Everyone will tell you some variation of this: Burning Man is not just about sex or drugs or techno music or nudity or art or looking good—or bad for that matter.



But you can’t deny that the promise of sex is everywhere. Most attendees dress in provocative costumes along the lines of fantasy or fetish: French maids, fair maidens, chamber maids, S&M folk, school girls (with plaid skirt sans panties), men (and women) in chaps, fur, leather, lace, fishnets (One woman brought 13 pairs of fishnets in 13 different colors—wow). And if the clothes don’t quite make the statement, the penis art car, which you can catch a ride in, does.

As for actual sex, the stories are just starting to roll in:

Eva, the urban cougar, went out to Burning Man again this year with her single girlfriends and made some new friends along the way.

“I’m at the Deep End camp, and a guy grabs me by the arm. He had that dark artist look and deep hazel eyes,” she said. “We danced for a long time, and unfortunately I had to go and meet up with friends, so I left it up to Playa destiny. If it was meant to be, I’d see him again.”

As playa luck would have it, they ran into each other at the Opulent Temple (one of the biggest dance camps) the next day; the chemistry was still on high, and he hadn’t already found another playa girlfriend.

Said a breathless Eva, “There was a massive dust storm, and my tent was covered in it. Fortunately, he had an RV.” So they headed back to his shelter. “We had the most amazing, passionate sex, and he was really into pleasing me. I tried to be quiet because he had a friend in the RV, but there was just no way.”

She got up the next morning and as she was biking across the already hot desert at 10 a.m., she was laughing to herself, thinking, “At least you don’t have to worry about the walk of shame at Burning Man.” Turns out everyone is heading home in costume, wearing the same thing from the night before.

Alison, 37, who lives in Pacific Heights, headed to Burning Man with a new guy she had met a few weeks earlier. They drove 14 hours from LA to get to the desert. “We loved the Pink Pussycat camp,” she said. “It was super chill with beds in a circle covered in pink furry pillows (of course) in a circle with the bar in the middle.”

Then she added, “We just started going at it.” Alison told me she’s not usually into having sex in public, but what else are you going to do at the Pink Pussycat? “He started putting his hands down my pants and touching me everywhere; he pulled down my bikini top. I didn’t care if people were watching; it was so damn hot, and we just got caught up each other.”

Stacey, 26 and living in the Mission, was new to Black Rock Desert. In her wanderings, she came across a gay camp. “It had the rainbow flag flying, and I was curious. I entered the camp and walked through a maze. There was a wall up to your knees and all roads led to the center where two men were having sex. One guy was going down on the other one, and crowds of people were watching.”

Turns out it was actually a performance piece. See, who says Burning Man isn’t about art?

More stories? Email me at feedback@sexwithemily.com.

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