Want to know more about sex in London?
London is one of the most influential and important world capitals and is widely considered a global hub for culture, entertainment and economics. Thousands of clubs, bars and restaurants spill visitors to the late night city streets with many looking for something more adult to extend the night…
In this guide to the London Sex Scene, we take a look at venues that provide erotic entertainment – including strip clubs, sex parties, swinger clubs and BDSM venues. We also look at the laws surrounding London escorts, brothels and the wider sex industry.
Is Prostitution Legal in London?
Prostitution in London can be dated back to Roman times and has long been a part of the city’s rich history.
From the Restoration period when London’s theatres were closely associated with hedonistic libertinism to the back alleys of the East End, sex has been readily available.
There are plenty of areas of the UK capital that are considered red-light districts though these are unofficial.
Prostitution in London, as in the rest of the country, is legal. The exchange of money for sexual services can be undertaken between consenting individuals over the age of 18 as long as it takes place in private and does not contravene other laws.
However, the law does prohibit certain activities surrounding prostitution, these include:
- Soliciting sex in public
- Loitering with intent to solicit sex
- Kerb crawling
- Advertising sexual services in public places including the use of ‘tart cards’ in telephone booths.
- Pimping and pandering
- Running, owning or managing a brothel (includes letting a property for the use as a brothel)
- Running or taking part in a sex ring
- Knowingly paying for sex with someone under the age of 18
- Knowingly paying for sex with someone who has been coerced into prostitution.
The city is the hub for the sex trade in the UK and, of the estimated 80,000 prostitutes working in the country, around 30,000 of these work in and around the capital.
Since the global recession hit, prices for sex have fallen but still remain higher than in other parts of the UK. On average, punters can expect to pay around £150 to £200 per hour for sex with an escort with street prices being £30 to £60.
Reflecting the multicultural face of London, prostitutes of all nationalities are represented in the city with a large number of Eastern-European women. There are also a good deal of ladies from South East Asia, South America and North America.
As well as escorting and street prostitution, many women work as independent call girls or in massage parlours that offer happy endings and more.
London Escorts Scene
London has one of the busiest and most diverse escort scenes in Europe with a whole range of ways to book a call girl.
As well as standard agencies and directories, you can also find specialist escorts who provide niche services; from models and British porn stars to elite and upmarket women, fetish escorts and masseurs.
Due to advertising restrictions, we cannot publish links to London’s various escort agencies.
However, a simple Google search will reveal many of the most famous companies, some of which have decades of experience serving the London market.
‘Hookup dating’ sites like Adult Friend Finder and BeNaughty remain popular options for escorts and punters alike – although they are not marketed as such. The sites offer a chance to meet exclusively for sex… but YMMV!
See our guide: how to find NSA casual encounters in London.
Classifieds, Cheap Directories and Free Personals
Some escorts use free classified directories for advertising.
This may mean they are offering more of a budget service. Do be aware that there is no way to guarantee the authenticity of any of the escorts using these services.
Sex in London: What Adult Services Are Popular?
A densely populated city, Greater London can be divided into six distinct areas, each having a good range of adult entertainment venues.
- Soho & West End: Also known as ‘Theatre Town’, the West End of London is the central tourist district of the capital and includes some of London’s most famous landmark streets. The area includes Soho which has long been a notorious hub for prostitution and is one of the oldest red-light districts in Europe.
- City: London’s main financial district is also known as ‘The Square Mile’ and incorporates the iconic buildings of the Bank of England, Smithfield Market and the Old Bailey. It is the original heart of Roman London and still features many historic buildings despite its modernity.
- North London
- East London
- West London
- South London
London Brothels
Brothels are not legal in the UK and you will not find bordellos like those in The Netherlands, Switzerland, Hungary and Greece.
However, there are an estimated 1000 illegal brothels being run in Greater London with most offering massage. These tend to use the term ‘model’ in place of masseuse.
There is also a recent trend for sex doll brothels, which are legal (as far as we can see!).
One such example is the Dolly Parlour in Greenwich.
Swinging Clubs in London
Swinging is very popular in London and there are a variety of ways that open-minded couples can play.
From traditional house parties to upmarket events run in glamorous locations, the capital has a huge range of lifestyle options.
Killing Kittens
Founded in 2005, Killing Kittens is an elite sex club which holds regular clubs in and around London. A female centric organisation, the vetting policy on new members is strict to ensure that only the young and beautiful attend their events.
The club does have a Silver Kitten section for the over 45s.
Elegant and stylish soirees are held at premium venues which promote sensuality and eroticism rather than hardcore gangbangs. That’s not to say that Killing Kittens parties aren’t full of sex but the atmosphere is more charged with anticipation.
