I have something special for this Kinky Crash Course, a guest writer! Alice Little is a luxury companion out of the Moonlight Bunny Ranch in Nevada. I have been following her adventures for some time now, and she is a respected expert in professional sex work and BDSM.  She has a special love for flogging, and I thought it would be perfect to have her talk about one of her favorite types of play.

Flogging: The Why

KS: I have always watched flogging scenes in dungeons with fascination. The rhythm of the play, the deep trance it can put people in and the beautiful leather floggers make it it extremely fun to watch. While I’ve never been hugely interested in it myself except for watching, it is a very nice type of play and can have all sorts of dynamics from soft and sensual to more hard, intense play. I think it’s an excellent way to start exploring bdsm and can also be a useful tool to practice negotiating, since the parts of play can be broken down (which flogger, how hard, etc) in a simple way.

Flogging is a sensory experience, that allows for a wide range of sensations to be created. How quickly, how hard, what type of material, how long the falls are, etc are just a small sampling of the types of variables one can play with during this activity. Generally speaking, flogging is done for play and sensation, rather than pain. Flogging can most accurately be described as impact play- where we are using the falls of the floggers as the tools to create sensation. Flogging feels good because of the endorphins generated by both the anticipation of sensory experience, as well as the experience itself. As such, part of the flogging dynamic can be the anticipation of the flogger’s falls which can add an additional dimension to the experience.

The How

First, it’s important to describe the anatomy of a flogger. Typically, floggers consist of two basic parts- the handle and the falls. The handle can be from any hard material, such as wood, metal, or plaited leather. The falls themselves can vary in material too- from leather, to rabbit fur, to paracord. Most common are variations of leather- ranging from soft, sensual deer hide, all the way to thick, stringy bull hide! I generally recommend having a flogger for warm up/cool down (which we’ll get to in a moment), one or two floggers for the body and peak of play, then any additional floggers that suit your personal preference! Personally, I favor a 3 oz deer hide flogger, a rabbit fur flogger, and a heavy 9 oz bison hide flogger for more intense sensations.

The act of flogging most commonly looks like this: The Top, or Giving partner stands slightly behind the bottom, or receiving partner. The top wields the flogger in their hand, using a rotating arm motion to bring the falls downwards onto their partners back, avoiding their spine, kidneys, and tailbone. The most common flogging pattern is that of the ‘x’, where the Top/Dominant crosses the flogger from one side of their body to the other, essentially creating an x- shaped pattern in front of them. Ideally, one would line the ‘x’ up in such as way that the flogger makes impact with one side of the upper back, than the other side of the upper back. It’s advisable to start further back from your partner, get the pattern down confidently, then slowly move in towards the receiving partner until impact is made.

Flogging is all about variety- did you know you can also use the flogger’s handle to create sensation? You can flip the flogger around, and gentle tap your partners back to create a thudding sensation, or even deepen the impact to a spanking sensation across the buttocks!

Other play variables can include feeling and sensation. For example, one may choose to create a romantic, sensual flogging experience. For this type of scene, one would choose to use softer, sensual floggers such as furs, deerhide, and other gentle leathers. In contrast, if one was seeking to have a more intense experience, you may select buffalo, thick cowhide, or braided leather falls!

So now you’ve decided what type of feeling you’d like to create, it’s time to negotiate with your partner. With flogging negotiations, I believe it’s important to show your partner the tools you’ll be using, so you can obtain specific consent. This way they have some idea of what to expect, and can communicate any concerns clearly and early on. You’ll also want to discuss how the bottom will be positioned (sitting, tied to a St. Andrews cross, laying down, etc), if there are any major medical concerns or medications to be aware of, and any current or former injuries that may affect the scene. Aftercare should always be discussed before play begins. Some people enjoy cuddling, others prefer space directly after the scene. The individuals preference can vary greatly, so make sure to ask about personal preference! A best practice i always like to do is to follow up with the person 24 hours after our session, to make sure that all is well. This makes sure that i’m doing my due diligence as the top, and checking in on my partners well being.

Generally speaking, Flogging scenes are comprised of a warm up, the main body of the scene, and the cool down. The warm up allows your partner to become accustomed to the new sensation, without overwhelming their senses. Warm up floggers are made of soft fur or leather, and used slowly with a gentle ramp up of intensity and speed.

The main body of the scene is what allows for the most variety! You can add in a wide range of floggers, and create any sorts of sensations. It’s advisable to create peaks and valleys in your sensations, both intensifying sensation then slowing it back down again. This type of ramp up results in intense peaks of pleasure!

Rather than simply ceasing play, one would instead choose to initiate a cool down period. During this time, the intensity begins to taper off, and the speed slows to an eventual halt. This gives your partner time to slowly step down from the intense peaks you created earlier in the session! Once all flogging sensation has ceased, be sure to follow through with the prior negotiated aftercare.

About Alice Little

Alice Little is a courtesan at the Moonlite Bunny Ranch. At only 4ft 8in, she is by far the tiniest lady at the legal brothels in Nevada. A New York native, she has worked as an EMT and horse jockey, loves electronic and tabletop entertainment and intellectual stimulation. A frequent visitor to Virginia City and fascinated by its history, she loves exploring Nevada and all it has to offer. Alice has presented at over 50 kink and BDSM events nationwide and frequently helps couples with their problems in and out of the bedroom.

I would also recommend that you follow Alice’s adventures on her social media and read her blog. She is without a doubt one of the leaders in our industry, and she also has really cute pets! You’ll be able to find her on my resources [link] page from now on, since I recommend her blogs and content as further reading for those who are interested in sex education and kink.