Like Rebel Wilson I went to a sex party in LA with the rich and famous. Unlike Rebel, I stayed to the end. Here's what happened...

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While promoting her memoir last week, actress Rebel Wilson caused something of a stir by claiming that a member of the Royal Family had invited her to a drug‑fuelled orgy at the home of an American tech billionaire ten years ago.

According to Rebel, the unnamed royal — a male who was '15th or 20th in line to the British throne' — had ostensibly invited her to a medieval-themed party, but by 2am a tray laden with drugs was being passed around the room in preparation for the ensuing night of sexual debauchery.

But while Rebel hiked up her 'damsel dress' and fled the premises before the orgy portion of the evening commenced, when I was invited to an exclusive sex party in LA as a journalist, I stayed on to see what happened.

The party was held by the members-only club Snctm, which is billed as the most exclusive sex club in the world. It has been the subject of numerous documentaries, charges $1 million for its top-tier membership and is reputed to have hosted Gwyneth Paltrow as one of the guests at its monthly masquerades.

Only the beautiful, the rich and the sexually intrepid are allowed through its doors; and with parties regularly being thrown in LA and New York, Snctm is planning on hosting events in London within the next year.

Actress Rebel Wilson caused a stir last week when she claimed a member of the Royal Family had invited her to a drug‑fuelled orgy at the home of an American tech billionaire ten years ago

As Rebel discovered, billionaires and blue bloods are no strangers to public naughtiness, and the sex parties beloved by the tech titans of California's Silicon Valley are, well, the stuff of legend.

Over the course of an evening I witnessed a great many eye-openers — threesomes, married couples having sex with each other, married couples having sex with other people and some sort of tabletop equipment that was used for rather indelicate purposes.

In fact, practically the only thing I didn't see was anyone cavorting in the rooftop pool, but only because it was raining that night. Sexually adventurous they may be, but this is Los Angeles and no one wants to mess up their hair.

Snctm (pronounced 'sanctum') was founded 11 years ago by former real estate agent Damon Lawner and in an interview he gave to Gwyneth Paltrow's lifestyle website, Goop, he explained that the club was inspired in part by the 1999 Stanley Kubrick film Eyes Wide Shut.

Controversial at the time, the movie features Tom Cruise as a Manhattan doctor in a troubled marriage who happens upon an elaborate masked sex party in New York.

Similarly, Snctm prides itself on hosting luxurious, outrageous soirées and on the evening I attended, it certainly lived up to its reputation.

The Dom Perignon flowed all night as guests threaded their way through the bedrooms or reclined (and did other things) on the soft leather chairs and banquettes arranged beneath sparkling chandeliers. 

As Robert Artés, the club's managing director, explains: 'Our parties are quite expensive to put on — generally around the six-figure mark. We do not cut corners as our guests expect an extremely high level of service and luxury.'

Parties are mostly held in private homes, and with Snctm, a three-bedroom semi simply won't cut it. 'Because of the level of opulence we require,' says Robert, 'the homes we hold the parties in are usually worth around $10 million.'

Rachel, one of the guests, agrees. 'I've been a member for going on four years, and the exclusivity and luxury of Snctm was definitely appealing to me. The level of sophistication is a step above.'

Guests at the party were an eclectic mix of aspiring models, doctors, lawyers, business executives and CEOs and the strict 'no photography' rule meant phones were confiscated on arrival, writes Lina Das 

There were about 100 guests at the party I attended and, at the start of proceedings at least, it could almost have resembled an Oscars event —the men resplendent in black tie and the women in sexy, floor-length gowns, with the majority sporting masks (of the masquerade variety).

The women were generally in their 20s or 30s and uniformly stunning; the men, possibly less so. 'We have a very attractive member base,' says Robert, 'and to maintain that, we are somewhat exclusionary if they do not meet the bar of physical attractiveness.'

Guests were an eclectic mix of aspiring models, doctors, lawyers, business executives and CEOs. And, because of the emphasis on discretion, I'm told, celebrities feel safe enough to join. Phones were confiscated on arrival; there's a strict 'no photography' policy and all the staff have to sign non-disclosure agreements.

'We have various actors, musicians and professional athletes,' says Robert, 'and at most of our events you'll see a recognisable face.' At this particular event, yes, I spotted a well- known model.

'We have a lot of A-list actors,' he adds, 'and the celebrities will keep their masks on all night, even if it's obvious who they are. I'm often surprised by some of the celebrities who reach out to us to attend an event.'

