THE man who created the world famous sex club Plato’s Retreat in New York City had humble beginnings working in a fast food chain.
Larry Levenson, known as the King of Swing, began the club in the late 1970s, sparking a sexual revolution on the Upper West Side.
The mattress room gained infamy for its countless orgies[/caption]
Costumes were a regular sight at the fun club[/caption]
Larry Levinson began the club after a chance encounter[/caption]
The legendary sex advocate was formerly an absentee father who made ends meet working at a McDonalds in Brooklyn.
Larry was only introduced to the swing lifestyle in 1976 after meeting a married housewife and her consenting husband.
He opened his sex club in the basement of the Ansonia Hotel and turned it into a sexual paradise for adults looking to explore.
Plato’s Retreat was instantly recognisable by it’s heart-shaped logo and black and white striped framed entryway.
Once inside, couples and singles alike could use all the commodities offered in the kinky areas.
The sprawling complex offered a 60-person jacuzzi and Olympic-sized pool for those attending – who were usually fully nude.
The infamous “mat room” was a room wall to wall with mattresses for mass orgies.
Visitors of the club would come wearing wild outfits such as bedazzled astronaut costumes, but others chose to shed their clothes at the door.
And the King of Swing, Larry, would sit and observe as visitors had sex around his “kingdom”.
Larry formerly said: “We promote social intercourse and sexual intercourse. Whatever you want to do, you can do.”
After moving locations in 1980, the venue began to offer mud wrestling, foxy boxing and singles nights — which allowed straight bachelors to enter the club for the first time.
Regulars referred to the legendary sex venue as the “sexual Studio 54”.
The club took a turn when it was revealed the financing for the kinky venue had connections to the New York mob.
The club ultimately had to shut its doors in 1985 after changes in ownership and the AIDS crisis caused NYC to close countless sex clubs.
But founder Larry’s son Michael said of the venue: “Plato’s Retreat is part of New York City’s history.
“It was where everyone wanted to be. It was an attraction that everyone wanted to see — even if they weren’t swingers.”
The club catered to couples and singles who wanted to get frisky[/caption]
The legendary venue is “a part of New York history”[/caption]
The club gained fame after many celebrities allegedly attended[/caption]