Magazine Articles - The Pink Beach

The Pink Beach

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Having regularly accompanied groups of holidaying Brits to the club from their alpine retreat, Kaynie and Jed were in a good position to report on this predominantly gay club's 'hetero' nights...

Located in the City of Lausanne (no more than 20 minutes drive from Geneva Airport) on the shores of Lac Leman (or Lake Geneva as we call it). The Pink Beach certainly lives up to its boast of being the 'largest and hottest sauna in Switzerland'. The club itself is a gay sauna, but since there is a definite lack of good swingers' venues in Switzerland (and, indeed, in the nearby French and Italian Alpine regions), it like other sauna clubs, opens its doors twice monthly for couples-only nights. These usually take place on Friday nights and you can easily check the dates on their website. There are also 'hetero days', when both men and women can go to the club - these are every Tuesday and Wednesday from 12 midday to 11 pm - but bear in mind that on these days, not only are couples admitted, but also bi-sexual, and heterosexual single males and females along with gay men and lesbian women.

Know before you go...

I have to say, after many, many visits to the club, that generally speaking the club clientele on couples' nights consists mainly of a younger age group - 18-30. Of course there are older couples, with ages from 30-60, but generally speaking it's predominantly a younger crowd in this club - and very attractive with it - but thankfully not like some UK clubs we have visited where the age and looks are accompanied by an attitude of 'not-here-to-swing - just-hereto- look-good'.

The Pink Beach website is not only informative and easily to navigate but it's also one of few that are translated into English - although strangely enough not German, since the two main languages of Switzerland are French and German. However, this was very helpful for us!

The couples-only nights are described as 'Soiree Couple' and start at 10:15 pm. Prior to this time the club is open for gay men only. The website has a terrific 'virtual tour' facility, allowing you to 'walk' around the club and view some of its many facilities online. It's not a tour for the homophobic - but all the images are very tastefully shot!

Getting there

The club is very easy to find, located as it is in the heart of the gay quarter in Lausanne, close to the central railway station (la Gare) and the main shopping areas. Parking is in the main street outside and you may find you have to park some distance from the club - but we always parked right outside the door, and though there are double yellow lines here we never had a problem. This was probably because of the lateness of the hour and the fact that our car always had English registration plates (much harder to trace to collect the fines!). The area is 'Tivoli', and the club is actually in Tivoli Avenue - or as they say in Lausanne, 'Avenue Tivoli'.

The club is easy to spot by a large sign which announces 'PINK BEACH', shining out like a star in an otherwise deserted street. There are a couple of gay bars and one other gay club in the street, but not much else late at night.

Money matters

Costs at the club are very reasonable with single male entry as low as 30,- chf (Swiss Francs) - no euros in Switzerland please! If you work on 2,- chf to the pound, you won't go far wrong - which means it is less than £15 for a single male (less than a fiver for a single female and around £30 for a couple). It is interesting to note that, with flights to Geneva often available for as little as £18, the £15 entrance fee, and cheap ciggies (£1.25 per packet because it's outside the EU) a trip to the club can work out cheaper than going to one in England! Unlike most English clubs, there are no membership fees for single males - only the nightly/daily entrance fee.

OK, the club itself - cheap or not - is it worth the trip? Walk up the slight incline to the front door, yes boys 'n' girls, this club is definitely wheelchair friendly and has disabled access (though I cannot guarantee you could access all areas so please check with the club before you go). Don't be afraid to telephone them - they all seem to speak English there and they are always helpful if you give them a call.

Admission basics

So, in through the front door and out of the rain - and a welcoming warm entrance hall awaits. Ring the bell and wait for the green light (yes, literally a green light shows when it's ok to go on through the main door and into reception). Here you will be required to pay you entrance fee, collect your towels and get your locker keys. To do this you need to leave some form of security with the receptionist - a passport works well, car keys, etc. These are sealed in a bag and put into your personal locker, safe behind the reception desk until you leave and pay your final bill.

The towels supplied are quite funky - they are much smaller than those widely used in British clubs and I have to say much better! Ladies are given two towels - though most ladies seem to prefer to wear lingerie. Men can use the towel supplied or wear boxers - for the brave among you there are many cute male outfits on sale at the club, mostly made from rubber, leather or latex.

The locker rooms are a little small but there are several of them and the staff tend to give the keys out in such a way as to avoid M25-style congestion. Each couple is given two lockers, since they are normally only used by single males and quite small.

Towels will be exchanged free of charge at any time during your visit without question, and the club also provides hairdryers, lubrication fluids, condoms, and body lotion free of charge. You can also hire bath towels and slippers at very reasonable prices.

A 'must-see' feature

Now at this point you have to 'pop to the loo'. Yes, I know you went before you left the hotel, but you have to go again - trust us.
But girls, don't ask where the 'ladies' are - it's a gay sauna, and they are all the same. And, 'the same' is clean, pleasant-smelling, equipped with what you need ... and when you flush ... a little machine will come out of the wall and clean the lid. That's right - it's a male-dominated establishment, not a female in sight 90% of the time - but you will never find the seat left up and it's always washed, wiped and scented after use.

