The glory hole FAQ

by Lilfuzzyg

The one, the only…Glory Hole FAQ!

Frequently asked questions on finding a glory hole and what to do there

Table of Contents

1. Definitions – What is a glory hole?
2. What do you do in them?
3. What’s the protocol to see who does what?
4. 1. If you want to be the person who helps the other person cum:
   2. If you want to be the person who cums:
   3. If you want to take turns:
   4. If you want to have anal sex:
   5. If you want someone to follow you into a booth:
   6. If you want to have sex with someone in an adjoining bathroom stall:
5. Is this safe?
6. 1. Physical
   2. Legal
   3. Health
7. So some talking DOES go on between booths?
8. So two or more people CAN share a booth?
9. Will the person on the other side reciprocate after I help him cum?
10. What about the videos?
11. What about money?
12. What should I bring?
13. What type of people go to these places?
14. What if I see somebody I know in one of these places?
15. OK, how do I find glory holes?
16. How can I tell if a place tolerates this activity?
17. This all seems so cold and clinical?! How can this be any fun?
18. Answers to popular questions I get mailed.

1 – Definitions

What is a glory hole?

A glory hole is a small fist-sized hole between private video booths in an adult bookstore. The hole is placed about hip high for the average guy and is large enough to place a man’s penis through to let the person on the other side perform whatever sexual activity he pleases on it.

There are several variations on this theme — you will recognize them when you see them. Although this FAQ page is not about these variations, here is a quick rundown on some popular ones.

What is a Tea room?

Public toilet areas where this type of sexual activity happens are often called Tea rooms.

What is a Buddy booth?

Buddy booths are video booths where a glass partition with dual curtains (or some other apparatus that blocks your view of the other booth) separates the two booths. There is a button on both sides that first raises and then lowers your (but not the other booth’s) curtain. I have also seen an electronic version of this where both people need to press the button at the same time to electronically clear the window between them. I have also seen a buddy booth as simple as a door with latches that opens between the two booths.

How does a buddy booth work?

When both buttons are pressed by both people, both curtains rise and you can see each other. Some booths require both buttons to be pressed at the same time. Buddy booths were designed to allow people to see but not necessarily touch each other. Some businesses have modified the booths so that the glass does not go all the way down to the bottom of the curtain. This allows you to see and feel each other at the same time with the safety of a wall between you.

What is a private video booth in an adult bookstore?

Most (not all) adult bookstores have an area where you can put a token, a dollar bill or a quarter into a slot and have an adult video play for about 60 seconds on a TV screen in front of you. These booths are small enough (for example, 3′ x 6′) for one person to sit down and lock the door behind them. In some areas, these booths no longer have doors on them. Most places frown on having more than one person in a booth. Some however actually encourage it by advertising “couples booths”.

OK, what’s a “couples booth”?

A couples booth is a booth that is much larger than a normal booth. It may have a larger than normal seat or a bench. More importantly, it is a booth that the establishment will tolerate more than one person being in.

But this adult bookstore only advertises straight videos, could they also have glory holes or couples booths?

Absolutely! In fact, for bisexual or married guys, this is a great deal! They can go into a place that they can have sex with another guy and not worry about someone see them go in and “blow their cover”.

Is there an equivalent place for women?

Not that I know of! If you think about it, it would be a little tough. A glory hole assumes you have something to stick through.

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2 – What do you do in them?

Basically you get to cum or help someone else cum. Maybe both. Maybe just watch. A few people go there just to let someone else watch them cum. See the next section.

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3 – What’s the protocol to see who does what?

I have seen little talking in adult theaters. It does happen but mostly stuff happens by sight and by a few standard protocols.

3.1 – If you want to be the person who helps the other person cum:

1. Go into a booth; close and lock the door, if possible.
2. Drop some money in the video machine.
3. Sit down if the establishment provides a place to sit.
4. Expose your genitalia and get hard.
5. Wait for someone to come into the booth next to you or check the person out in the next booth by looking through the glory hole. Don’t be shy about this, almost everybody who is there is looking to be checked out by the person in the next booth.
6. If you like what you see, stick a finger through the glory hole far enough so that the other person sees it. If you are a married guy and want to tell the other guy you are married, stick your ring finger through. Withdraw it to show him you are ready to receive him. If you want him to use a condom, place it in the hole between you now.
7. If the other person wants you to play with him, he will stand up and place his penis through the hole. If he does not, he will not. If he will use the condom you placed in the hole, he will take it now. Sometimes he will just want you to watch him play with himself. Recently, I actually had someone take the rubber, put it in his pocket and leave. Be prepared for anything!