Guests wear masks throughout the events and venues are lit with candles.
All parties are members-only with admission prices varying. See the website for full details.
Le Boudoir
A members only swinging club, Le Boudoir is located in the City of London and holds events every Friday and Saturday (plus extra parties in the month).
They are an all-inclusive group and allow swingers from any background including the LGBTQ community. However, some nights are couples only so do check the website in advance.
The club has several large play areas and they have a reputation for hosting lively parties.
Club Pedestal
Another female-focused club, Pedestal runs events for dominant women and ‘those who worship them’. Some evenings have more of a kinky focus than others but they are definitely more of a fetish club than the usual swinging events.
There are multiple rooms available for both group and private play including a dungeon area , equipped with BDSM equipment.
Most events include some kind of schedule entertainment which can range from erotic dance to burlesque, fire-eaters to kinky performances.
Ticket prices and opening times vary by event.
Sparkle Hard
Sparkle Hard is an all-inclusive swingers club where heterosexuals singles and couples get the chance to play with the curious, bisexual, homosexual and TV/TGs. More gender-fluid than gender-binary, events are a celebration of sexual liberation and diversity. As a result, parties can be very colourful and often included fetishists from different backgrounds.
It is a popular club and you need to make advance bookings before attending any events.
Best of the Rest
The following clubs also operate in the city offering a mix of private parties, social gatherings and events:
- Phoenix Club
- Our Place 4 Fun
- London Adult Party Club
- Rebecca Ryder’s London Sex Parties
- Lifestyle Gangbang Parties
- London Swingers Adult Parties
- Pleasure Island Parties
- Skirt Club (Girls Only)
To get involved with the London swinging community, check out our guide to Britain’s Best Swinger Sites.
Erotic Massage Parlours
Some of the women offering erotic massage in London also provide escort services, but most are massage specialists first.
We can’t advertise their services, but their ads are generally plastered over classified sites.
It’s hard to miss them!
BDSM Scene in London
Club DVS
A fetish club which holds play parties and munch meetings, Club DVS is an LGBTQ friendly organisation that welcomes fetishists of any kind.
Suitable for newbies and seasoned players, Club DVS offers a safe and supportive environment for important networking, socialising and information gathering.
They hold a regular Kink Lab which is a workshop to educated and support learning for safe play. They also hold fetish nights at the Flying Dutchman in Camberwell which usually includes some subversive entertainment.
Monthly get togethers are usually held at the Revolution Bar on Leadenhall Street (EC1V) between 6.00pm and 11.00pm.
The website has full details of upcoming events including ticket prices and dress code.
Club Antichrist
Run six times each year, Club Antichrist is an eclectic club that mixes fetish and mayhem with industrial gothic; it is Europe’s largest crossover party venue.
The venue changes all the time but the current two locations are Fire in Vauxhall and Electrowerkz in Islington. Most parties start at 8.00pm and run until 6.00pm (ticket prices vary but are usually around £25-£30 or £40-£45 for couples).
Parties are always well-organised and entertainment is included as well as well-equipped play areas such as a dungeon space.
Events are ticket only with guests requested to dress for the occasion, this can include a variety of uniforms, costumes and attire but (generally speaking) if you don’t turn heads in the street then you aren’t dressed up enough.
Rubber Cult
A strictly rubber only fetish club, Rubber Cult is the only club of its kind in the UK. There are regular events throughout the year which celebrate latex, rubber and gummi.
They currently meet at The Alice in Houndsditch but the venue can vary.
Parties usually include themed play zones such as medical areas, dungeons and shine corner. Guests can take part or enjoy a ‘cabaret of rubber’ from 8.00pm to 3.00am.
Ticket prices are usually in the order of £30.
Club Subversion
23 Lewisham Way, London SE14 6PP
Close to the New Cross station in South East London, Subversion is a fetish club that runs a section of parties for the SM community.
The club was founded 15 years ago and has attracted a good following of fetishists who enjoy more of a nightclub feel to their parties. The clubbing vibe is maintained by a selection of guests as well as an excellent resident DJ.
As a club, they run several special events each year including mansion parties and fetish weekends. This is in addition to bi-monthly nights and Subversion Noir for more experienced members of the community.
Guests come from a good range of backgrounds with a diverse mix of fetishes, sexualities and genders.
Tickets are usually £20 for club nights (£25 on the door) with varying prices for special events (see website for details).
Torture Garden
The Torture Garden has been running since 1990 and is one of the world’s largest body art and extreme fetish clubs attracting up to 2500 people at their events.
Events are run regularly throughout the year and are a celebration of all things alternative. You can expect the dress-code to be extreme with guests who don’t dress right being turned away at the door.
