The art of fire cupping began in many ancient cultures as a traditional therapy to treat various ailments by creating a vacuum next to the skin.  “The earliest use of cupping that is recorded is from the famous Taoist alchemist and herbalist, Ge Hong (281-341 A.D.).  The method was described in his book A Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergencies, in which the cups were actually animal horns, used for draining pustules.  As a result of using horns, cupping has been known as jiaofa, or the horn technique.”-Cupping by Subhuti Dharmananda, Ph.D.  In China, it was used as a type of acupressure to relieve respiratory diseases such as the common cold, pneumonia, and bronchitis. Cupping is also said to be good for treatment of back, neck and shoulder pain.

It does, however, have another purpose.  It is used in bdsm as a type fire / sensation play, and can be used for other sexual purposes as well by applying the heated cups to the genitals or breasts.  It also falls under the heading of Medical Fetish.  Unless overheated or left on too long, fire cupping is usually not painful.  The sensation the cups make when applied is like a soft vacuum sucking the skin, much like someone giving you a hickey that builds in intensity the longer the cups are left on.  In traditional fire cupping for treatment, the cups are left on for about one minute, but during bdsm, they can be left on much longer, until the sensation becomes too intense (max 30 minutes).  Often, the cups will leave circular red bruises or hickey marks when removed which slowly fade away.

I have wanted to experiment with cupping sets for a long time and have always been fascinated by them.  This 3 Piece Fire Cupping Set (3 pieces: small, medium and large) is compliments of Extreme Restraints who indulged my desire to learn and play.

Word of Caution:  Fire Cupping can be extremely dangerous because you are playing with fire (obviously).  I burned myself several times trying different methods, until I figured the safest way to do it.  The alcohol method is the most dangerous, but also the most effective.

Rubbing Alcohol Method

As mentioned, this method is the most dangerous, but does create an effective vacuum if you don’t burn yourself first or splash flaming alcohol on yourself or your play partner.  Not fun, and really scary.  So be very careful and play safe!

What You Will Need

• Glass Fire Cupping Set
• Bottle of Rubbing Alcohol
• Cotton Balls
• Forceps
• Barbecue Lighter
• Silicone Lubricant
• A Pail of Water for Safety

Massage lubricant into the area of the skin you will be cupping to get a better seal against your partner’s flesh.  This will also make the cups easier to remove and move around on the surface of the skin.

Hold a cotton ball with the forceps and soak it with alcohol.  Try not to soak it too much as you don’t want excess or dripping.  Next, use a barbecue lighter to light the cotton ball and hold it inside the cup to warm the inside air (not the cup itself) and then quickly place on the skin, open face down.  You will immediately see the skin pulling inside the cup.  The more the cup cools, the more the skin will be sucked up inside and the more intense the sensation.  Be careful not to get the alcohol on the cup itself, especially the top rim or the outside as this may cause the whole cup to catch on fire and burn you or your partner.

Candle Method

What You Will Need

• Everything Above except for the Rubbing Alcohol and Cotton Balls
• A Tall Candle

With this method you just light the candle and hold it under the open cups until the air inside heats up (10 seconds).  I didn’t find that this method created as much suction, but it was much less dangerous.  It also tended to blacken the tops of the cups, or heat the glass too much, rather than just the air.

Leave cups on the skin for the desired amount of time (until sensation becomes too intense), but no more than 30 minutes.  Once on, you can leave the cups in place or slowly move them around the skin if you have put on sufficient lubricant.  Silicone lubricant works best for this purpose because it stays very slippery.  Remove cups by pressing the skin near the rim to allow air to enter the cup and break the seal.  Gently remove.

I did this to my mother actually, as she volunteered to be my guinea pig.  She has fibromyalgia and often experiences muscle pain.  She loved the warmth and the sensation of the cupping on her back.  We left the cups on for about 15 minutes and she had slightly red circles on her back which didn’t hurt.  She also said it made her back muscles feel much better afterwards.  I also tried one on my breast over the nipple and really enjoyed the suction that was created, very erotic.  There seems to be many possibilities of how you could use these cups for various types of sensation and arousal, as much as your perverted mind can think up.

