Ethiopian Review

Joe leans casually against the bar and shakes his head.

“People think we just come in here and rip off our clothes,” he says, glancing around at the small crowd scattered in the lounge. “As you can see, it’s not like that at all.”

It’s Saturday night at 4-Play, one of Edmonton’s two swing clubs. It’s early and people are still filtering in.

They range in age from their 20s to about 60. Most are in their 40s and early 50s. The majority are couples, but a few singles are mingling.

Most people’s casual dress would fit in at any bar in the city. A few women dress more provocatively — one is in a tight corset while another wears a bikini and chap-like pants.

The club, which opened a few weeks ago in its new facility at 10120 156 St., has tight security. Visitors must be buzzed in at the front door, and there’s a sign-in sheet at the entrance. If you haven’t called ahead to get on the list for that night, you don’t get in, even if you’re one of the 200 paid members.

Privacy is paramount here — two video screens in the lounge flash reminders that cameras are forbidden and media are only allowed in on condition that nothing they report can lead to people being identified.

Swingers, says one long-time 4-play member, “are the gays of the 21st Century. People hate us and try to stop us doing what we like to do.”

Two women say that they were fired when their coworkers found out they were swingers.

When the club first applied to city hall to renovate the empty Jasper Cinema earlier this year, some residents and nearby businesses went ballistic, saying the club would bring chaos to the area.

Some warned of drug use, increased vandalism and out-of-control noise at night.

“Do you see any of that going on?” asked Joe, who owns the club with his wife Marie.

There’s no question that the atmosphere is sexually charged, but unlike most other bars in Edmonton, there’s no sense of predatory menace. No one seems worried that they might not score tonight.

“Nah,” says one tall blonde. “Everyone understands. If you meet someone and you click, fine. If not, you’re going to go home with your partner anyway.”

A man explains that here, the women call the shots. It’s entirely up to them who they have sex with, and any man who is disrespectful or too pushy is quickly shown the door.

The “play area” is upstairs. There are rooms where people can have sex in private and a room with a swing and a few other, uh, gizmos.

But the room most people talk about contains “Goliath,” a massive bed that holds four queen-sized mattresses. There’s a bench at the foot of Goliath, for people who just want to watch — or if they need to rest.

Alcohol is strictly forbidden on the second floor, and free condoms are never far from reach.

“I’ve never gone upstairs to play,” says one woman. “For me, attraction is mostly mental. I need to get to know people before I have sex with them. And I’m picky.”

Marie agrees. She likes to trade partners, but only in the privacy of her own home. “The club is all about social interaction.”

By 10 p.m. most people are in the lounge, speed-dating in pairs. A few couples are on the small dance floor.

Once in a while men will step away from their partners, saunter up behind other women and nuzzle their necks or grind against them. The women never appear shocked or offended. A few will turn and make out with the men, while their husbands, unconcerned, continue chatting with other people.

Over the next couple of hours, a handful of “couples” will wander upstairs to the playrooms, returning 15-30 minutes later.

Most people, however, stay in the lounge. By 1:30 a.m. the place is emptying out.

Shortly after 2 a.m., Joe and Marie are gently shooing the stragglers outside.

“That’s it,” Marie says. “That’s pretty much all that goes on here. Is it really that bad?”

- By ANDREW HANON | Edmonton Sun