Why are Clubs So Expensive?

[bimrdcpl]

The club we go to is the second saturday of the month. Every month. Its $50 a couple. They have themes every month too, if you dress like the theme you get $5 knocked off. But its at a VFW hall, great music, tons of room and the atmospere is that of a huge wedding reception without grandma looking over your shoulder. They have a huge dinner, buffet style. BYOB but they do have all the mixers. They couple that runs it may make a profit but who cares. They do a great job. Its the best dance or social whatever you want to call it that we have gone to. We went to one other one but it was so scary that it almost turned us off to swinging all together.

[naughty A]

my perspective may be different because we attend Canadian, Off premise clubs- but I think that I am repeating a lot of what has already been said.

in talking to club owners - they are just trying to break even and have regular day time jobs in addition to running the club. They have had to invest in websites and maintain it and still handle snail mail and phone calls. Some of them have newsletters Which adds to their expenses in time and money.

At an event they have to provide decorations (to theme), and often door prizes or such, (some times as much as a trip to Hedo... but even just body paint or a vibrator, the costs add up)
It is VERY important that drinks need to kept reasonably priced - this can kill a club. (I think it is important for the food to be good too!)

Competition affects the admission price. In Toronto where there are 4 or 5 different clubs operating every weekend the price is much lower than Windsor with only 2 clubs - each operating only once a month.

The clubs are often renting their location and even if they are not paying a premium just because it is a swing club, I've seen it happen where the owner can decide to change his/her mind and they are suddenly searching for a new location - (which does not instill the confidence of the swinging community in the club)

I don't begrudge the amount I am paying because
1- I wouldn't fit in at a regular nightclub - they are way too young
2- I at least have the opportunity to meet potential swinging partners
3- I can set up a meeting here with someone I have been talking to via computer
4- I can dance, I can flash, I can remove my clothing if I choose, I can dance with other ladies...
5- <insert reason of your choice here>

The point of it is - I like it therefor I think that it is worth it.


Naughty A.

[JustAskJulie]

Originally posted by naughty A

The point of it is - I like it therefor I think that it is worth it.


Naughty A.

I think that is really what it comes down to. You may go to a club that you think is totally not worth the money, but you can't judge every club based on that one.

I recall last summer we were going to visit a club not far from where we lived. Luckily, it was only about a 40 minute drive, because when we arrived about a half hour after it should have started there were only 6 other cars parked in the parking lot of this VFW type hall. We figured one of those was the DJ and decided it wasn't worth it to pay $40 for that. We left and drove around a bit hoping that maybe it would pick up a little later. We went back about 40 minutes or so later and there was one more car there. We left.

Oddly enough the reviews on this site for that club are good. However, the reviews I have heard direclty from people who have visited there have been totally the opposite of what is posted (even by some of the people who posted the good reviews what they told me in person did not match what they posted).

We considered checking out the club again in the fall when it was busier to see for ourselves, unfortunately every time they had a party planned we had something else going on, and the one time we made plans to go, the party got cancelled.

A lot depends on what you are looking for too. There are a couple of other clubs that we did visit. One which is very popular and most people rave about, we weren't as thrilled about. It was very nice and well set up. But it was a little too crowded for our tastes, and we prefer a more laid back crowd as opposed to what we found there. At another club we found that more laid back crowd but the club itself wasn't as nice. However, since we felt more comfortable there, we felt it was more worth the $$.

The club we attend is worth way more then the cover charge. The membership is $50.00 a year NOT PAID AT ONCE! You pay your membership off $10.00 at a time so in 6 visits you are offical members. ANY Tuesday or Thursday is ONLY $10.00 FOR NON-MEMBERS "COUPLES" MEMBERS ARE FREE FREEEE FREEE YES FREE ON TUSEDAY THURSDAY'S! You can stay 7pm till 1am "shhhhhh sometimes later" on tuseday thursday. Friday and Saturdays are 35 dollrs except once a month "prize nights" then it's 45.00 They play games you can win prizes they have gave dvd players t.v's and sex toys away exc. They have theamed rooms "glow in the dark black light room" swing room, a ranch well you get the ideal it's on premises. On saturdays you may stay all night at no extra chrage you have to be out by noon sunday and no SLEEPING in the rooms untill 1am they are for parties untill then. I think 35.00 is a STEAL to go somewhere meet couples and stay all night it's BYOB they have wonderful food shrimp and ribs. I don't even care for regular nightclubs. I would pay 75-100 to enjoy the club we go to. They have 3 floors "and are expanding! a huge hot tub a nice pool table semi good sound system and dj. The owner is a great guy who is social with the whole crowd we have had breakfest at the club with him. I guess most clubs are more costly then the one we go to. Our club has plenty of clean sheets and pillow cases in a cabnit that is open to everyone. Every room has trash cans I think there are 5 restroom in the club a huge shower and lots of lockers. We call it our home away from home! We are in Ohio

[remox]

Originally posted by OhioCouple
I am curious, since you have talked to several operators of swingers clubs, what motivates them to invest all the time and money that many can't hope to recoup? Is it just a love for the swinging lifestyle itself? Let's face it, not many will operate a no cash win situation.