Thank you to Extreme Restraints for allowing me to review their 3 Piece Cupping Set.  It was definitely a learning experience and something I will enjoy doing again and again.  Practice makes perfect!

Did I ever mention that I have a shoe fetish?  Ever since I used to play dress-up as a little girl and put on my mother’s way too big high heel shoes, I have loved shoes and boots of all kinds from my high-cut black Converse sneakers with the red laces, my pink satin ballet slippers with the rabbit fur lining, to my leather motorcycle boots, come fuck-me stiletto heals, and Wizard of Oz red sparkly Dorothy shoes.  Footwear just seems to complete what I am wearing, even if it is only my road-off army boots, what I put on my feet make a statement about who I am.  The shoes I love best, however, are doll shoes, or what are often referred to as Mary Jane’s.

I have two pairs of Mary Jane’s-a pair of flats and ones with a slight heel-but I have always wanted a pair of Black Platform Mary Jane’s.  These shoes are the perfect accessory for a schoolgirl outfit, or if you enjoy dressing up as a doll, as I do.  I just think they look pretty hot with whatever fetish outfit you’d want to wear, especially goth or alt looks.

These Mary Jane’s are made by Ellie Shoes who are leaders in the exotic shoe industry.  I have several other pairs of their boots and found them to be high quality.  These shoes are very comfortable to wear for long periods of time as well, so perfect for a fetish ball or scene.

You can pair these Mary Jane’s up with the traditional white knee socks or thigh highs for a schoolgirl look or do something entirely different.  I ordered a pair of Fence-net Stockings to go with mine and I think they look amazing together.  I love the fence-net stockings as well, as they are very thick and sturdy, so won’t snag or rip easily, plus they are so sexy as the large diamonds mold with the curves of your legs.

You can find these and other sexy shoes and stockings in the Fantasy Wear section of Tabu Toys, where they have many styles and sizes to fit any shoe or stocking fetishist!

Fetish Dolls (2007)
Director: Andre Madness
Studio: Adam & Eve
Cast: Naomi, Ava Rose, Marco Banderas, Sativa Rose, Steven St. Croix, Tommy Gunn, Shyla Stylez and Juan Espizedo

When you think of the term FETISH, a few iconic images might spring to mind.  A slim black stiletto, a latex dress stretched tightly over the curves of a body, noir’s femme fatal with a slim a cigarette, a ring of smoke around her head.  There are probably over a hundred fetishes or paraphilias (I counted 85 on Wikipedia) from Abasiophilia to Zoophilia, who defines “Sexual fetishism, or erotic fetishism, [a]s the sexual attraction to objects or body parts not conventionally viewed as being sexual in nature.”-Wikipedia, List of Paraphilias.

Any object or part of the anatomy can and has been eroticized to the point of where it becomes a fetish.  In Fetish Dolls, it is the women themselves that are the fetish objects along with their body parts: feet, ass, clothed body, tits, and mouth.  The title of the film is very misleading however, as these objects of desire are not fetishized to any large degree, except for a foot fetish scene.  The girls are super hot and in some cases the sex really rocks.  But, for those of you looking for real hardcore fetish kink like Fashionistas, you will be disappointed here.

Scene 1: Foot Fucking with Ava Rose and Brandon Irons

Ava Rose “Surrender Of O,” “Roller Dollz,” “Evil Pink # 4″ teams up with Brandon Iron who truly seems to enjoy feet.  Ava is a dark-haired doll to be sure.  This is the best scene in the film as far as fetishes go and Ava is both talented in how she uses her feet and very limber (she actually gives him a foot-job and a blowjob at the same time).  People who get off on feet will find this scene very arousing as Ava’s feet are truly worshipped and admired.

Scene 2: Ass Banging with Naomi and Marco Banderas

This scene is the most enthusiastic of the film with both Naomi and Marco having great chemistry together.  Naomi has a spectacular ass: it is quite muscular and she does this cool wiggle ass fuck thing that seems to be quite effective on her partner.  The action has a good fast tempo and gets pretty raunchy as she slam fucks and rocks on top of him.

