Bowika is an erotheek on Haaksbergerstraat in Enschede — a deliberately woman-friendly erotic shop with a broad range — and it pairs that with something less usual: its own sex cinema, with a sauna and shower rooms attached. The combination is the point, and the house says visitors find it a particularly exciting and erotic one.

The cinema and sauna were fitted out for a modern, timeless look rather than the old idea of what a sex cinema is, and Bowika is explicit that it has long since stopped being that. Its own description of where it sits today is worth quoting: somewhere between an intimate couples' club, a discreet swingers venue, a meeting place for like-minded people, and an erotic cinema — a mix where everyone should feel welcome and free.

Everyone is admitted to the cinema and sauna, and the house is direct about the terms: guests are treated with respect and the same is expected back, towards staff and towards other visitors. It asks that you read its house rules before your first visit. The cinema runs a bisexual programme on Tuesdays and Thursdays and a straight programme on every other day.