3.2 – If you want to be the person who cums:

1. Go into a booth; close and lock the door, if possible.
2. Drop some money in the video machine.
3. Sit if you wish but standing up is the generally accepted indicator that you are not willing to play with anyone else.
4. Expose your genitalia and get hard. You will find it more difficult to get someone to play with you if you don’t have at least a half-mast hard-on.
5. Wait for someone to stick their finger through the glory hole. If someone does not seem interested, err on the side of caution. Not everyone who goes to these places is interested in this. You can get into some real trouble by just shoving your penis through the glory hole uninvited.
6. Put a rubber on now if you want. Place your penis through the hole. Some guys will just play with you; others will suck you; a few will want you to penetrate them anally.

3.3 – If you want to take turns:

If you stop playing with someone before they cum, and stand up with yourself exposed and hard, that is a general signal that you would like to take turns. That is, it’s now time for him to withdraw his penis and allow you to place your penis through the glory hole so he can play with you. Your best opportunity to make this happen is to find someone who is sitting down (looking to play with someone) and is willing to play with you (responds when you stick your finger through the glory hole).

This will result in one of two things happening — the other person will either oblige or refuse. The typical refusal is shown by the person sticking his penis back through the glory hole or by leaving and looking for someone else.

On occasion, the person being played with will want to help you cum. He will signal this by withdrawing his penis from the glory hole (usually before he cums) and putting his finger through the hole. If you want to be played with, place your penis through the hole. If you are not ready to be played with, stick your finger back through the hole after he does. Negotiate from there.

There have been many occasions that I have refused to take turns and just wanted to make the guy cum. For example, if I want to go through a few guys that evening before I cum, I won’t let the first guy play with me and risk cumming too early. I think some guys take it as a rejection and it is not meant that way.

3.4 – If you want to have anal sex:

Follow the same procedure as above, except place your anus as close to the glory hole as possible. When the person on the other side sees this, he will attempt to penetrate you through the glory hole. You should shortly begin to feel him pressing his penis or finger up against your anus (or nearby). Guide his penis or finger to where you want it to be.

Please note: if the other person is not at least 6+ inches long, this is a pretty difficult position and penetration may be impossible. You may have to settle for his finger. I do not recommend this activity if this is your first attempt at receiving anal sex. Invariably, you will find it difficult to relax the correct muscles without practice and may wind up getting hurt.

And, if you do this without a condom, you have a death wish.

3.5 – If you want someone to follow you into a booth:

Not every adult bookstore has buddy booths; but some still tolerate people sharing booths discreetly. You need a separate protocol for that.

The clearest indicator that you want someone to follow you into a stall or video booth is eye contact. As you go into the booth, make direct and steady eye contact for a few seconds with your intended interest. If he returns the stare, go into the booth and leave the door unlocked. If he is also interested, he will open your door shortly. Usually if he is not interested, he will break any glance in your direction the second your eyes meet his.

He should enter your booth immediately…if he just opens the door and stares, reach out and close the door, he was not interested. He just wanted a quick look. If he gets in the booth, expose yourself immediately. If he exposes himself also, you are ready.

3.6 – If you want to have sex with someone in an adjoining bathroom stall:

A favorite of truckers – the bathroom stall is the only major anonymous sex stop on or near interstate highways. The protocol is very simple.

If you want to play with someone, go to a stall at the farthest end of the bathroom. Close the door, pull your pants down and wait. When someone comes into the next stall, move your foot so that you know the other person can see it and slowly start tapping it. If the other person wants to be played with, they will kneel down and place their penis under the stall wall.

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4 – Is this safe?

Safe takes three definitions: physical, legal, health.

