5 stars, according to Yelp, means "Woohoo! As good as it gets!" This place could be a tiny bit better, but in all honesty, if you go in with an open mind and are prepared to have fun -- and if you've seen other NYC sex clubs and have something to compare to -- then you'll know that this is absolutely the best there is in NYC. Is it perfect? No, but close, and I think if I could grade it out of 100, I'd give a 95.
I've been to Caligula, Decadence, Bowery Bliss, and the old Trapeze, and this was by far the best (Trapeze was a solid second and had more space, but alas, they're shuttered forever). I've also been to a wonderful club in Holland. But without a doubt, for swingers who live in (or are visiting) NYC, nothing beats Checkmate.
It starts with the membership process: You need to email in some g-rated photos of you and your partner. This ensures a clientele that is fit, fairly young, and attractive. Once you've been okayed in advance, you're ready to go. You can check out their website to get an idea of the layout and the swank style of the place, so I won't go into great detail, but I'll highlight a few things we liked:
1. Bar is right off the dance floor, as it should be, and awesome DJ is, too. Couples arrive by 11/11:30 and dance and hang out. It's a very social scene, and few if any couples are 'playing' before midnight.
2. Secure locker area. Some people mention changing clothes in front of people of both sexes, but (a) so what?, and (b) you can do this discreetly under the very nice robes they lend out.
3. You can't go to the play areas except nude or in the robes. Very good idea -- gets people ready to play. Other clubs need to enforce this rule.
4. Great layout: There are many rooms in which to play. We tried out some of the rooms with two (twin?) beds -- these rooms could easily hold 2 or even 3 couples -- but ended up in the big room where 4 couples could easily fit on the joined beds in the back (and if everyone is feeling sexy, you could fit a 5th couple back there with no problem). There are also some big, comfy chairs and couches where other couples were having oral sex, and then two more beds with enough room for another 2-4 couples. This was a sexy room!
5. The staff is terrific. We loved Princess and the bar staff and also appreciated Inge (sounds like "Inga") who made sure I didn't lose something I had accidentally forgotten to put into our locker.
6. The clients are indeed pretty attractive; I'd guess the average age was 38. Everyone is HWP.
A few minor suggestions:
1. There were plenty of towels, but I got the feeling that Inge could have used a few more just in case.
2. There didn't seem to be anyone changing bedsheets. I may be wrong on this count. It also might be mostly moot, since couples tend to put down one of their towels to use as a barrier (and the beds were clean and comfortable). And it's quite possible that on even busier nights, they change the sheets more often.
3. The music, great as it is, could maybe be pumped into the bedrooms. We could hear the music a bit, and I don't want blaring music, but a small speaker in the playroom would be great. (That DJ really played some great tunes!)
4. It might be fun to have some mirrored ceilings. But most of the rooms have mirrored walls -- especially the smaller play areas -- and those are terrific.
5. One thing that Checkmate can't really remedy is that it's relatively small compared to the number of people who want to go there sometimes (according to a friend who has been there often). But it's not really small -- there are plenty of play areas -- and they use the space well.
6. I'd put condoms in each room in case someone wants to make a change and didn't think to bring one. read more