New Orleans, in brief
“For one week in July, swingers don't visit New Orleans — they take the whole hotel, and then they take Bourbon Street.”
New Orleans is a one-club town with a once-a-year exception that dwarfs everything else in the country. The club is colette New Orleans, a private membership-only on-premise venue at 822 Gravier St — and its address is the headline. Most US lifestyle clubs sit in warehouse districts you'd never walk to; colette is in the Central Business District, a few blocks from the French Quarter and central hotels (colette). The exception is Naughty N'Awlins, a July hotel takeover that bills itself as the largest in the world and has the floats to prove it (Naughty N'Awlins).
The two New Orleans
The scene isn't one thing — it's a quiet weekly club and a loud annual convention, and you visit them differently.
| colette New Orleans | Naughty N'Awlins | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Private membership on-premise club, 6,000+ sq ft over two floors — group areas, private rooms, dance floor, lockers, second-floor lounge | Five-day lifestyle convention taking over all 700 rooms of the Astor Crowne Plaza on Canal/Bourbon |
| Who goes | Couples and single women easiest; single men gated to specific nights at a higher door | 2,000+ lifestylers from across the country, per the organisers — couples-heavy, convention crowd |
| When | Year-round, Wednesday through Saturday, BYOB | Five days in July (8–12 in 2026); 19th annual Masquerade Ball |
| Good to know | Membership handled in person with photo ID; prior members of any colette club need not reapply | Ticketed per couple; 30+ seminars, 10 playrooms/dungeons, a Bourbon Street parade with brass band and police escort |
The takeover model is the part outsiders find hard to picture: a group books the entire hotel for the weekend so only other attendees can rent a room, and the event is closed to the public (Naughty N'Awlins). Good Morning America covered it straight, which tells you the convention has long since stopped being a secret (GMA).
Lifestyle directories call Naughty N'Awlins "the best swinger event option that you will find in the USA" and "something that every swinger should experience at least once" — the city's draw is the event as much as the venue.
Legal footing, plainly
Louisiana permits private, consensual adult activity in a non-public, members-only setting. The firm lines are commercial and public-decency ones: no prostitution, no unlicensed alcohol sales (hence colette is BYOB), nothing visible to the public. That legal shape is exactly why the model here is private club and closed takeover rather than open bar — the membership wall and the BYOB setup aren't quirks, they're the compliance.
Myth: A city this party-forward must have a dozen swing clubs and an open-door scene. Reality: Outside the July takeover, the on-premise scene is essentially one membership club — and the legal framework rewards that private, gated, BYOB structure rather than a loose nightlife free-for-all (colette).
Practical notes carry over from any French Quarter night out: keep your drink and belongings in view, plan a designated driver since colette is BYOB, and lean on rideshare, which is thick downtown. Guard personal details until trust is established — the same discretion the rest of the lifestyle runs on.
Where to look
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Learn how the night flows, what to wear, and the etiquette that keeps everyone comfortable.
On the map
⚲ Approximate — exact addresses shown to membersClubs in New Orleans
Clubs in New Orleans
View all 1 →Etiquette & law
- Legal age is 21+; bring government photo ID.
- Legal status: Legal. Clubs operate as private, members-only venues.
- Consent is explicit and ongoing. Always ask; no means no.
- Photography is prohibited inside almost every venue.
- Louisiana permits private, consensual adult activity in a non-public, members-only setting; the firm legal lines are commercial/public-decency ones (no prostitution, no unlicensed alcohol sales - hence BYOB, no activity visible to the public). Venue minimum age is 21. Confirm the current night and status before going.