Curious Lori

I can't speak for everyone, but here is why I run a club.

1) Originally, I thought I would make alot of money. My fault for not doing more research in advance. I do recoup my expenses.
2) I beleive that clubs like mine should exist. Unlike other parts of the country (Ohio, for instance) New England has very few clubs and, unlike mine, most of them are run illegally.
3) While my business is not making me wealthy, I can take satisfaction from knowing that I run not only the best club in New England, but one of the better clubs in the country.
4) I like running a club, and I like being my own boss.
5) Parties are run the way I like them, I don't have to conform to anyone else's rules (other than law enforcement).

[Flori_DAMAN]

Originally posted by remox
I can't speak for everyone, but here is why I run a club.

1) Originally, I thought I would make alot of money. My fault for not doing more research in advance. I do recoup my expenses.
2) I beleive that clubs like mine should exist. Unlike other parts of the country (Ohio, for instance) New England has very few clubs and, unlike mine, most of them are run illegally.
3) While my business is not making me wealthy, I can take satisfaction from knowing that I run not only the best club in New England, but one of the better clubs in the country.
4) I like running a club, and I like being my own boss.
5) Parties are run the way I like them, I don't have to conform to anyone else's rules (other than law enforcement).

Kudos.

John

[Close Encounters]

Originally posted by OhioCouple
I am curious, since you have talked to several operators of swingers clubs, what motivates them to invest all the time and money that many can't hope to recoup? Is it just a love for the swinging lifestyle itself? Let's face it, not many will operate a no cash win situation.

Curious Lori

Our initial motivation was simply to get a club going for us and our friends since at the time there was nothing in our area.

We were lucky to be in a financial position of not needing to make money in fact at the time a loss was to our ultimate benefit,
(this being the second week in April sure there are others who can relate LOL).

At the time we were hosting parties virtually every weekend. Having the club allowed us to do that without the house cleaning :-)

Virtually every club owner we know has as their primary motivation to help promote a lifestyle that has made them happy. We don't know any who have become rich from running a club. We do know several like ourselves who can afford to have a club for the fun of it. Some people will sink their disposable cash into a boat, plane, or villa we find the club to be more fun.

[dragonfly_nc]

Originally posted by ATAK
If a high cover charge is truly justified, then I don't mind paying whatever charge there is to gain access to something I would otherwise not be able to enjoy, I'm simply asking because I don't know.

I think you answered your own question.

However, if you are still unsure try hosting a small party of 5-6 couples... supplying location, snacks, sodas, decorations, and maybe entertainment of sometype. Add up your expenses, along with time to collect supplies and the time and cost of inviting 5-6 people.

Another cple and ourselves hosted a small get together at the beach Cost: Rented a penthouse (300.00-2 nites), purchased snack and soda's (150.00), prizes (for games, $50.00), decorations (30.00)...Total=530.00 Ads up quick! and doesn't even include my time planning, collecting items or inviting people.

[Flori_DAMAN]

I will never understand how anyone could dispute paying less than 100 bucks for a good swingers party.

Where can a couple go for less? A dinner, dancing and a motel cost twice that and people do it at the drop of a hat.

As a single I drop 50 bucks just to go out and have a totally boring time.

John

[OhioCouple]

Originally posted by Flori_DAMAN
I will never understand how anyone could dispute paying less than 100 bucks for a good swingers party.

Where can a couple go for less? A dinner, dancing and a motel cost twice that and people do it at the drop of a hat.

As a single I drop 50 bucks just to go out and have a totally boring time.

Where we live a couple normally pays around $40.00 bucks for the donation each evening (not including membership). You still must have dinner prior to attending (around here most provide snack 'ems no meal) so tack on another $25.00 for dinner, add to the fact that if you choose to consume alcohol, you must bring it with you add an average of $20.00 for the couple. The couple has now spent $85.00 to enter a club that generally doesn't open until 8pm. With that said,

The single male pays approximately $60.00 for entry (not including the membership fee) $10.00 for dinner, $10.00 to bring beverages. He has spent $80.00. Now unless the single male is one of the FORTUNATE ones or he is only into to voyuerism, chances are he is NOT going to have such a grand time. As a matter of fact he may feel frustrated as opposed to being bored.