Scene 3: Dressing up with Ava Rose and Tommy Gunn

Ava enters a large room wearing a latex top and shorts to meet Tommy who is hot in black leather pants.  Other than their initial introduction, the latex and leather are not specifically given reverence during the scene and Ava is not wearing hers for long.  This scene takes forever to get started and there seems to be a bit of difficultly keeping it up as Ava continuously bobs on Tommy’s knob in between positions and many times during.  Ava has an impressive squirting ejacualtion near the end, but it is hard to get into due to the porn music and the performer’s chemistry together. A very awkward scene.

Scene 4: Breast Worship with Shyla Stylez and Juan Espizedo

Shyla from “Pirates # 2: Stagnetti’s Revenge” and “Fallen” is a blonde with large breasts.  She is especially fond of them herself and plays with them at the beginning of the scene.  She crawls over to Juan and gives him a fantastic blowjob.  But, Juan doesn’t really care.  He is rather robotic and seems to have an affliction for touching Shyla unless it is absolutely necessary.  There is no special attention shown to her very nice breasts by him, although she does give him a boob-job.  The scene is stilted and rather bland because of him, no fault to Shyla.

Scene 5: Oral Fetish with Sativa Rose and Steven St Croix

Sativa is a hot Latin girl who says she enjoys everything to do with oral pleasure.  She does a fine job giving head and the scene isn’t too bad, but there was nothing out of the ordinary about it.  Lots of different positions and then Steven looses his load in his enthusiasm as it shoots right over her head.

I’m not sure what else there is to say about this film, except I was disappointed.  Somewhere between scene one and two them seemed to loose sight of what this film was all about.  It has a pretty box cover and a cool title, but, if you are looking for Fashionistas you will not find that here.  If, however, you want typical vanilla mainstream with a hint of fetish fantasy, this might be the thing for you.  As far as mainstream porn goes, this was not bad and the girls are very hot.

You can buy this and other Fetish DVDs as well as other Adult DVDs at Adam & Eve.

The Fashionistas
Director: John Stagliano
Studio: Evil Angel
Cast: Belladonna, Caroline Pierce, Chelsea Blue, Friday, Gia, Kate Frost, Manuel Ferrera, Monique, Rocco Siffredi, Sharon Wild, Taylor St Claire

The Fashionistas is a super-fantastic, epic length, fetish fucking extravaganza.  I have read the hype about The Fashionistas for years: Winner of 11 AVN Awards including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor and Actress (Rocco Siffredi and Taylor St. Claire), Best Cinematography, and Best Music; and I’ve been coveting this film ever since.  Could a mainstream porno live up to my S/m/fetish expectations?  For a film that normally retails at $80 a pop, is it worth it?

Well, yes, and Yes!  First of all, Fashionistas is over four hours long.  That’s four and a half hours worth of banging and latex-wearing fucking, spanking, rough hardcore sex scenes, realistic dominance and submission scenes, anal, oral, threesomes, foursomes and more-somes.

John Stagliano (Buttman-Evil Angel-King of Gonzo) filmed the movie in 35mm, which translates to a pure quality feature-length film that is in the same class of distinction as any mainstream film on the market.  The entire production quality is really amazing from picture to sound to editing.  The DVD set features 4 DVDs: two of the film (because it is really that long), one behind-the-scenes DVD, and a cool DVD soundtrack.  No expense was spared for the production of this film and Fashionistas is surely one of the most ambitious porns ever filmed.

Story line:

Rocco Siffredi plays Italian fashion designer Antonio who comes to American for inspiration to promote a new line of fetish fashions and ends up getting more than he bargains for.  Given that alone you can imagine the beautiful latex that is seeping out of this film.  This is any latex enthusiast’s wet dream come true.  He is sent a strange promotional DVD by Fashionista, an American fetish clothing company who pushes the boundaries of fashion into an S/m aesthetic.  Hidden within the DVD is a special bonus scene of sadistic S/m rituals that totally enthralls Antonio and catches his attention.  The DVD’s designer and Fashionista employee is the amazing Belladonna playing shy and geeky Jessie.  But, Jessie is not as shy and geeky as she leads Antonio and everyone else to believe.  She’s got one objective in mind and his name is Antonio.  Soon she is vying for Antonio’s attention against her boss lady, Helena (Taylor St. Clair) who plays an assertive Dominatrix who even tops Antonio in a couple of scenes.  Helena is wicked as a hardcore bitch and her performance as an aggressive Top really comes across.

