Prowling wolflike around the sex party at a downtown hotel, hopeful guest Josh (who doesn’t want his last name mentioned) goes from black-lingerie-clad girl to black-lingerie-clad girl, asking for French kisses.

The 26-year-old Russian gets lucky a few times, but has a consolation prize for those who reject his advances — he hands them his business card, which boasts his job title of “chief technology officer” and a swank address on Park Avenue.

Last Saturday, about 100 of New York’s rich and beautiful gathered in the presidential suite of a luxury five-star hotel for orgies and live sex shows. It was the first of several Manhattan parties held by Snctm, an elite erotic club based in Los Angeles that counts Gwyneth Paltrow and Bill Maher among its fans. The Post had exclusive access to the party but agreed not to name the location, where partiers got kinky on an outdoor terrace, tiptoeing around a giant, glass-bottomed Jacuzzi.

Although there is sex aplenty, Gothamites are found to be a bit less freewheeling and more interested in professional connections than their laid-back California counterparts.

“It’s so new, and a lot of first-timers are voyeurs,” Snctm director of operations Nicolas de la Kethulle tells The Post. “Maybe we are more frivolous in LA because it’s been happening there for five years.”

Men pay $1,500 to $1,875 (the discount rate applies when you bring a female partner) to attend each party, or buy an annual VIP membership for $75,000, which includes admission to all parties, access to private rooms, unlimited Cristal Champagne and a sterling silver pendant of a lion that shows they’re a top-of-the-food-chain kind of guy. Carefully vetted, beautiful women — who outnumber the guys by about three to one — pay zilch.

“We had close to 1,000 applications for this event and we’re letting in about 100,” explains Snctm founder Damon Lawner, a divorced father of two. “It’s a highly curated crowd.”

Fashion student Katie*, a Mormon raised in Utah, does more than just watch. The 22-year-old came with a 31-year-old Tinder date, but after he fails to rise to the occasion in a foursome, she goes looking for hotter prospects.

“It’s great, but a little overwhelming,” the pretty brunette, clad in a black thong, garter belt and Wolford lace stockings, tells The Post as she surveys the room. “It’s a very sexy crowd.”

Lawner describes the New York men who made the cut as “masters of the universe.” Certainly, Wall Street is well-represented, as is the tech industry. There are no recognizable celebrities, but there are around 25 relatively attractive 20- to 60-something males sharply dressed in tuxedos.

The 75 women, meanwhile, range in age from early 20s to mid-40s. Slightly more filled-out than their LA peers — we’re talking an average size 4 in New York, compared to a half-starved size 0 on the West Coast — they channel the movie “Eyes Wide Shut,” wearing designer lingerie and heels. Unlike the beautiful people of the Golden State, they don’t all look camera-ready for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. But most are well-manicured and immaculately coiffed, although one girl has (gasp!) a little muffin top going on.

Black is the favored color. A woman in her early 40s — surgically enhanced with long black hair extensions — stands out in a virginal all-white number made up of a bustier, thong and garter. Perhaps it’s her wedding night.

She is mesmerized by an opening show set to deep house music in which a priestlike man in a golden mask has sex with a woman clad in a tight PVC skirt with a conveniently placed zipper. Just feet away from the guests, another performer is simultaneously using a sex toy on Ms. PVC.

Later in the evening, a similarly masked man leads, on a chain, a woman on all fours around the party. Dressed in a black G-string and cat ears, her breasts exposed under a sheer black cape, she playfully licks the legs of the women in the room.

“I like to be a pet,” she purrs. “You can pet me.”

‘It’s a very sexy crowd … I was expecting older, fatter men.’ - Katie, Snctm guest

She and four other extroverted performers and “fluffers” were specially flown in by Lawner from LA. Another seven are local to New York. According to the boss, their job is to “set the tone for a night of erotic freedom.”

Katie certainly lets loose. By 3 a.m., she’s had sex with six people, including a threesome with a 50-something sugar daddy who possesses an enviable six-pack and his beautiful Latina “baby.”

“I was expecting older, fatter men, to be honest, so I’m pleasantly surprised,” she says.

Thanks to the sugar daddy, Katie secures tuition for her third year of college and a round-trip flight to Los Angeles. The sugar daddy wants her to come with him to the next Snctm party in Hollywood, set for the end of April. (Manhattan’s next event is May 13.)

De la Kethulle takes stock of the evening and declares the event a success.

“People are actually having sex,” he says. “It’s nice that New Yorkers are having fun.”

* All guests at the party asked for their last names not to be used for professional reasons.