Husbands heading for swingers' bar at first (5)
I believe the answer is:
saves
'husbands' is the definition.
(saving is a kind of husbanding)
'heading for swingers' bar at first' is the wordplay.
'heading for' says to take the initial letters.
'bar' becomes 'save' (both can mean 'except').
'at first' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
The first letter of 'swingers' is 's'.
's' put after 'save' is 'SAVES'.
(Other definitions for saves that I've seen before include "Redeems or hoards" , "Rescues" , "Preserves" .)