Soon Antonio is lead into their lair of debauchery: underground fetish clubs and dungeons where all manner of sadomasochism is performed onscreen. What follows is three hours of outrageous fuckery, crazy kink, foot worship and pinking, face sitting and smothering, face slapping and spitting, flogging and spanking, and bondage as well as hardcore sex performances such as oral deep-throating, lots of anal, and every position possible including amazing pile-drivers by Rocco.

By the end of the film, Jessie wins Antonio’s affections, over her boss Helena who is outraged.  Jessie stands up to Helena and Antonio finds out that the amazing line of fetish fashions he has been coveting was in fact designed by Jessie, who has received no credit.

The quality of this film is fantastic and the acting superb.  With twelve scenes of hardcore S/m play there is lots to watch in this film over and over again.  Plus, there is a real story that is fairly entertaining to watch, just in itself.  The Extra DVD contains over a half hour of extra footage, a two hour documentary, photo galleries, as well as hidden scenes, just like in the film.  The Fashionistas is an amazing feature-length filmic marathon that effectively unites hardcore adult porn with realistic fetish S/m action.  One of the best films I have seen do this since Caligula (1979).  This film is a must-have for fetish aficionados.

You can get this film and many others from GoodVibes.com great selection of porn DVDs.  Get $5 off your purchase by signing up to their email newsletter.

Watch the Official Trailer.

Kittie Klaw at The Ministry of Burlesque, London’s leading school and social networking portal for aspiring burlesque artists, gives her unique insight into the world of fetish

To ‘fetishise’ is to attribute special power to an object of personal fixation, for the goal of achieving a desired mental, emotional or spiritual state of being.

Unsurprisingly, the original meaning of fetish belongs in the lexicon of the church and is usually ascribed to the potency of religious icons believed to deliver healing and atonement. But, when people talk about ‘fetish’ today, they are often referring to lifestyle choices beyond faith where personal habits are often born out of secular concerns such fashion and experimental (and often whacky) sex. Here, objects of fixation often hold personal meaning and sexual importance – be it a high heeled shoe, a whip or even another person enacting a specific role.

But sexual fetish is taboo. It has a naughty appeal, a kinky-fun image for many but it also conjures up sinister pleasures for some and is victim to biased perceptions. Many women will proudly confess to having a ‘fetish for shoes’ for which they can’t stop shopping but when a man confesses to having a shoe fetish, it is regarded in a rather different light altogether. This is the taboo of sexual fetishism – where sexual arousal and gratification take the place of an act of faith.

Link

[via Violet Blue]

Do you have everything you need for Leather Retreat or TES Fest? Purple Passion reopened on June 5th and judging from the pictures Hilton sent me, it looks great!

They have a website, but only about 10% of the is on the site so call or email them.

Summer hours: during the summer they will be open Monday thru Saturday, and closed on Sundays. Hours: Mon – Wed noon to 7pm; Thurs-Fri noon to 9pm Sat Noon to 8pm.

211 West 20th St (Between 7th & 8th Avenues)
New York, NY 10011
Voice: 212.807.0486

More photos are on Flickr.

(Photo: Izabella Carr (gODDESS)

The best of this week’s blogs by the bloggers who blog them. Highlighting the top 3 posts as chosen by Sugasm participants. Want in Sugasm #133? Submit a link to your best post of the week using this form. Participants, repost the link list within a week and you’re all set.

This Week’s Picks
Fuck The Pope.
“The Church would have you believe that abstinence should be sufficient.”

Good Boy
“Despite my outward appearance, I still felt sexy as hell knowing what was underneath those misleading garments.”

