By Peter Berton

TORONTO – When I grew up in Toronto, you couldn’t get a drink on Sundays, and you couldn’t walk through a bar carrying your own drink on the other six. As for public sex? It just didn’t happen in the “Big Smoke” (as we called Toronto). If it did, the participants were arrested.

How times have changed. In addition to getting a drink any day of the week and walking wherever you like carrying your libation, Canadians now may play outside the sanctity of their own homes, thanks to liberalization of the country’s sex laws. In fact, sizzling swingers’ destinations like Oasis AquaLounge have become quite popular.

Oasis is spearheaded by owner Jana Matthews. YNOT contacted Matthews to get the inside story about her upscale establishment.

YNOT: Tell us a little about your background.

Jana Matthews: I grew up in Czechoslovakia and competed on the national team in World Cup skiing and at the summer Olympics. I earned my degree in education and worked as the principle of a school for athletes. Then I came to Canada and worked in the nightclub industry before starting my own aesthetics business. In 2010, my partners and I started Oasis.

Oasis is an on-premises club, meaning people can have sex in the facility, correct? To whom does the club appeal?

Oasis Aqualounge is a water-themed adult playground located in the heart of downtown Toronto. It is an adventurous place to sun, soak and explore your sexuality. Our target market is mainly couples and women who want to enhance their relationship. Although Oasis hosts a variety of events throughout the month, Thursdays through Sundays are designated exclusively for women and their partners.

Oasis Aqualounge was started with a vision to provide couples a haven to escape from daily stress and reconnect on an intimate level. We believe that everyone should have the right to express themselves sexually, when [playing] is consensual. We strive to provide a venue that can enhance the sexual lives of the people who visit. We are also advocates of safer sex.

The four-story Victorian mansion we chose as the location had a great vibe. Since then, we have been building relationships and making great friends, working as hard as we can to share our vision with the world.

What facilities make the club special?

Ours is the only venue in Ontario where you can have sex in such a wide variety of settings. The location is a beautifully restored 19th Century mansion offering spa facilities and a year-round outdoor, heated swimming pool. We also offer a hot tub, steam room and dry sauna in addition to workshops and clean, spacious play areas.

Many of our guests like to indulge their naughty side, so we have a large dungeon space on the second level, which is perfect for play, special events and displaying artwork. Our semi-private play spaces are located on the third floor, and the club provides safer sex items — condoms, etc. — for our guests.

Another distinctive feature is that we’re open from 11 a.m. until 3 a.m. almost every day of the week. Guests who wish to visit during the day are given in-and-out privileges so they may return later that evening, if they wish.

What sorts of events does the club host?

Our events are designed to ignite passion and to provide a relaxing and playful atmosphere in which to explore one’s sexuality. Although Oasis caters to couples, some of the events may include a mixed crowd. Some of our regular weekly events are “Sass After Class,” a student night for those younger than 35; “Hot Springs Wednesday,” during which single men may visit the club without a female companion; “First Taste,” which allows newcomers an introduction to sex clubs in general and Oasis Aqualounge in particular; “Pole Envy” pole-dancing classes; “Spectator Sex” nights, which are for both exhibitionists and voyeurs; and “Sapphic Aquatica,” which is a monthly event for all women and trans people.

We always have themes on Saturday nights, with performances including burlesque acts, comedians, singers, fire acts and others. And Oasis Aqualounge welcomes outside groups to host their own private events at our club. Organizations may contact us for inquiries and more details.

You recently received a lot of press for hosting an event for university students. How did that work out?

This was an event on Jan. 21 — a kick-off party for the University of Toronto’s annual Sexual Awareness Week. Oasis Aqualounge was open to university students 19 and older with a student ID.

The concept was to educate and enlighten students about safer sex and to invite guests to enjoy the facilities of the club. It was organized by the Sexual Education Centre of the University of Toronto. Although it got some outrageous publicity, it was really just about exploring one’s sexuality in a safe environment, free of judgment.

Since the University of Toronto event, “Sass After Class,” which takes place on Mondays, has been very popular.

I’m sure there is no shortage of challenges to operating a swingers club in Toronto.

We are licensed by the City of Toronto as a bathhouse, and we’re licensed to serve alcohol. Our spa facilities are inspected regularly by the Toronto Board of Health. Still, many people who have not visited Oasis are concerned that it is not legal, when in fact it is 100-percent legal. So we go out of our way to work with all the governing bodies and always be compliant.

This can be quite challenging at times, but it reassures our guests that they do not have to be concerned about legalities.

When we opened Oasis, it was a new kind of business, a venue intended to enhance people’s sexual experiences. Most consumers were not aware that places like this existed, so it was challenging to get the word out and educate people about what was possible.

You restrict the nights on which single men are allowed. Why?

When it comes to sex, men and women are not the same, and when you have couples who are wanting to create a romantic mood for themselves, the atmosphere is quite different if there are single men present. Single men naturally are trying to meet people and make connections.

For many couples, the presence of single men can be very detrimental to their romantic experience, because they can get interrupted by men wishing to join them. So we have created some times without single men, in order to allow for the more romantic atmosphere that many of our customers seek. But we also have times when single men can visit, as many people enjoy that kind of interaction also.

Where do you see potential for growth for your club?

We know we have only reached a small portion of the market. There are many people who do not know places like Oasis exist, and for some of those people, if they knew, they would want to visit.

We have grown quite rapidly since we opened, and we expect that to continue for some time. We also are always trying to reach out to new sexual interests, to create events that are unique, that will draw new people into the club. We believe there is a large market for couples relationship enhancement, and we have only begun to connect with that.