4.1 – Physical

I have never heard or read of anyone getting hurt by someone in the next booth at an adult bookstore through a glory hole. The only time I ever heard of anything bad happening in an adult bookstore is when it gets busted for letting things get too out of hand or someone insists that they can hang around waiting for just the right guy without spending any money. See Section 9. Most things I have heard are urban legends — the old “friend of a friend of a friend” who had his penis cut off by a gay basher. I will believe it when I see it in print.

Let me highlight something that someone pointed out in a recent note that I received, I have heard of people getting hurt in tearooms. They are not the same as adult bookstores. The mere presence of a gloryhole or rumors of activity does not constitute a reasonably safe environment. Adult bookstores are reasonably safe. Tearooms may not be.

By the way, I keep emphasizing that you should lock the door behind you when you enter the video booth. I say that because there are guys that wait until they think you are exposed and doing something then fling your door open.

4.2 – Legal

This activity is illegal in some cities or states. You take your chances and you get your thrills.

The cruisingforsex.com web page has begun an excellent service recently. They are asking lawyers to post professional opinions about what is legal or illegal in their respective state. You should read the scholarly advice on those pages and use your own common sense, but I will condense some salient points here. Note that the validity of this information varies by state in the United States.

• Sex in an adult bookstore is NOT a private place. By law, it is usually considered a public place.
• Sex in a car is NOT a private place. By law, it is usually considered a public place.
• Sex in an adult theater is NOT a private place. By law, it is usually considered a public place.
• Sex in a bathroom or tearoom is NOT a private place. By law, it is usually considered a public place.
• Touching someone sexually in a public place, even if they invite you to touch them, can get you arrested. This is not entrapment – even if it was a police officer that invited you to touch him or her.
• Exposing yourself in a public place, even if someone asked you to expose yourself, can get you arrested. This is not entrapment – even if it was a police officer that invited you to expose yourself.
• Police officers are not required to identify themselves before they arrest you, and, in fact, can lie about their employment. As they start to arrest you, they must identify themselves but all is fair before that.

As a safety point with little legal knowledge, I always make sure that the other person has his penis exposed before I put my penis through the glory hole. Not just hard through his pants. Not just rubbing his crotch. Actually out.

I’m not sure what that does for me legally; I’m just sure a judge would have a hard time hearing that from a police officer on the witness stand. And if the police officer lies on the stand, he will have an even BIGGER problem trying to explain to the judge why I know what his penis looks like (thank you, Paula Jones!). In general, be discrete and be smart and you should not have any problems.

As a general rule of thumb, the more public the sexual activity, the more risk you take in getting injured or arrested.

4.3 – Health

If you perform any anonymous sex on anyone these days without a condom, you’re insane. Use them for EVERYTHING when you do this. Bring plenty with you. I use them even for hand jobs. Bring lubricated if you wish to perform anal sex, unlubricated for oral sex. And don’t be surprised if you are rejected by some people for insisting on them. They’re probably infected already.

Some places have condoms on sale in the video booth area. They are rarely bargains.

If you absolutely refuse to wear a condom, please note that it is rude to cum in someone’s mouth or other bodily part without expressly asking them if it’s OK. Some people don’t want cum in their mouth and it gets really awkward when a guy starts to cum and you don’t want it in you. I actually saw a guy through a glory hole get a stream of cum on the front of his shirt when he pulled away from a blow job that went too far.

Note: I have chatted with a lot of guys who use condoms for anal sex and don’t use them for oral sex. Although I don’t personally approve of this, be aware that most of these guys also talk with the other guy through the glory hole before they start sucking them to insist that they don’t cum in their mouth. Most people seem to comply with this request. A few will say they won’t cum in your mouth and then do. See the next section about talking. A few guys have also insisted that they “know” when a guy is about ready to cum. Again, I think they are insane. But the generally held theory is that the head of a penis expands and the testicles pull up towards the body very shortly before a guy cums.

Further note: Many guys say they don’t need a condom for oral sex because “everybody knows you can’t get AIDS through oral sex if the guy does not cum in your mouth.” I have two responses. One: Yes, you can…you are flat out wrong. Two: Even if AIDS is very low risk, what about syphilis, gonorrhea, hepatitis, herpes? Again, if you think STDs can not be transmitted orally, you are flat out wrong. Ask a doctor. If you are too embarrassed to ask your doctor, call the National STD hotline at 1-800-227-8922 in the United States.