May Masturbation Challenge: Progress Report day 10
“At the Dee & Apollo household, it’s early on Day 10 of the May Masturbation Challenge. ”

Mr. Sugasm Himself (one from the vaults)
The US Constitution Erotic Coloring Book

Editor’s Choice
UK Criminal Justice Bill Clause 63 – but what is “extreme”? – A Beginners Guide

BDSM & Fetish
Anal Attentions
D.I.Y.= Dom It Yourself
A different type of torture
Dinner at La Domaine
Hot Bottom Maintenance Spanking
Hot Mommy
Kiss and make it better.
Jumping the “Shark”
Punished. Bare.
Submissive Little Darling
Tied

Sex Advice
5 Advanced Vaginal Fisting Techniques
No More Bush
Sex: A Guide for Newbies-Chapter #1 The Vagina

Erotic Writing and Experiences
Closer
Cuntphobia
Erotic Writing 102?
In his arms (2)
A Man’s Wetdream
Mid Stroke
See you through my eyes
Sex on the Road
Sticky Heat
Stock and Bonds, ch. 1
Wear Nothing Beneath Your Housecoat
Why I Missed Work Today

Sex News, Reviews & Interviews
Busty Redhead Mz Berlin Dominated And Forced To Cum
Catalina loves Asking Mz. Berlin 15 Questions
Clone my what?
Jenna Haze HotMovies Interview
Telugu Condom Song

NSFW Pics, Videos & Audio
Bali Hai -HNT
Erica & Rachelle Drummond
InFocusGirls
January Seraph is so pretty in this corset and collar
Massage Therapy (video)
Megan Jones Free Photo Gallery from Digital Desire
The Perfect Fetish Picture
Video: Doin’ It on My Balcony

Sex Work
Fetish Fridays: Sploshing Revisited

Thoughts on Sex and Relationships
1, 2, 3, 4! Sha la la la la la live for today
Art Personified
Believe to Understand
Book store surrender
Confessional
Corporate Outings, Sex Rooms, & finding out how Vanilla your boss is
Flicking beans
An Open Letter to You Who Troll Craigslist: For the Fellas
Seamen = fine. Semen = Not.
Twisted Childhood Tales, and What They Became

See also: Fleshbot’s Sex Blog Roundup each Tuesday and Friday.

Dark Odyssey: Leather Retreat
June 25-30, 2008
Northern Maryland
www.DarkOdyssey.com

Odyssey Events is pleased to announce that Leather Retreat, which for thelast ten years has been produced by Community Ties is joining the OdysseyEvents family. The first Dark Odyssey: Leather Retreat will be June 25-30, 2008 in Northern Maryland. “The response to Dark Odyssey has been overwhelming and the community it has created is unlike any other in the country. It just makes sense to bring all three events – Leather Retreat,Summer Camp, and Winter Fire – under one roof,” says Greg, one of theco-producers. Co-producer Karri adds, “Each of these events has its own focus and flavor, so that between them, there is something for everyone.”

The biggest change will be the addition of Dark Odyssey’s unique programmingand special events to Dark Odyssey: Leather Retreat. “Many attendees have asked us for some of their favorite Dark Odyssey elements, like Sex-O-Rama,
to be a part of Leather Retreat. Not only are we happy to oblige, we plan to bring even more sex to Leather Retreat – if that’s possible!” says Tristan.

Dark Odyssey: Leather Retreat will continue Leather Retreat’s tradition as the best kink and sex camp event on the East Coast. “Whereas the focus of Summer Camp is definitely on education, the focus of Leather Retreat has always been on play, and that won’t change,” says Lori. “We want to create a sex-positive environment with top-notch play spaces, creative amenities, and inspiring events so that people can have a truly immersive experience.

Our goal is to build a magical place where people can live out their wildest fantasies and dreams,” remarked Colten.

Dark Odyssey: Leather Retreat released its list of confirmed presenters last month, which includes Lolita Wolf, Rita Seagrave, Sarah Sloane, Jim & Jerith, Suzanne SxySadist, Lochai & Janice, and Carrie and Luna, 2008 International Pony and Trainer; the producers plan to announce several additions to the line up shortly. In addition to favorite events like the
Pamporium, Kidnappings, and the State Fair, Dark Odyssey: Leather Retreat will unveil several new special events as well.

