It’s a freezing Friday night in February. It is 7:30 p.m., and many customers are already flocking to the discreet surroundings of Club L to come and discover the libertine pleasures. First rule, the cell phone must remain in the cloakroom to ensure the discretion of customers, but also to meet with everyone’s consent. This evening, more than 200 people are expected for the “generation Y/millennium” evening.
It’s a special evening, where only couples and single women under 40 can attend. Every first Friday of the month, Mateo Lapointe and Andrée Allard, co-owners of Club L, a libertine restaurant and lounge located on rue Jean-Talon, in Montreal, open their doors to the rising generation. The other evenings are open to everyone, except single men, who are denied access at all times. However, before indulging in the pleasures of the flesh, the new members, who constitute the majority of the customers that evening, must make a visit to the second floor, where the antics will take place, with a consent expert.
“The goal is for there to be a naked girl, her eyes closed, lying on the table in the orgy room, and for no one to touch her,” explains Alie Valérie Hébert-Gentile, expert and trainer at the consent of the organization Calia Consent, to the first group made up of ten people who visit the premises.
Safety first
“We found it important to educate the new libertines. Sometimes they are even seasoned libertines, but this is the first time they have passed through our doors. When they became owners in 2018, Andrée Allard and Mateo Lapointe, both in their forties, made certain choices to ensure the safety of their customers. “The opening of Club L came from a desire to offer something chic, elegant and safe to libertines,” explains Andrée Allard. She and her partner in life and in business have been libertines since the beginning of their relationship, almost 20 years ago. Aware that the rules are not always well defined in this mysterious world, they bet on consent training. “Security is super important in a libertine club. It gives people a lot of security [de se faire parler de consentement]but to know that the others have also been told so”, adds Andrée.
In the premises of this former branch of Desjardins, the offices of former financial advisors have been transformed into glazed rooms and the conference room has become… an orgy room. However, not everything is allowed in a libertine club. Some clients are exhibitionists, others more voyeurs and some do not necessarily want to indulge in swinging. Rooms are on a first come, first served basis. When customers settle there, they become masters of the room and only those who are invited can enter it, except for the orgy room. “We don’t have the right to enter or touch anyone in the room without the explicit consent of everyone involved,” argues Alie Valérie to the dozen new customers who listen to her attentively. To be sure not to cross a boundary, and therefore that the consent is explicit, we must ensure three things: have eye contact with all the participants, make a clear request as to our intentions in the room and receive an enthusiastic yes. “If in doubt, abstain,” she explains. And if the person refuses, we say thank you. Because we prefer a “not clear than a false kiss”.
An evening conducive to reconciliation
After visiting the second floor, the evening continues. On the dance floor, tongues loosen, bodies approach sensually. Everything is in place for the rest… Mateo is sitting in his office. Behind him, multiple security cameras allow him to keep an eye on the various corners of his establishment, except in the rooms, where discretion is required. At 10:30 p.m., he receives a call. “Yes, you can open the stairs to the second floor,” he says to his interlocutor.
People are starting to come up. “There are security guards upstairs to make sure everything is going well. If it’s your first evening and you’re not sure if someone can do something, you can go see the security guard to ask them,” explains Andrée.
On the walls, several posters remind us of the principles of consent, including the acronym for “yes REELS” explained by Alie Valérie, who considers that consent must be respected in all spheres of life. “Consent must be reversible, informed, enthusiastic, free and specific, otherwise it is no. »
The myths
Since the end of the sanitary measures, Andrée and Mateo have observed an upsurge in new members within their establishment. “There is also a generational side, I think, of wanting to be free, of wondering if the mode of relationship suits them,” says Andrée. However, the couple must work to undo several preconceived ideas about libertine clubs with their new clientele. “You don’t have to be naked when you go up to the second floor. We don’t have to participate. We can be a voyeur for an evening or even alone in our room. Finally, we often imagine that it’s just old people who go out in libertine clubs, but, for the last two years, we have observed a lot of 25-35 year olds who come to visit us. »
The fundamental principle for a successful libertine evening is communication, explains the owner, both within the couple and with the other participants. “I think the biggest preparation you have to do is: know what your apprehensions are, have an open mind to what can happen and, above all, be ready to discover. Then all that remains is to turn off your cell phone and let yourself be carried away by the evening.