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5 – So some talking DOES go on between booths?

Sure. I have heard the following:

“Do you wanna get out of here?”

“Do you wanna go to my place?” “Do you wanna get a room?” “I wanna suck you.” “Don’t cum in my mouth.” “Is your place free?” “Show me your ass.” “Show me your chest” “Are you clean?”

And so on.

If you are not familiar with the terminology, the question “Are you clean?” is not referring to your state of cleanliness. Rather, it refers to whether you have a potential to be diseased. If you respond “Yes”, it means that as far as you know, you are not going to give the guy a disease or you have limited yourself to partners who also say they are clean. If you say “No”, you either know you have some disease or you are not sure if you have some disease or you do not bother to check with the other guy to see if he is “clean”. Needless to say, anyone can lie about this so be careful.

Occasionally, a guy will ask if he can join you in your booth. See Section 3.5 and Section 6.

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6 – So two or more people CAN share a booth?

Most places frown on this but I have seen it happen. A few places actually encourage it. See Section 3.5 for info on this protocol.

Again, don’t be shy. If he made eye contact with you before going into a booth and it looks safe, check the lock on the door. If he left it open, he wanted you to come in. If he locked it, you were mistaken and should just move on to the next guy.

You can also negotiate this by talking through the glory hole.

Four points about this:

• The only time I ever came close to getting upset and physical with someone is when I was in the booth together with him. He decided my nipples needing biting. The wall between booths does provide a nice safety barrier.
• If the establishment does not like this and you are caught, you will be bounced out of the store faster than you can possibly imagine. From their viewpoint, two guys in one booth make less money than two guys in two booths. See Section 14 for tips on how you can tell if a place condones activity on the premises.
• Keep a fast hand on your door. If someone beats your intended sex interest to the door, just reach out and close the door after he opens it. It helps to keep your pants up until you’re both settled in the booth.
• Be prepared for the occasional guy who just wants to jerk off together. He will not want you to touch him. This happens a lot with married guys who want to come close to having sex but do not want to officially cheat on their wives.

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7 – Will the person on the other side reciprocate after I help him cum?

Sometimes.

In general, the guy on the other side will usually pull up his pants and leave the booth and bookstore after he cums. He has finished what he came there for. Usually, the person who gets into the booth with you will help you cum as well. There are numerous exceptions to these rules. If a guy does not make a move to help you cum while you are helping him or if a guy does not insist on taking turns while in your booth, he will probably bolt soon after he cums.

I have had guys ask me if I got off while I was sucking them. If not, they reciprocated. It varies.

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8 – What about the videos?

Most stores have a variety of videos (gay, straight, bi, S&M, B&D, etc.) for you to watch. It is common to be playing with someone in your booth and have them reach over to change the channel. The mission is to get off and there is usually very little sensitivity involved. Don’t feel insulted – he’s looking for something to help him cum a little faster.

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9 – What about money?

Some adult bookstores have no cover charge. Some charge a small amount ($1-$5). Some insist that you buy a minimum of non-refundable tokens.

Booths normally take quarters, dollar bills or tokens. The amount of video time you get for that money varies wildly.

Almost universally, no matter where I have been, patrons of these stores are not allowed to:

• Be in a booth and not have the video running (that is, not spending money)
• Be outside a booth loitering near the booth area (that is, not spending money)
• Be in the parking lot outside the store for a long time (that is, not spending money)

See a pattern? Spend money and you will generally be left alone. These places have to stay in business and it is no one’s God-given right to hang around there for free. It is not a public area – it is a place of business. If you don’t have the money, go elsewhere.

Also, if you get into a booth together, it is generally accepted that both people put money into the slots.

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10 – What should I bring?

Money and condoms are the only necessities. Lubrication if you think you might need it. Tissues to tidy up afterwards. It is discourteous to cum on the middle of the booth floor and leave without cleaning up.

If you have to let cum fly, please do it into a wastebasket (most places provide these in the booth) or in a corner at the very least. And don’t cum on the chair or seat!

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11 – What type of people go to these places?