Online registration for Dark Odyssey: Leather Retreat is now open.

(While there is a community system for each event, I’ve set up a Dark Odyssey group on Google – Viviane).

Purple Passion is having a huge pre-renovation sale this month:

That’s right folks, in May we will be redesigning the store. So in April everything is on sale:

20% to 50% off everything, including books, magazines, clothing, corsets toys, Vanson Jackets, Wesco boots and more.
50% off all DVD’s
$2- for any VHS movie
$2 to $4- bins for old and many out of print magazines.
No holds, layaways or other discounts apply.
For in store sales only.

Purple Passion
211 West 20th Street
New York NY 10011 (between 7th and 8th Avenues) | Google Maps
Tel: 212.807.0486

Um.

Does Isabella Rossellini have an insect sex fetish? Probably not, but she sure likes talking about their mating habits. You know, for educational purposes. Check out the following:

PARK CITY, UTAH — Among the lurid tales of sex and violence that haunt the Sundance Film Festival screens, there are few more gruesome and titillating than those of Green Porno, a series of short films made by Isabella Rossellini and her Canadian collaborators.The films, in which Rossellini dresses up as bugs, worms and snails, and simultaneously describes and demonstrates their mating behaviour, start out mildly enough. The actress with the round, angelic movie-star face begins speaking directly to the camera: “If I were a dragon fly, I would have compound eyes … ”

An instant later, the compound eyes appear on her face. Soon, she’s describing and demonstrating how she would take her clasping organs and grab her female partner: “I would clean her vagina to make sure she would only have my babies …If I were a firefly, I would light up my ass at night and I would fly here and I would fly there …”

(more)

Wow.

The best of this week’s blogs by the bloggers who blog them. Highlighting the top 3 posts as chosen by Sugasm participants.

This Week’s Picks
Awkward Sex Attempts (and Other Common Experiences)
“This put a slight damper on the “sexy” feelings I was trying to work up.”

Do You Want Me To Call You A Whore?
“Who doesn’t like having their hair pulled during sex?”

Two Fer
“Neither of us heard the front door open when Jason’s roommate came home.”

Mr. Sugasm Himself
Girls and Guns

Editor’s Choice
Being a Feminist in the sex industry
Thoughts on Sex and Relationships
Go Ahead. Label Me
Oldie But Goodie – Altoids And Blow Jobs
Short and Sexy?
Why Doesn’t My Wife Want to Have Sex with Me Anymore?
Why I HATE the Term “Cuckold”

BDSM & Fetish
Always Your Slut Part 2
Angela-la Cake – Bloggers getting sweaty
Different
Fucking machines
Story: The Perils of Drink
Straight Boy Gets Fucked in the Ass
Unmasking
Who Doesn’t Dream About She Males?

Sex News & Reviews
Kumi Is A Yummy Fetish Model
NEW Bold & Sassy Designs!

NSFW Pics & Videos
Angelina Crow – Peep Show
Annette Schwarz (updated)
Catalina loves HNT (Bondage Tape)
Exotic Bloom
If I had a clone…
Merry Samhain!
More Naked Lazer Bunny Hotties

Erotic Writing and Experiences
All About the Tricks
Ancient and Debauched
Backdoor Love
Cream for my Coffee?
The dangers of blogging
First Encounter
The first time: Having sex with my wife.
I dreamed of Margene
New Beginning
Sex Report: Poolside Follies
The six days of halloween
“Smokin Ass” or Halloween Remembered
Touching

Join the Sugasm

See also: Fleshbot’s Sex Blog Roundup each Tuesday and Friday.

A film by Dominic Vincent for my latex fans.

More info about Polymorphe can be found at their site.

And speaking of latex, TES will be doing a latex fashion show and party at Paddles, on Saturday, Nov. 17th.  Mark you calendars.

[via Kinkerbelle]

For an article in Time Out New York’s upcoming Sex issue, they are looking for both contacts and websites on the following topics:

• Adult babies/diaper lovers
• Foot fetishists
• Circle jerks

Deadline: Monday, September 24th
Contact: klowenstein AT timeoutny Dot com

Thanks!

