SEX CLUB A SWING AND A HIT
Inside Plato’s Retreat
SEX was Larry Levenson’s domain. As the owner of swank swingers’ lounge Plato’s Retreat, located inside the Upper West Side’s Ansonia Hotel, he epitomized late 1970s hedonism in NYC — and even made partner-swapping mainstream.
It was an unlikely path for The Bronx-born Levenson, an absentee father of three who had previously worked as the general manager at a Brooklyn McDonald’s.
“Larry was just a dumb guy who lucked into becoming the self-proclaimed king of swing,” Josh Alan Friedman, the former senior editor of sex tabloid Screw magazine, told The Post.
For his column “The Naked City,” Friedman regularly reported on the wild hanky-panky at Plato’s, which Levenson, then 41, had opened in 1977. A year earlier, Levenson had been introduced to the lifestyle after meeting a housewife at a cocktail lounge — and then, later at her place, her consenting husband.
Soon, outlets such as Time magazine were reporting on the louche lair at Broadway and 74th Street — and the married suburban habitués it drew. The rise of Levenson’s club was spectacular, but so was its downfall, brought on by alleged Mafia ties, federal criminal charges and the eruption of the ’80s AIDS epidemic. The wild tale of his reign as the “King of Swing” is being revisited today at 9 p.m. as part of Vice TV’s “Sex Before the Internet” series, which explores the world of X-rated thrills before the proliferation of online sites such as OnlyFans.
“Plato’s Retreat is part of New York City’s history,” Levenson’s son Michael Levenson, 61, told The Post. “It was where everyone wanted to be. It was an attraction that everyone wanted to see — even if they weren’t swingers.”
A clothed Richard Dreyfuss reportedly checked out the action while residing at the Ansonia. And the club’s former security director once claimed to Page Six that John Wayne, Sammy Davis Jr., Paul Newman and Madonna were among the celebrities who had dropped by.
But mainly it was hordes of heterosexual couples and single women — the only clientele permitted inside — who flocked to Plato’s after 10 p.m., feverish to shed their sexual inhibitions, and clothes. Couples forked over $25, plus a $5 temporary membership fee, to gain access for two.
Inside, they were welcome to enjoy the lounge, as well as an Olympicsize pool, a 60-person Jacuzzi and the legendary “mat room” — where orgies were held on a sea of mattresses.
“It was very comfortable to be naked,” remembers Dian Hanson, a Plato’s regular, in the documentary. “In fact, it was uncomfortable to not be naked.”
Guests undressed in locker rooms, where they were given towels, which the club advised could be worn in a variety of ways to “telegraph their intentions.” Only couples could enter the mat room — and they couldn’t be fully clothed. Quaaludes
were the drug of choice, and while prostitutes were banned, that didn’t stop single men from bringing them to circumvent the ban on bachelors.
“All the porn stars were there. Sex was always in the air. And they had a great buffet,” Friedman recalled.
Mob ties
The pot-bellied Levenson, who often wore a plush black bathrobe, would frequently sit perched atop a throne to better survey the steamy scene. He even took his sex-positive gospel to “The Phil Donahue Show,” where he explained that at Plato’s, “We promote social intercourse and sexual intercourse.”
“He always wanted to be this larger-than-life person,” Michael Levenson told The Post. “He worked a lot of odd jobs,” Michael said, “but once he stumbled upon success with Plato’s Retreat, being famous [in the world of swinging] consumed him.”
Levenson had secured the finances for his swingers’ club through a Brooklyn man named Frank Pernice, who was said to have connections in the world of organized crime, according to the documentary. The location in the Ansonia basement had previously been home to the Continental Baths, the gay bathhouse where Bette Midler and Barry Manilow got their start.
In the ’70s, the mob had a heavy influence on the city’s sex scene, providing financial backing for topless bars, live sex shows in Time Square and the infamous 1972 porn flick “Deep Throat.”
“I think Larry Levenson was a front man for Plato’s Retreat,” Friedman told The Post, “and that it was a mob joint like everything in the sex business.”
Meanwhile, Levenson’s indulgences came at a cost.
In 1979, while in a relationship with his live-in girlfriend Mary — who publicly touted the benefits of their swinging lifestyle, but, in truth, had grown weary of her beau’s many indiscretions — Levenson was robbed and brutally beaten in Queens. The ambush was believed to have been carried out by either the Mafia or a Plato’s Retreat limo driver who was also Mary’s secret lover, according to club regulars featured in the doc. Levenson was left with two broken legs.
