‘I’m going to a sex party!’ I told everyone I met. All right, so it wasn’t that kind of sex party. Rather, I was heading to the first ever Speakeasy: A Night of Erotic Conversation, hosted by erotic author Daphne Nevada.
The night was billed as ‘a night of sophisticated debauchery’. Cocktails and canapes would go hand-in-hand with three sexy conversational topics. Who, I wondered, would go to such an evening? My friends and I thought we knew: middle-aged swingers. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
At The Plus Ones, we love uncovering the erotic events happening in Melbourne: a Full Moon Fetish party at a feminist sex shop; an art opening involving naked people getting wax poured on them; and of course, Sexpo. So when the invitation came to spend my Saturday night discussing sex with a room full of strangers, I leapt at the chance.
The erotic speakeasy is the idea of Daphne Nevada, an author whose offerings are ‘Tasteful Erotica for the Modern Equalitarian’. The inaugural $75 event was at Harley House (formerly La Chinesca), an underground bar off Exhibition and Collins. We had the back room to ourselves: all dark lighting and velvet banquettes around a few tables. Limited to 15 people, it was indeed an intimate, and casual, event. We sat wherever we wanted, with a few folks switching tables during the night so as to talk to everyone.
Daphne announced the three topics, letting us discuss them however we wished:
- Sexual education in primary school, matched with a Pisco Sour
- ‘Best of Times, Worst of Times’, paired with a spiced Mojito
- Sex in culture and the media, with an Old Fashioned
Of course, we didn’t stick entirely to these topics. We branched off, mulling over everything from our first orgasms (with a second person in the room, that is), to trends in pubic hair. Later on in the bathroom, I even got to hear the graphic account of one guest’s sexcapades the previous night (and that morning) with a Tinder date.
So who were these people? I was surprised to find that the vast majority were women in their early-to-mid 20s. The women at my table had orientations ranging from straight to asexual. (Yes, asexual people can enjoy an erotic evening, too.) There were also a few gay men. This, of course, leads me to assume that straight men and lesbians must not like sex. Perhaps a topic for a future Erotic Speakeasy?
By the end of the evening, we were all having such a great time that the majority of folks stayed for another hour. I’m sure the cocktails helped a few folks, but with such a warm, welcoming environment –and highbrow conversation starters – it was impossible not to have fun.
-Theresa
Co-founder of The Plus Ones, Theresa wonders what are the other randomly amazing underground events she no doubt be able to experience in 2016.
Join Daphne Nevada’s mailing list and follow her on Instagram to find out about the next Speakeasy event.