The confirmed list of presenters and workshops for Dark Odyssey: Summer Camp 07 just went live on the website and we are so excited to share it with all f you!

From a world-renowned porn star and an infamous performance artist to ationally acclaimed authors and award-winning educators, we have presenters from around the world, including:

Barbara Carrellas * Bear * Beth and Preston Bobby * British “Lucky” Paul * Captain Beatrice & Benedick Del * Dossie Easton * Felice Shays * Fraulein Rottenmeier * Helen Boyd * Jacq Jones * Jefferson * Jim Deuder  * Jon and Carin * Lee “Bridgett” Harrington Levi Halberstadt * Lolita Wolf * Marcus* Margo Eve & Elkor * Mark Michaels & Patricia Johnson * Michelle Zee *Nina Hartley * Reid Mihalko & Marcia Baczynski * Sarah Sloane * Scherzoid * Sir C * Susan B * Suzanne SxySadist * SwitchMe * Tristan Taormino * Whittney Matlock

And over 75 of the most unique, exciting workshops anywhere, with an emphasis on hands-on demonstrations, including:

Beyond Bowed Heads: Rituals for Dominance and submission
Binding Intentions: The Art of Rope Magic
Border Crossing: Challenging Boundaries, Connecting Bodies
Delight in Difficult Dominance Discipline and Awareness: How To Enhance Life
And Play With Body/Mind Techniques
Making Your Move: a Flirting Class
Making Poly/Mono Relationships Work
Pain: Plight-Punishment-Pleasure
Playing in the Dark: Journeys Through Humiliation
Radical Ecstasy
Spiritual Body Modification
Trans-Sex & Identity
Uneven Libidos: When Your Partner Isn’t as Sexual as You
Urban Tantra

PLUS, LOTS MORE ON…

Sex: Lick her, Cocksucking, Anal Play, Fisting, G-spot, Threesomes
Identity: What Labels Give Us, What Labels Take Away
Relationships: ‘Ethical Sluts’ Workshop by author Dossie Easton
BDSM: Ecstatic Caning and Pick-Up Play for Bottoms
Spirituality: Energy Pull Ritual and Walking the Path of Ordeal And An
Entire Track of Classes & Events Devoted to Fireplay

In addition to workshops, Dark Odyssey features creative social activities, nightly special events, erotic rituals, lakeside bonfires, the Sex-O-Rama playspace, and a 10,000 square foot fully equipped dungeon open for play around the clock. Legendary special events include:

Body Beautiful * PT for Perverts * Night in Flames *Energy Pull Ritual * Garden of Carnal Delights * Cupid’s Gambit
Fucking Machines Show * Cigars & Chocolate * Cuddle Party *  Perverts’ Potluck * Fire Spinning * Petting Zoo * Pajama Party

All this happens in a fun camp environment at a retreat with great accommodations: forty cabins with real beds, full bathrooms, hot water showers, and electricity; two swimming pools, canoeing, and hiking; plus, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a midnight snack included.

Unlike a typical conference event, where you have to pay for registration fees, hotel room costs, plus meals, Dark Odyssey is an all-inclusive event. Current registration rates are good through August 20, but you can register
up until September 12.

How a mob-run S&M club put your tax dollars to work

by Tom Robbins

Anthony Marini was the manager at the Vault, the old S&M club in the meat-packing district on the western edge of Greenwich Village, during its heyday in the 1990s.

As such, he never lacked for entertainment.

There was the guy who wore a dog collar and little else and who insisted on walking on all fours. There was the wealthy executive who donned chains and loincloth and rolled in the dirt, pleading that he was a Roman slave who needed whipping. There were the wannabe goths who wore capes, capped their teeth with porcelain fangs, and clustered in the corners biting one another. On the celebrity side, there was Madonna, who was so fond of observing these hijinks that she had much of her photo book, succinctly titled Sex, shot at the club. Al Pacino came to study up for an acting role. Marini remembers him as an apt student.

(more. . .)