Owner: Club will not be 'sea of naked people'
PORTLAND, Ore. – The store front on Southwest First in downtown Portland doesn’t look like much, but in just a few months it will be home to “Club Sesso,” which the owner says will be a social haven for swingers in Portland.
Owner Paul Smith anticipates that people may have the wrong idea about the club.
“People perceive they're going to walk in and it's going to be a sea of naked people - out of control, no boundaries, no respect, no limitations,” he said. “And that's not true."
Smith said the club will be very selective about who it lets in.
“All these people want is a place to come and be able to enjoy the evening,” Smith said. “We don't have drug issues, we don't have prostitution issues."
Club Sesso will be the second swingers venue in the city. In the late 90s, one such club opened near Southeast 39th and Powell. Then it was known as the “Ace of Hearts,” but today it is called “Angels’ Social Club.”
When that club opened, nearby businesses were worried. But these days, stylists at a salon said having “Angels’ “ nearby does not make much of a difference since it operates at opposite times of the day.
Angels’ owner declined an interview but said over e-mail that discretion is their No. 1 priority.
That is a quality Smith said Club Sesso will share by not allowing just anyone inside.
Members must pass a background check that includes a query into a national sex offender database, Smith said.
"It's one additional step to say we're responsible business people,” he said.