Which is worse boredom or frustration? Would you pay $30.00 more to be frustrated or skip it and have a decent meal and good conversation with a date (which may or may not turn into a sexual evening) for $50.00?

The simple fact of the matter is that single men have a social stigma attached to them and unless they are well known and accepted by those that attend clubs they are more than likely going to be not only shunned but most likely will do nothing more than play with themselves.

A single female on the other hand, gets in free and the opportunities are endless if she happens to be bi-sexual or willing to play the game. Cost for her $0.00 to get in, Dinner $10.00, beverages $10.00. She has spent $20.00 (assuming she arrives alone) for a night of everything she wants and more sexual advances than she can handle.

Single Female ~ No chance of being bored regardless if she looks like something the cat drug in.

Single Male ~ Frustrated at best and $80.00 poorer, even if he looks like Adonis.

Couples ~ A nice evening out with someone you love, give or take on the sexual portion, but capitalizing on the social aspect, $85.00 spent....not bad for a night out and sex is pretty darn good when you get home. But then it is generally good on other nights when all you spend is $10.00 for Mickey D's and $3.00 for a video.

Lori

[incommunicado]

So far, I have read a lot about the incredible overhead attributed to running a swingers club and how swingers clubs are open fewer nights than main stream clubs. That may be true elsewhere in the country, but here in Baltimore, most smaller night clubs (not bars, night clubs) and even some larger ones, are open Thursday through Saturday night ONLY (much like swingers clubs). I can see how it might be expensive to run even a small swingers club given that these clubs advertise within an exclusive community and thus limits the clientele. BUT, what if they went public (at least somewhat)? For instance, the local Goth clubs here and in DC are often bondage/fetish clubs with shows downstairs. They attract Goths, the BDSM crowd and wannabees for both. Along the same vein, I would be willing to wager that there are a lot of sexually adventurous people out there, who do not label themselves as swingers, who would come (no pun intended) to a quality swing club, thus opening the door to more people to choose from and lower costs.

To me, this would be ideal. Too many swing clubs I see online look like "what if the 4-H built a swingers club instead of a haunted house". I want a swingers club that is a real, upscale, night club and I am willing to pay high end night club cover pricing ($10-$20 pp) and drink pricing ($7-$11 per drink), as well as purchase food. I am not JUST looking for a room full of people who might be willing to have sex with us. I want the whole package. One club I hope to attend soon that seems to fit that profile is Entre Nous.

http://www.entrenousqueen.com/AdultWarning.html

I'll post a review when I finally make it there.

[Funovit]

The lifestyle is an exclusive group of consenting adults. Clubs seek to keep out the non-lifestylers and curious townsfolk by charging membership rates and above average entry fees.

Club operating costs are higher than normal clubs as they usually are open Fri & Sat nights as opposed to 5 days a week, and facilities associated with a lifestyle club are expensive. Hot tub maintenance, laundry, and thorough sanitary cleaning is necessary in the operation of a lifestyle club, costs not otherwsie seen in a typical nightclub.

We are happy to pay the additional costs for a night at a lifestyle club for discretion, cleanliness, and meeting of likeminded people.

If you are interested in exploring the lifestyle without paying entrance fees - communication can save you $$$. Read reviews of clubs before attending, communicate with others on club preferences. If you are still concerned about the high cost of clubs, focus on house / hotel parties which charge a flat fee per couple to cover costs. Otherwise bite the bullet and be ready to shell out for membership fees and enjoy yourself.

My $.02 towards the higher cost of lifestyle participation

[fun_pairTX]

High fees keep out the nosy and a lot of the lookie-loos and wannabees. The main reasons for ON premise clubs having high fees are reduced operating hours, usually friday and saturday only, high facility maintenance costs, our club has 2 hot tubs and a huge outdoor pool and 23 acres to take care of. ON premise clubs are usually BYOB, they don't sell liquor. Booze sales are THE profit center of any club and it is non-existent in their scheme of things. Our club also privides dinner and breakfast buffets. Their usual fee is $75 per couple. We think in is darn cheap compared to going to Dallas where your first $10-$15 dollars goes to parking, then there is dinner $40-$50, a hotel room which is going to be tough to find at under $80 in a place you feel confident leaving your car overnight. Do the math, with the trip to the club we spend $75 plus whatever Mrs takes for liquor (I don't drink). On the trip to the city we are at double that cost and we don't even know if we will meet anyone that swings.

[Weezie]

Given just the right club, the friends you will make there will be priceless. I know it's expensive but I wouldn't trade any of the wonderful times we've had and the special friends we have made going to the social we go to.

[JustAskJulie]

Merged this with an older topic on the same question.