Chelsea Mews Guest House — Hotel in New York

I am a big fan of clothing optional establishments and have stayed in a variety of gay clothing optional resorts and inns throughout the country. Incredibly, in the most exciting city in the world, there seems to be only one option for the clothing averse male -- the Chelsea Mews Guest House.||||The reviews here are so mixed, I was hesitant to give this place a try. But my curiosity got the better of me -- I live in NYC, and thought I'd treat my self to a 'staycation'. Despite my mediocre rating, I am glad I did. I doubt you will ever have a more unique experience than staying at Chelsea Mews. ||||First, the good -- the location is unbeatable -- in the heart of Chelsea, it is the perfect location for the gay traveler -- walking distance to every bar and restaurant that makes up the heart of gay NYC. And of course, as far as I know, this is the only clothing optional lodging in the city.||||But here's where things get a bit strange. When I first stepped into the house, the smell of 'old' is overwhelming. The decor is busy and eclectic, as if frozen in time from a previous century. It's not that its particularly dirty, but it needs a thorough dusting and deep cleaning. There isn't much air flow and the house has a stuffy stale smell. And no offense to the proprietors, but frankly, the gentleman who greeted me at the door, also had a similar smell about him.||||I booked one of their single rooms, which is a narrow room with a single bed and a shared bathroom with two other rooms. Although it's not really a bathroom, but rather a separate shower, a separate room with a toilet, and a sink in the hallway. These rooms are up 2 1/2 flights of stairs.||||The room itself had a similar smell about it. Enough so that I went to the local convenience store and got myself some Febreze. This helped considerably.||||The bed itself was comfortable, although the single pillow provided was woefully thin. The sheets and bedspread had also seen better days. They do have wi-fi but it is spotty and inconsistent. And while the room has an a/c unit, it is very loud.||||The room is so small that I generally left it open when I was there -- which led to getting to know my neighbors -- some intimately. All the guests there were naked. And I found the proprietors to be unobtrusive -- I rarely saw them after I checked in.||||Overall, if want to spend some time in NYC in the buff, Chelsea Mews is something to consider -- just bring a sense of humor...and...

I am a big fan of clothing optional establishments and have stayed in a variety of gay clothing optional resorts and inns throughout the country. Incredibly, in the most exciting city in the world, there seems to be only one option for the clothing averse male -- the Chelsea Mews Guest House.||||The reviews here are so mixed, I was hesitant to give this place a try. But my curiosity got the better of me -- I live in NYC, and thought I'd treat my self to a 'staycation'. Despite my mediocre rating, I am glad I did. I doubt you will ever have a more unique experience than staying at Chelsea Mews. ||||First, the good -- the location is unbeatable -- in the heart of Chelsea, it is the perfect location for the gay traveler -- walking distance to every bar and restaurant that makes up the heart of gay NYC. And of course, as far as I know, this is the only clothing optional lodging in the city.||||But here's where things get a bit strange. When I first stepped into the house, the smell of 'old' is overwhelming. The decor is busy and eclectic, as if frozen in time from a previous century. It's not that its particularly dirty, but it needs a thorough dusting and deep cleaning. There isn't much air flow and the house has a stuffy stale smell. And no offense to the proprietors, but frankly, the gentleman who greeted me at the door, also had a similar smell about him.||||I booked one of their single rooms, which is a narrow room with a single bed and a shared bathroom with two other rooms. Although it's not really a bathroom, but rather a separate shower, a separate room with a toilet, and a sink in the hallway. These rooms are up 2 1/2 flights of stairs.||||The room itself had a similar smell about it. Enough so that I went to the local convenience store and got myself some Febreze. This helped considerably.||||The bed itself was comfortable, although the single pillow provided was woefully thin. The sheets and bedspread had also seen better days. They do have wi-fi but it is spotty and inconsistent. And while the room has an a/c unit, it is very loud.||||The room is so small that I generally left it open when I was there -- which led to getting to know my neighbors -- some intimately. All the guests there were naked. And I found the proprietors to be unobtrusive -- I rarely saw them after I checked in.||||Overall, if want to spend some time in NYC in the buff, Chelsea Mews is something to consider -- just bring a sense of humor...and...

First things you should know: this is no longer a men-only (or gay-themed) clothing optional hotel. The old reasons to stay here, including the camaraderie and the social aspect, are gone. You'll likely now be sharing the bathroom and shower with 65-year-old European women who will yell at you if they see you changing clothes in your room.||||And why would they be able to see you? Because your room is the size of a postage stamp and you probably need to leave the door open to move about the room. Oh, and the room's seriously filthy - and not in a "light layer of dust" way. You'll likely find used tissues, fingernails and the occasional cockroach on your floor. If you're smart you'll sleep on top of the covers.||||It's also quite the rip-off. The hotel advertises itself as a cash-only venue, and patrons must pay cash to the proprietor upon check-in. They also now accept credit card bookings through some of the online booking portals. Upon my check-in, the owner, Gary, insisted that I pay him in cash for my stay, even though I'd already paid booking.com for the reservation. He said that the booking.com fee was just to hold the room. Turns out he lied, and then he lied to booking.com when they asked why he'd asked me for a cash payment. So I ended up paying twice for one of the worst, most disgusting hotel rooms in New York City, and the irony is that for only $20 more than my original booking.com rate I could have stayed at a Sheraton a block away.||||If, despite all of this, you still want to try it out, also know that the bedding is grossly uncomfortable, the stairs (and there are a lot of them) feel as though you'll fall through them at any moment, the air conditioning probably won't work, the hot water is minimal, and you'll probably wish you'd heeded this review and stayed elsewhere. ||||It's sad, really. Years ago the Chelsea Mews might have been a great place to stay. And ironically years ago was probably the last time...