All types — good-looking, ugly, fat, thin, clean, smelly, young, old, bald, hairy, effeminate, muscular, leather, jocks, courteous, rude, hung like a horse, hung like a hamster, first-timers, severely infected and the list just goes on.

Mostly single guys, but I have seen married guys in these places as well. I have also caught at least one guy who claims he was married but I know he is not. In fact, married guys are usually a little better about using a condom than the single guys. Being married myself, I usually seek them out.

A question often comes up about overly aggressive guys in bookstores. These questions normally revolve around this scenario:

A guy that you are not interested in has started pursuing you – following you from booth to booth and whispering to you, begging you to do something to him or vice versa. How do you discourage him?

If ignoring him (no eye contact at all) does not work, my advice is either:

1. leave the bookstore and come back at a later time

2. OR

3. go into a booth with no holes and just spend a few dollars in there, hoping he will find a new love interest.

There really is not a lot you can do if someone decides to be an asshole.

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12 – What if I see somebody I know in one of these places?

It has happened to me three times…twice they were soliciting me to let them play with me before they knew it was me on the other side.

In short, anyone you see in an adult bookstore near the video booth area has as much “explaining” to do as you do. Walk up to them, call them a pervert with a smile on your face and see how they respond. If they are ignoring you, ignore them. They want to make believe they don’t know you.

By the way, the third person I knew ignored me and then went in the booth next to me and played with me! We have never talked about it since.

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13 – OK, how do I find glory holes?

Look in the largest nearby city for places that exclusively rent adult videos. Also look for places offering video booths, couples booths or “buddy” booths in newspapers in that city.

Alternatively, you can also look at this site. The cruisingforsex.com web site which you are at now is a massive attempt to provide a huge list of worldwide reader-provided sites where semi-public sex is tolerated. I visit it at least once a month and if this subject fascinates you, I humbly suggest you do also.

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14 – How can I tell if an adult bookstore tolerates activity in the store?

This is probably the best question I get asked. Remember that the following advice is a guideline – not a guarantee.

The store tolerates activity if:

• You see glory holes in booths.
• Some or all of the booths are out of the line of sight of the store clerk (watch for cameras though!)
• The doors to the booths are lockable.
• You see people allowed to loiter a short while in the aisles.

  The store does not tolerate activity if:

• The booths are directly in the line of sight of the store clerk.
• There are no doors on the booths.
• The booths have no lock or latch to stop someone from opening the door.
• People are not allowed to walk around slowly at all. The store clerks will not allow people to linger indefinitely so if you see someone hassled, it is not necessarily a bad sign.
• The clerk actually goes around to check the booths for multiple people. Do not mistake this for the clerk going around banging on doors telling people to drop tokens or money. This happens in every place.
• You see video cameras that show the clerk what activity is happening out of his sight.

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15 – This all seems so cold and clinical?!

True…very true. But then again, taken in the proper light, it is a lot of fun.

Almost every guy in an adult video booth has one goal – it is to cum (which, by the way, is a lot of fun). Each person has his own standards and what does and does not matter on the other side of the booth. It is sex at its most basic and raw form. It is sex with someone you do not know or love. You will rarely know their name – yet I have had people tell me that a particular episode in an adult video booth has had a fond lasting memory for years.

So is there a big difference between what is generally accepted to go on every night in bars across the world and this? I say, no.

How many adults can say they haven’t once slept with someone on the first or second date? What is the difference between that and this?

Dinner and a movie? 45 minutes of inane chatter? An hour of groping to see how far you can get?

Most adults will admit to at least one instance in their lives when they have met someone and shortly after meeting them (within a few hours at most), they had their tongue halfway down the other person’s throat and was in bed with them shortly after that.

Unlike this WWW page, life is not that black and white. Sex through glory holes is different; but not a LOT different.

Enjoy! Be safe and smart.

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You are a brave soul if you reached this far…this is a lot of info.

For even more info about where cruising spots, look no further than this site.

Any questions or comments…mail me but please read the FAQ below first! I have received mail from all over the world, I’d love to hear from you. To save you some time, let me give you some answers to questions I get a lot. Please do not send me mail asking the following questions – I just do not have the answers or I have already answered it the best I can here.

16 – Answers to popular questions I get

Q: Are there any glory holes in