Certainly, you'd almost need to be a celebrity to be able to afford the fees. Entry-level membership starts at $12,500 a year (£10,000), with the next tier coming in at $50,000 (£40,000), providing members with benefits such as a reserved VIP table and access to private events.

Applicants can also buy a one-off ticket to a party for $2,500 (£2,000), but like all full-time members, they first have to be approved after filling in the Snctm questionnaire on the club's website.

Only three people have the VIP $1 million (£800,000) membership. 'And until one of those three leaves the club, we're no longer offering that tier,' says Robert. One of them is 'a very famous recording artist in a band', and all have direct access to the Snctm team, as they generally have a need for the private events. Such events can cost anything up to $200,000 (£160,000) to stage.

Robert adds: 'We've hosted them on location, on private planes and on yachts. We did one recently where we brought in a Michelin-starred chef to produce a nine-course tasting menu with wine pairings, and our performers put on a special show throughout the night.'

The Snctm performances — and the open bar — are, it seems, key. At the beginning of the evening, everyone seemed a tad awkward with one another, although that may just have been down to the fact that, while everyone else was fully clothed, female Snctm performers were nonchalantly wandering around with no bras on.

But as the night wore on, the alcohol did its job of relaxing the guests, and by 1am they had thrown caution — and most of their clothes — to the wind. Floor-length gowns were tossed aside to reveal fluttery wisps of La Perla and Agent Provocateur underwear, and rooms that had been empty for the first couple of hours suddenly sprang to life. 

Rebel didn't stay for the whole duration of the sex party and fled the premises before the orgy portion of the evening commenced

In one bedroom, two couples entwined with one another and ignored a violinist who serenaded them with a rendition of It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing). In another, a Snctm performer wielded leather horse whips in a manner that brought to mind an air traffic marshall directing planes to land. Later, an artist employed by Snctm sat in the muted light and studiously sketched the scenes around him.

William, a rather dapper former CEO, attended the party with his attractive — and age-appropriate — wife. He explained that they joined the club after she had an affair, 'and it almost destroyed me. But we love each other and we had to find a way through this, so we joined Snctm.

'Sure, we feel a little jealousy sometimes,' he added, 'but we made a pact to do our exploring together. We've found that this has really invigorated our sex life. She's probably off chatting to some young buck right now!'

Rachel, a 28-year-old who works in tech sales, attends the parties with her fiance. 'When we first started dating, I explained to him that I was interested in this lifestyle,' she says, 'and while I like being in a relationship with a man, sexually, I also like being with women. When we're at parties we have certain signals. If I feel uncomfortable, I'll brush my eyebrow and he'll come over and help me; but if I'm interested in someone, I'll rub his nose!'

Interestingly, many members comment on the social aspect of the club. Many greeted each other as old pals and, unlike many parties in LA where people are actively looking over your shoulder to find someone better connected to talk to, Snctm members seemed to be a friendly bunch. If you disregarded the nudity, at times it felt like we were all at a rather pleasant barbecue.

As Rachel says: 'You do create some pretty unique friendships where this is all kind of like a secret between you.'

Snctm is also keen to emphasise the club's enhanced safety measures after one individual had their membership publicly revoked six years ago for inappropriate behaviour.

There is a strong security presence at events to look out for over-intoxicated guests or disruptive behaviour, and unlike at Rebel's party, illegal drugs are an absolute no-no. For those who transgress, Robert says: 'We have a one-strike rule. They don't get to explain the error of their ways — we just remove them.'

While single women are welcome, single men aren't, unless they are full members. Even well-known faces can be given short shrift. 'I can think of at least one or two celebrities we've turned away because they demonstrated they were going to be problematic, or would be indiscreet or uncouth.' Affirmative consent or 'ask before you touch', says Robert, 'is our primary rule.'

The club even boasts some British celebrity members. 'I can think of one on the younger side who is an A-list musician,' says Robert. I did bump into a fellow Brit, who wore a similarly shell-shocked expression on his face as me. 'I wouldn't even know how to explain this back home,' he said.

As the clock ticked towards 3am, I found myself attempting to stifle a yawn. It surprised me how, after a while, even the most shocking of sights started to feel somewhat mundane. Or maybe sex clubs are a bit like needlepoint or bowls: those who do it say it's fun, but it can be a little dull to watch.

My biggest let-down though was not managing to catch sight of an A-lister. 'Some of the people who come here are complete novices and want to try something new,' says Robert, 'and for others it's like a bucket list experience.'

My list ticked, like Rebel there was some relief as I headed home to bed — probably the only person to happily do so alone.

Some names and details have been changed.