve had to forego some things that we might enjoy like refurbs and new fluffy towels and things like that. The gas and electric to heat and light a four storey building is huge and, like everyone, our prices are going up. But you’ve just got to suck it up and when you’re thrown a curve ball you have to adjust and that’s what we've done."
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