If you want to have a heavy cp — corporal punishment, or SIMA, as I call it — session, then leathering up the ass (I’m American, so this is my preferred way to say ‘bum’) is very important. Most people are familiar with the concept of warming up, which makes for a more enjoyable light to moderate SIMA session. But for harsher beatings, leathering up is best.
What is Leathering Up?
You need to know right up front that I am not a medical professional. I am sharing information based on my experience and observations over the years. And, boy, let me tell you, I have seen some things!
When the body receives impact (which technically is a trauma or injury) it jumps into action to protect itself. For example, if you break a bone, swelling immediately starts. This happens in order to protect the bone and start the healing process. When your ass is hit, things start to happen there, too, such as reddening. When it is hit repeatedly and rather hard, the skin does something called ‘leathering up’. This was a commonly known term among dommes and other full-on BDSM’ers as far back as I can remember, and probably even further. These days, newer people on the ‘the scene’ have never heard of it. Many, many people have jumped on the kinky bandwagon since that ridiculous book and movie, and none of them have a clue what D/S (dominance and submission) is really about. They think it is cheap and easy kinky sex. They are ruining the landscape of BDSM. But I digress. More on that in a later post.
Anyway, getting the ass leathered up is a process that results in the skin thickening and the nerve endings going a bit numb. This is the body’s coping mechanism for the impact. The reason this is import for heavy SIMA is that it helps you take more pain and it helps prevent the skin from breaking down. You would think the numbing would defeat the purpose. Well, in my experience, it takes the sharply painful edge off the strokes, causing them to actually feel good. It can be very erotic. Some people find the numbing problematic, especially if they want that sharp pain. But in general, it makes the session more enjoyable and satisfying for the slave. Consequently, it has the same effect for the domina, especially if she’s a bit sadistic.
Long Term Damage
There are some who say that a leathered bum can become permanent. In all my years (about 20) of interacting in the kinky world, I’ve only see that once. It happens with consistent, repeated, extreme lashing over a long period of time, and it’s a rare few who take SIMA that hard and that long. Getting the bum leathered up for a good hard session now and then doesn’t cause long-term damage, generally speaking. Again, I must point out that I am not a medical professional. I am simply reporting information based on anecdotal evidence from almost 20 years in the BDSM scene.
Buying Floggers
If you’re interested in buying a flogger, I can personally vouch for Quality Control floggers, based in Worcestershire, UK. I have no affiliation with the company, I simply love their floggers. They have other equipment as well. Everything I have bought there is of the highest quality.