'We'll be swinging while jingle bells are ringing' - bed-hopping couple on 'hobby' with huge waiting list
Olivia Masterson, slipping into her elegant ballgown, and her husband Gage, donning his sleek tuxedo, were prepped for an unforgettable night. Just like many across the nation at this time of the year, they were set for an evening brimming with delicious dining, bubbly champagne, and festive fun.
Yet, their winter ball was far from your typical work do or family gathering – the guest list was a tad more risqué, featuring 250 fellow swingers. "People like to celebrate Christmas. You don’t often get to dress up in tuxedos and ballgowns unless you’re going to a work event at Christmas. It’s a nice way to celebrate the end of the year, to get dressed up, have a really good time and socialise with like-minded people. It’s a great way to end the year with a bang," Olivia, 32, says, the Mirror reports.
The couple's romance sparked 15 years ago after a chance encounter during a night out in Leeds. "I was in the army and I wasn’t supposed to come home that weekend, but I did. A friend popped up on Facebook and invited me out," Gage, also 32, says.
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"As I was ready to go home, he said, ‘Hang on for a few minutes, I’ve got some friends coming,’ and then Olivia walked around the corner. She had this beaming white smile, came across as really friendly and even laughed at my bad jokes."
The couple, who tied the knot on 31 July 2012, already had an "adventurous" sex life, but it was eight years ago that they ventured into the world of swinging. "It was just after we’d had sex. We were having some pillow talk and Gage asked if I’d ever get with a girl. I replied that I already had," Olivia explains.
This intimate confession ignited a new passion between them, she adds. "That conversation sparked another desire for each other. It made us want to reconnect and explore more together. Gage asked if I wanted to play with girls and if we’d do it together. I said I didn’t want to do it on my own – I needed my little wingman."
Finding themselves without like-minded friends, they turned to the internet to seek out an experienced pair in the swinging scene. After weeks of chatting and FaceTime calls, they met their match, and the group eventual met up in person.
"It was supposed to be just a drink. They’d invited us to their house, but there was no pressure. They were experienced in this lifestyle, so it was just to get to know each other and it went really well," Olivia recalls. "It was really awkward for me though," Gage adds. "The girls went upstairs and the guy was taking me through things that I never thought I’d be speaking about, like whether he could do certain things with Olivia. I could hear the girls and all I wanted to do was join them. He had to keep telling me to relax. When I finally went upstairs, it was the first time I’d seen her with someone else. It was amazing."
After overcoming the initial awkwardness, they left feeling exhilarated like never before. On their short car ride home, they were so energised that they couldn't wait for some alone time. "It was such an emotional rollercoaster. We couldn’t wait to go home to reconnect. I was like, ‘I need you now,’" Olivia shares. "We pulled over in a country lane about half a mile from our home," says Gage.
For the couple, "playing" isn’t a weekly occurrence. With Olivia's job as cabin crew and Gage being the CEO of the app SwingHub, they describe it as a "hobby" for when they have a free weekend. Indeed, finding people who they both fancy adds another layer of complexity to the process.
"It’s so tough to find someone we’re mutually attracted to," Gage admits. "I can send a few text messages and get that natural vibe, whereas Olivia needs to meet that person in person. That’s really hard if someone lives in Essex and we’re two hours away."
Club nights have proven to be a useful solution for them. However, their first event was quite the experience, with Gage recalling how they felt like "deer in headlights".
He says: "We walked into this old pub and took a big gulp as we knew why everyone was there. We went into one of the rooms towards the back and saw people having sex. Everyone was laughing, giggling and living their best lives. In the corner, there was this older couple in their seventies or eighties. You could tell they’ve done this their whole life. It was liberating because most people that age are stuck in the house. I want to be like them when I’m that age."
The couple also enjoys weekends away with friends, including festive ones. "Everything’s a social first. Every event that you go to, 11pm seems to be the golden hour. It’s canapés, drinks, chats, dance or circus performances and then at 11pm everybody is in lingerie," Olivia adds.
This festive season, they had originally set their sights on an extravagant Essex mansion for Christmas fun. However, a tempting invite to bask under the Cancún sun meant saying no to the first plan.
Still, they're not missing out on holiday cheer as they're throwing an exclusive winter ball themselves, although Olivia has shared her struggles with finding a venue. "I emailed 40 hotels but, because of the nature of the event, a lot of them didn’t get back to me. There’s a stigma around it – people won’t give you a chance, so it’s really hard to find suitable venues," she says.
"People think you’re going to get naked on the dance floor, but that’s not the case. Everybody’s so well-behaved. We run our events very professionally. We only host up to 250 people. For our winter ball we’ve got a 50-person waiting list." Despite the ball not being a play event, Olivia hinted at the possibilities after the bash. "Our guests have booked up all the rooms in the hotels on either side of the venue, so I suspect people will be going back to their hotel rooms at night," she adds.
Since sharing their experience online, Olivia has gained over 325,000 TikTok followers, and along with Gage, they've graced our screens in Channel 4's racy docuseries Open House. What's more, their family have been very supportive of their lifestyle. "We thought we needed to tell our friends and family before anybody had the discussion behind our backs. Gage’s mum actually said, ‘I’ve been watching your TikTok videos and I didn’t want to say anything,’" says Olivia.
The duo have also gained international recognition, even being recognised in a nightclub 4,700 miles away from home. People worldwide have thanked them for shedding light on the lifestyle. Olivia tells us: "We have imposter syndrome," and added, "I was speaking to my friend and she was like, ‘You don’t realise how many people’s lives you changed.’ I’m gobsmacked by the impact we’ve made."
For more details, check out swinghub.com
