Want to know more about the BDSM community of Oslo?
Though a reasonably small capital by European standards with a population of just 675,000 people, Oslo is a diverse city offering a mix of entertainment for its residents and visitors. The Norwegians are famously liberal-minded and adventurous in their sex lives and there is a strong culture of alternative lifestyles that is celebrated in the nation’s capital, including BDSM.
In this guide, we take a look at the BDSM community of Oslo and the rest of Norway as well as find out more about what kind of clubs and online groups there are to get involved in your area.
BDSM in Norway
BDSM in Norway is reportedly growing in popularity with a rise in the uptake at clubs and groups by young men and women. A study in 2016 published in the Scandinavian Psychologist found that attitudes in young people towards kinky sexual activities were very open-minded. The study reported that:
- 34.2% of young people would want to be sexually stimulated by ritual games involving dominance and submission. This was split on a gender balance of 28.4% (male) and 38.6% (female).
- 17.1% of young people would want to be sexually stimulated through the use of consensual pain/dominance/submission; split 14.9% (male) and 18.8% (female)
- 78.1% found the idea of sexual violence unacceptable with only 3.5% willing to try this extreme form of stimulation
- 27.5% of young people had already tried sex involving tying up; 21% (male) and 32.4% (female). When asked if they would try it, 46.7% believed they would participate in tying up during sex.
- 18.1% of young people had already tried sex that included consensual roughness and/or pain; 14% (male) and 21.3% (female). When questioned over their desire to participate in this form of kinky sexual activity, 24.1% expressed an interest to do so.
The disparity in some of the male: female ratio responses on past sexual experiences indicates either a misconception of one or both partners on the definitions or that same-sex relationships were at play here.
What is clear is that BDSM, for many young Norwegian adults, is not taboo nor off the menu. In fact, almost half are interested in bondage and one in four in the full BDSM experience.
BDSM Clubs
Norway itself has a lot of BDSM clubs, groups and organisations designed to offer information, resources and sources to the fetish community (see below) with Oslo having a couple of area specific clubs.
Oslo BDSM
Breigata 10, 0187 Oslo
Norway’s largest BDSM club was originally opened in 2003 as a local community group but was diversified in 2011 to offer national membership. It currently has around 300 registered members and is open to newcomers.
They run group meetings every Tuesday as well as a few Saturdays each month. The first Tuesday of the month is an open event where new members are welcome.
Tuesday meetings run from 7.00pm to 11.00pm with entrance being free of charge to members.
Saturday events start at 7.00pm and run until 1.30am and entrance costs for Saturday nights are 150 NOK (€15) for members or 250 NOK (€26) for guests.
Attendance must be pre-arranged at least two hours before the start of the event.
Wish Oslo
Wish Oslo is a BDSM and fetish group specifically for women, transgender (MTF, FTM and other non-binary genders) and intersex people.
They mainly offer news and information relevant to the community but also organise some events plus publish details of important dates on their website.
The site is free to join and members can access the calender as well as other groups.
Scandinavian Leather Men (SLM) Oslo
Rådhusgata 28, 0151 Oslo
Though not a BDSM club as such, this fetish group caters for gay and bisexual men who like leather, latex, uniforms, PVC, rubber etc.
As well as offering cruising opportunities and a play area, the club is a useful space for socialising and meeting other people with the same kinks.
The club meets every Saturday from around 10.00pm with parties running until 3.00am.
In accordance with the laws in Norway, all visitors must be a registered member or invited guest. This means that you will need to contact the club’s organisers in advance of attending any events.
Membership fees are 600 NOK per year (€63).
Cat People
Schwensensgate 7, Oslo, Norway
A members only fetish and kink club that closed temporarily in 2017, Cat People has been running since 1996.
Centrally located in Downtown Oslo, the club holds one or two meetings each month with full details being available on their Facebook page.
The club has several socialising areas including a couple of lounges and a bar. There is also a dance floor and the venue accommodates around 200 people.
Dress code to the events is strictly fetish only and door staff will turn guests away who are not dressed appropriately.
BDSM Community in Oslo
There are lots of munches and meets happening across Oslo, some of which are organised by clubs and larger groups and others being privately run. It is helpful to have a Fetlife account in order to network with other BDSM enthusiasts in the area. The website has three main groups that cater for BDSM in Oslo
You can also find some good contacts on Fetlife’s ‘Norwegian Classifieds’ group.
BDSM Culture in Norway
There are other BDSM groups across Norway that offer networking opportunities outside of the capital and are a useful way to get in touch with other kinksters. Though some of these groups are regionalised, people do arrange to meet up when travelling and forming a network of fellow BDSM enthusiasts could mean you don’t miss out on any group events.
Here is a selection of BDSM groups around Norway:
- Are Si’a – BDSM, Kink and Fetish Group based in Southern Hedmark
- Chains – BDSM Network for North and Central Norway
- Losje Sol & Moon – BDSM organisation for the Trondheim area
- Rogaland BDSM Club – Social community site
- SM Bergen – Form site for Bergen area
- SMil Norway – Organisation for BDSM/SM in Norway
- Sørlandet BDSM – Group covering the southern area of Norway
- Val Eyja – General BDSM and Kink group
- Young BDSM – Online social meeting place for young enthusiasts of BDSM. They also run meets in Oslo and Bergen.
As well as the groups and communities, both alt.com and Fetlife offer good opportunities for networking with single individuals in your area who share an interest in BDSM. An alternative to Fetlife that is mainly used in Scandinavia is Darkside though there is a high proportion of Swedish users vs Norwegians.
Featured image via Pexels.