It’s a stylish club and one that embraces extravagance; this is reflected in both the guests attire and styling as well as the entertainment and music.
A dungeon space is on hand as well as multiple play areas and socialising spaces.
Ticket prices and times vary by event so check the website for details.
London Alternative Market
Revolution Bar, 140-144 Leadenhall Street, London, EC3V 4QT.
http://londonalternativemarket.com/
Held on the first Sunday of every month, the London Alternative Market is an important networking event which offers plenty of retail opportunities as well as an after-party play session.
Attended by a mix of fetishists, kinksters and the curious, the event has stallholders representing all niche fetishes as well as workshops and important information.
A resident Master and Mistress are on hand during the party to keep proceedings safe and to offer advice to newcomers to the BDSM scene.
Doors open at midday and the after-party is held at 7pm once the space has been converted to a playzone. The dungeon space has a whole host of equipment from suspension to rope and bondage play and much more besides.
It is a well-attended event that forms a focus for the London fetish community.
Dungeon Hire
The following venues offer in-house dungeon services but they also hire their facilities out to visiting Doms/Dommes. All have a good range of specialist BDSM equipment:
BDSM Services
As well as hiring dungeon space or joining a club event, you can also hire submissives and Dommes within London:
- Domina Octavia of London
- London Submissive Girls
- Professional Mistresses
- Mistress Sandra
- Mistress Sofia
- Mistress Evilyne
- Mistress Allure
- London Mistress Directory
Strip Clubs
London has a lot of strip clubs; some are styled on traditional gentleman’s clubs whilst others offer a more modern approach to topless dancing.
We also have a separate guide for London’s Best Transgender Clubs and Parties.
Worth checking out if that is to your taste!
Red Light Districts in London
In such a sprawling city, it is inevitable that there is more than one red light district.
The principle area for adult entertainment has always been Soho.
However, in recent decades the area has become more commercialised. It is also a very busy tourist area which has attracted a lot of hustlers and scammers. After the pubs close in the rest of the city, Soho seems to wake up and the strip clubs offer ladies of the night a steady trade of interested parties.
West End rickshaw drivers will often offer suitable venues to customers who ask but these can be illegal brothels or hustles.
Always remember that kerb crawling is illegal.
Though there are plenty of places to pick up street prostitutes in London, it is a city where prostitution is discreet. Due to the fact that loitering and solicitation are illegal, street hookers are pretty good at keeping a low profile. They are not as obvious as in some other European cities.
We strongly recommend you avoid partaking in any kind of street prostitution. Besides breaking the law, it simply isn’t worth the safety risk.
Sex Shops in London
London sex shops have been in decline over the last decade as more trade is conducted online.
However, there are still a lot of places in the city where you can browse for sex toys including some niche BDSM and fetish shops.
Also check out: The Best British Porn Sites.
The UK also has quite a few chain sex shops which are common sights on the high street, often trading alongside traditional retail premises.
Our pick of the best London sex shops are:
- 100 Shades of Blue, 100 Old St, London EC1V 9AY – General sex shop
- Agent Provocateur, Various Locations – Lingerie
- Ann Summers, Various Locations – Mainstream sex shop with toys and lingerie
- Blue Rose, 4 Kentish Town Road, Camden Town, London NW1 9NX – General sex shop
- Bunny Sex Shop, 8 Silvertree Ln, London, Greenford UB6 8HD – General sex shop
- Clonezone, 35 Old Compton St, Soho, London W1D 5JX – Gay sex toys
- Cloud Climax, Adult Store and sex doll specialist shop
- Coco de Mer, 23 Monmouth St, London WC2H 9DD – Lingerie
- Eros Movieland, 28 Peter Street, Soho, London W1F 0AL – Movies & toys
- Fetish Freak, 76 Bolton Cres, London SE5 0SE – Fetish store
- Fifty & Dean, 50 Old Compton St, Soho, London W1D 4UB – Toys and essentials
- Harmony, Soho & Oxford Street – Toys and essentials
- Honour, 86 Lower Marsh, Lambeth, London SE1 7AB – General and Fetish
- Madame Liberty, 53 Chandos Pl, London WC2N 4HS – General and lingerie
- Prowler Soho, 5-7 Brewer St, Soho, London W1F 0DR – Gay sex toys
- Sh!, 57 Hoxton Square, London N1 6PB – Female friendly sex emporium
- Silicone Sex World – Specialist sex doll supplier
- Simply Pleasure, Various locations – Toys, clothes and essentials
- Soho Original Books, 11/12 Brewer Street, Soho, London, WC1F 0SF – Books and toys
- Up West British Adult Store, 8 Green’s Ct, Soho, London W1F 0HH – Mixture of goods
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