More trouble for the swinging mogul came in 1981, when he was sentenced to eight years in prison on tax evasion charges for skimming $2.3 million in club receipts. He ultimately served 40 months in Allenwood Prison in Pennsylvania.
An unseemly end
While he was away, porn actor Fred Lincoln assumed the role of Plato’s Retreat manager. In 1980, after local residents complained about loitering and other nuisances, the club moved into a large warehouse on 34th Street.
But the relocation, along with tawdry themed parties like mud wrestling and singles’ nights — which allowed straight bachelors to enter the club for the first time — drove regulars away.
“There were no women,” Hanson recalls in the doc. Meanwhile, as cocaine use in the early ’80s skyrocketed, the clientele swiftly shifted from swinging couples to sex workers and addicts.
Still, after Levenson received an early prison release in September 1984, he hoped to restore his ravaged realm. But the AIDS crisis had led to a city crackdown on sex clubs and bathhouses under former Mayor Ed Koch. On New Year’s Eve of 1985, Plato’s Retreat was permanently shuttered on the grounds of prostitution.
A despondent Levenson told a local news station, “We don’t allow prostitution on our premises. We never have and we never will.” He continued, “Plato’s Retreat is more than just a club. It’s an institution. It’s a monument to sexual freedom, and they’ve set us back 50 years.”
Levenson went on to spend the rest of his life making fruitless attempts at reestablishing his swingers’ paradise while earning a living as a cab driver.
“He never accepted that Plato’s Retreat closed,” Michael told The Post. “He was depressed. Nothing else mattered to him.”
Levenson ultimately died of a heart attack at age 62 after undergoing quadruple bypass surgery in 1999.
“During his last days, there were a lot of people in the family who weren’t speaking [to him],” said Michael, who by that point had added his name to the list. “I think he felt very alone.”
Their estrangement notwithstanding, Michael said, “I’m proud of what he created.”
“It was the sexual Studio 54.”
PISCES (Feb. 20-Mar. 20)
If a colleague presses you to sign up to something that you are not entirely sure is a good idea you must resist. You won't know until Thursday, when Mercury moves into your sign, whether it's right for you, so don't let them rush you.
ARIES (March 21-April 20)
No, the odds are not stacked against you. No, your rivals do not have the upper hand. Your strength, stamina and selfbelief will be more than enough to see you through the challenges of the next few days. You're still one of life's winners.
TAURUS (April 21-May 21)
There are things going on behind the scenes that in time will answer all your questions, so stop worrying about how the future will turn out and just live in the moment. Everything will be revealed to you when the time is right.
GEMINI (May 22-June 21)
Put your own needs first and don't worry if it makes you look selfish in some people's eyes. Most likely they are the people who expect you to do things for them every hour of the day. Remind them that you are their equal, not their servant.
CANCER (June 22-July 23)
The planets warn you must not take chances over the next 24 hours. They also warn that you must not trust people who try to convince you that their needs and your needs are exactly the same. On the contrary, they could not be more different.
LEO
(July 24-Aug. 23)
News from afar will cheer you up today and news closer to home will be pleasing too, so keep your eyes and ears open and be ready to take advantage if an offer lands in your lap. If it feels right to you, go for it straight away.
VIRGO
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You will be called upon to calm things over the next few days, especially in the kind of one-toone relationships that can easily become competitive. Make it your business to look at disputes from a neutral position. Your integrity will be appreciated.
LIBRA (Sept. 24-Oct. 23)
What occurs today will alert you to the fact that you have been a bit too tunnel-visioned of late. You can quite easily refocus and make up for lost time but in future try not to look in one direction only for the solutions you need.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22)
You can be quite judgmental at times and that could be a problem today if someone you work or socialize with thinks you are being overly harsh. Not everyone is as robust as you Scorpio, so make allowances for those of a more sensitive nature.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23 - Dec. 21)
Do you try to protect a family member from the consequences of their actions? Or do you step in and make sure they don't get hurt? On this occasion it might be wise to let them get on with it. They'll learn better from their own mistakes.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 - Jan. 20)
Your can-do attitude will take you a long way today and you will go even further later in the week when mind planet Mercury moves in your favor. No task will be too much for you but don't let others take undue advantage of your fearless nature.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 21 - Feb. 19)
If someone owes you a favor this would be a good time to give them a nudge and remind them of that fact. The longer you leave it the less likely it is they will remember to repay you for the efforts you made on their behalf.