On Spectacles and Roses: Sex at the Library Hotel

The Love Room at the Library Hotel, NYC

This is the first in a series of reviews that look at sex-positive venues for rest and sexual enjoyment.

The humble local library, with all its strict taboos, has often been a place of sexual speculation.  Pinching the behind of a librarian in a pencil skirt and glasses—one who tells you, strictly, to keep the noise down—is still a popular fantasy.  But given today’s preponderence of e-books, and their future as an alternative to paper-bound volumes, will the library grow less attractive as a place for kanoodling?  If those born in the 21st century are rarely turning tactile pages, will both the book and its natural home—not to mention its place in the world of kink—become less sexy than ever before?

I certainly hope not.  And of course, libraries go hand in hand with sex education too.  For instance, the local library is an important place for our sex lives.  If you have no e-book reader and can’t afford to buy erotic anthologies, where do you go?  If you’re homeless and worried about your sexual health, where can you afford to find out more?  If you’re a young person whose family and school refuse to answer your questions about sex and gender, where can you sit and educate yourself?  The library, the library.  And may it always be so.

My partner and I just returned from a blissful vacation at the Library Hotel in New York.  As you might guess, the place is library-themed—a unique idea.  The room numbers are based on the Dewey Decimal system that has long been used for organizing libraries, and every room is given its own “category” (see example rooms here)…plus the shelves of books in every room fit the given theme.  There’s the Erotica Room, the Psychology Room, and, somewhat intriguingly, the Love Room.  I have never seen “Love” being used as a category in libraries, but I like the notion, so this is the room that we booked.  When we explored the titles on our shelves, we found “The Story of O,” “The Art of Kissing” and “The Bridges of Madison County.”  Interesting, ecclectic takes on love, don’t you think?  We also enjoyed the Erotica Package, when we first arrived—a collection of erotic goodies including red roses, a karma sutra book, a bottle of bubbly, and a box of luxurious Belgian chocolates.  (Though in the spirit of bad puns, if only I could say that the “erotica package” is a super-sexy dildo!).

Well, the Library Hotel turned out to be sexy as all heck, and for the library-savvy generations, it’s the perfect place for a romantic getaway.  We were greeted with charm and grace and the Love Room must surely be the most luxurious room.  Picture this:  A kingsize bed, a luxurious bathroom, a delightfully decorated room that was the size of a small palace.  Oh yes, and I mustn’t forget the peaceful, private balcony, where we sat and sipped wine as New York bustled away far below.  Also, at five every evening, the staff lay on cheese and wine for all the hotel guests…at no extra fee.

And you know, there is something exciting about having sex at the Library!  Interestingly, true to the hotel’s theme, my partner asked me to keep my glasses on…