The Basic Space
Our space was a large conference room, 18′ x 34′. There was a small counter top with a bar size refrigerator of to the side and a powder room bathroom. At one end of the room was a couch, coffee table, two end tables with table lamps and two chairs.
We set up a 6 foot table at the end of the room opposite the seating area and covered it with a black tablecloth.
Since this was at a hotel we were not allowed to hang lights on the walls or ceilings with nails or change the overhead lighting.
The Lighting
The only light in our room was from black lights and blue rope lighting. When using black lights the fluorescent tubes or compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL) are the best. Incandescent black light bulbs do not work well at all.
There were heavy curtains in the room. If your room has curtains it's a good idea to bring some clips to close them completely. You want the room as dark as possible for the best glow effect. If there are no curtains I would suggest covering the windows with paper or shades. Anything white will glow purple colored under the black lights. We kept the door open because it was a complete takeover party. Next time I'll get some type of beaded curtain for the door to cut down on the light coming in.
There was a can light fixture above the counter top so we replaced the bulb with a CFL. We also replaced the bulbs in the table lamps with CFL's. We kept the lamp shades on which diffuses the light, and makes it less “glowy”, but easier on the eyes and nicer looking than the bare bulbs. We set a fixture with two 48” fluorescent tubes pointed up on the table at the end of the room. We laid a blue rope light on the floor in front of the beds and strung blue Christmas lights over the bathroom mirror. Blue LED Christmas lights in a dark room provide a very nice glow effect.
The Play Space
We used air mattresses that members of the group lent for the night. We had six full size mattresses that were bed height, plus one short full size and tall twin that we stacked for a stepped play area. You can be creative with building pyramids with what you have. If you are using a lot of air mattresses, an electric pump is really helpful for set up and clean up. It's also important if you are using air mattresses to ask your guests not to wear spike heels on them.
Guests covered the couches and chairs with sheets and used them as play areas also. Air mattresses are not the best surface for having group sex. They are very bouncy and it's easy to roll off. If there is any way you can get real beds, that would be preferable to air mattresses.
The hotel provided us with flat sheets and we provided disposable pads for guests who are squirters. You will want a lot of sheets. I asked for thirty sheets and the hotel gave us two huge boxes. I think we used at least thirty. We stacked the new sheets on a table and put a box next to it for the used ones. You will want to have a box or trash can that is clearly labeled for the used sheets.
You'll also need a trashcan (or multiple trashcans) for used condoms, party cups and bottles. The more trashcans you have available, the better.
The Decorations
Your guests and the black lights will be the main decorations for the space. Encourage people to wear neon, glow or white sexy clothing. If you are wearing white, any stains, even if they don't show in daylight will show up under black light. If you are wearing dark colors, lint will really show up, so have a lint roller on hand (or just take off your clothes!)
Since we hosted this party for New Year's Eve and it's winter here, we hung foam white, glittery snowflakes from the ceiling. Anything that is white will glow great under black lights.
Another really cool, simple decoration are Firefly Jars. You'll need clear containers with lids, glow sticks, strong shears or tin snips, and glitter. I used clear plastic tubes and green glow sticks. You will want to put these together right before the party because the glow liquid only lasts for a limited time. Activate the glow sticks and then carefully cut them open. We used two glow sticks in each tube. Pour the liquid into the tube. We dropped the whole stick in the tube. Pour in some glitter and close the tube. Shake it well to coat the entire tube. The empty glow sticks inside seemed to help distribute the glow and glitter when we shook it. Then you can open it and pour out the empty sticks. Be careful because there will be broken glass from the inside of the glow sticks. Close the lids again. I arranged three 12” and three 6” tubes on the coffee table and they looked amazing. This is a decoration that will work great even if you don't have black lights. You could easily use mason jars,but since we had the combination of naked people and alcohol I liked the idea of plastic rather than glass.
The best decorations in our room, besides all the sexy people playing, were black light reactive bubbles. We set up a small bubble machine on the table in front of the black light. You can purchase a bubble machine for about $20 on Amazon. A half gallon of the black light bubbles was $25; we only used about a third of it for the party. We had a fan in the corner of the room for temperature control, but it seemed to help blow the bubbles around a bit too. Anything the bubbles pop on will glow under black light. The ceiling in the room was covered. Fortunately, it doesn't seem to show up at all in regular light. The guests had a lot of fun dancing in front of the bubbles and getting covered in the glow liquid. I would not use these bubbles over a smooth surface floor. The floor could get slippery from the popped bubbles.
The Music
Music can help to set the mood for your party space. We used a blue tooth speaker and the Songza app on my Kindle Fire (you could also easily use a cell phone or laptop). We wanted a fun, sexy vibe so we used the Songza station, Crowd Pleasing Dance Pop. Since this is a play and social space you want to make sure the volume is reasonable. You want it quiet enough so people can easily talk and interact, but loud enough to convey an upbeat energy.
I think electronica or rave type music might work well too. You know your friends best and what type of music they enjoy.
The Refreshments
Glowing jello shots! Tonic water is black light reactive so using it instead of tap water will make the shots glow under black light. There are videos on youtube and many recipes on the internet. Any color jello will glow with the tonic water, but blue and green are the most vibrant. These shots were well received but have a slightly bitter taste due to the tonic water. No one in our group seemed to mind.
There are lots of suggestions on the internet for foods and mixed drinks that glow well under black lights. Two of my favorite suggestions were Rice Krispie treats and brownies with powdered sugar.
The Accessories
We provided glow bracelets and glitter glow body gel for party guests.
Amazon had the best prices I could find on glow bracelets. I bought the 8” size. This was pretty small for many of the guys. Next time I would probably get the 10”. You can combine the bracelets to create necklaces, whips, etc. We used 300 bracelets. You want to have a lot of bracelets so your guests can feel free to be creative.
The glow body gel was a product I got at Spencer. It was completely worthless and did not glow at all. There are glow body paints that you can apply with a wet sponge or paintbrush. We might try that next time.
We didn't supply any glow in the dark condoms, but they do exist. They are expensive and my understanding is that they are not very comfortable and more of a novelty item. But, if you do supply condoms for your guests, you might consider throwing a few glow ones in just for fun.
There are also glow in the dark cock rings, vibrators and other sex toys. Some people were putting the glow bracelets around their cocks while having sex and that was a neat look.
Our group had a fabulous, sexy time starting out the new year in our very own Electric Psychedelic Pussycat Swinger's Club. I hope these ideas inspire you to have an amazing glow party of your own!
