‘I set up a swingers club at 22’

‘If you’re heading there looking for sex, know it might not happen’ (Picture: Getty)

It was by total accident that Milo Barrett found himself in his first swingers club, after getting lost in London last year. 

‘It was the best thing that ever happened to me’, he admits with a laugh.

The mishap happened after Milo had been hunting for a local gym and he found directions for a spa. 

Reader, it was not a spa. 

The 22-year-old from Hertfordshire says: ‘I went in and was quickly made aware that it was a swingers’ club. Everyone was walking around naked. But they were great. I was in there for a few hours and I got speaking to a lot of them.

‘What I saw was a group who do what they like in a safe environment and are happy – I think these people need to be celebrated.

‘If you look at the people who speak negatively about people who swing or are in open relationships, I think you’d actually find a lot of them are jealous,’ he adds.

‘There’s a lot of people out there who are quick to turn their nose up. But I think if they got involved, their life would be very different.’ 

Nearly one fifth of Brits are polyamorous, according to a 2018 survey of 2,000 people by healthcare company euroClinix. 

Just last month Carol Vorderman said she defied the convention that people should be with an exclusive partner for life, adding that since she hit her fifties she has stopped looking for one person, instead opting for a number of ‘special friends’.

Indeed, when Milo did a bit of research, he discovered that non-monogamous people were ‘massively underserved’ in the world of dating apps.  

Talking to Miranda Kane on the latest episode of Metro.co.uk’s Smut Drop podcast, Milo explains how he set up Velroo to help people chat, meet ‘playmates’ and find swingers’ get-togethers. 

Almost one fifth of UK people are polyamorous (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

He adds that the website promotes the idea that ‘anyone, anywhere should be able to do whatever they want behind closed doors’, and promises to connect like-minded individuals who are passionate about swinging and non-monogamy.

‘We’re seeing a great change in things with Gen Z, removing a lot of stigmas, because a lot of people are swinging,’ explains Milo.

‘In sex clubs, you see people as young as 21, young professionals who have got very high paying jobs in the city. There’s this massive stereotype that swinging is just old men sitting around pools, and that’s not the case.’ 

The clubs aren’t all about sex (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

As well as swinging nights, the service can be used by adventurous couples looking to bring new people into their bedroom. 

Milo adds: ‘You can post as a couple. You’ve got your profile and you can say – this is exactly what we’re looking for.

‘People shouldn’t have to be going to sex clubs every weekend. People can host their own sex parties, host their own threesomes.’ 

Run as a family business, Milo explains that even his mother is involved in his website. 

More: Sex

‘My mum will be taking care of the admin, but I don’t want her to be verifying all the naked pictures that come through the site,’ he laughs.

‘I’m going to be juggling a lot of things and my mum will be bootstrapping it with me.

‘I have massive plans for Velroo and I hope that she’ll be on the journey with me. It’s going to be a hell of a ride.’ 

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing [email protected] 

Share your views in the comments below.

MORE : Polyamory may not be for everyone, but it’s what works for me and my partners

MORE : Everything to know about ‘soft swinging’ – and how to bring it up in a relationship

MORE : ‘Moustaches are sexy, and that’s a fact’: As Movember hits, three men share their tache tales

Meet Milo – he got lost in London looking for a spa and ended up in a swingers club