OK, so kiddie games over and we're out of the loos and into the bar. My only complaint comes here - the bar is high and the stools of a matching tallness, and my little five-foot-nothing frame does struggle at this point. Thank goodness for seven-inch heels and some helping hands! The bar is oval shaped, so you can sit in the no-smoking area (yes that's right folks you can still smoke in Swiss clubs!) opposite people you may wish to chat to. The bar can probably accommodate about 60 people, sitting or standing, at it at any one time, so there's no push and shove to get served.

Starting at the bar

A reasonably priced and extensive snack menu is available and alcohol is sold at normal bar prices (that's Swiss bars, mind!). The staff are wonderfully polite and helpful, and understand your attempts at French.
Remember your European protocol: whenever you enter a Swiss establishment of any kind they will always say 'hello' to you and they expect the same in return ('bonjour' for daytime, 'bonsoir' for nighttime, bon apres midi' in the afternoon and so on - but if you stick with 'bonjour' they will appreciate your attempt.

Above the bar they have flat screen televisions showing porn for all seasons - or rather all tastes. There is the bondage screen with various BDSM movies, the extreme screen - lots of anal and cum shot movies, or there's the lesbian screen with lots of girl-on-girl action.

Your guided tour

Moving away from the bar, you start your trip through the corridors - first into a social area where you can sit and chat to people, then on to another social area - but this time with television and all the Swiss, French, German and Italian standard channels. You go off to the left and you can already hear people splashing about in the Jacuzzi. Take a peek through the peepholes to see if there is any space left - and if not move on to pass through the gym area and to the first of the private rooms. Keep going past some of the social areas and a wet area full of showers, footbaths, steam rooms and so forth, to the foot of the stairs.

Here a magnificent staircase takes you to a maze of corridors and upstairs playrooms. All areas of the club are tastefully decorated, clean and full of places to sit and chat or relax - or even top up on the condoms - but the upstairs area is all of that and efficient too. There are lots of glory-hole walls for the intimate blowjob from an unknown stranger who will forever remain unknown; lots of cubicles with sliding doors to sneak off to for fun and games; a cubicle with a dentist's chair, a dungeon area, a massage table and even a luxury room that can be hired by the hour, complete with silk sheets,Wurlitzer juke-box and lots of other little luxuries - including a large double bed. It's a great place to go for some privacy with that special couple you meet at the bar or in the Jacuzzi...

As you meander round the corridors past all the rooms - and we mean meander - an estimate after many visits to the club would be that there are more than 100 private rooms available - perhaps even double that, but certainly not less. Almost all of them have their own flat screen tv showing more 'mood-swinging porn' (pun totally intentional).

Private accommodation

Now, it has to be said that the rooms are a little on the small side - after all, they are normally occupied by a couple comprising two single men not two couples, but they are adequate and some are larger than others (ain't that the truth, girls?).

The corridors are generally wide and the couples wander about them throughout the night - a smile here a wink there. The Swiss let you know when they are interested - many speak a little English but this is the French-speaking sector of the country and they don't like to speak German in this area. (it's a Suisse thing).

The Pink Beach management can recommend some nearby guest houses and hotels which are certainly gay-tolerant, so you would expect them to be equally heteroswinger tolerant, but then that's Europe in general for you, isn't it?

Enjoy Lausanne

While in Lausanne, don't forget to book a trip on the lake - you can visit many of the towns and cities on the lakeside, including those in France, or use a boat-trip to get back to Geneva. Best souvenirs - fluffy St Bernard dogs, cuckoo clocks, locally made pen-knives (the Swiss army knife) and cows in all shapes, sizes and materials - but best of all ... Swiss Chocolate... mmmmmmm.

In summary, The Pink Beach is a fantastic club - such a shame it's not open to couples or mixed clientele more often. Even though now, after several years living in Switzerland, we are back living in England, we'll be flying out to The Pink Beach to visit it again.We've spent many fun nights there. It is immaculately clean, very well equipped to cater for all tastes; it's absolutely huge both in size and its facilities and staffed by really helpful and pleasant people - and the clientele are friendly too.

Basics

You'll find all you need to know to prepare for a visit to The Pink Beach on their excellent website -

www.pinkbeach.ch

Select the English option and you can find location details, opening times, admission costs (including group rates), special events and weekly timetables - check the 'Hetero' area and 'Events' for couples' information. Phone: 0041 (0) 21 311 6969

'Mixte Days'
Tuesday and Wednesday - gay, bi and hetero 12 am - 11 pm
Admission: Men - 30,- chf
Women 10,- chf

'Mega Mixte'
One Saturday a month - gay, bi and hetero
12 am Saturday - 6 am Sunday (after this time, it's gay only)
Admission: Men - 30,- chf
Women 10,- chf

'Erotica Night' Two Fridays a month 11 pm - 3 am
Admission: 65,- chf per couple