Rubber Play – The Sight, Smell and Sensuality of Latex

By B.A.

Several years ago, I wrote an article on hoods, and how wearing one can alter your persona, can move a man from person to slave. While it wasn’t terribly exhaustive by any means, I had hoped that you would get a feel of hoods in general.

Today, I’ve been asked to expand my piece by discussing the particular characteristics of latex hoods, and rubber play in general. The many sensual aspects, and the adaptability and dangers of wearing an impermeable material over your face. I’ve also been asked to discuss some psychological triggers, which can transform an average scene into a highly charged one, although I’m certainly not an expert in this field by any means. All I can do is to tell you about my own experiences, and what you might expect if you get into rubber play.

Please note: while I’m writing this for a gay male audience, it is equally applicable to both sexes. After all, fun isn’t limited to the male gender alone!

But first, a story:

The hood molded to his face, his features merging with the latex as it becomes a second skin. Sight and sound were diminished as pinhole eye openings and a layer of rubber encasing the ears restricted those senses. Instead, he became reliant on the silky sensations dancing over his skin, and the erotic smell of his Master’s crotch that his head was held against. he struggled vainly against his bonds trying to shift into a more comfortable position; the rope holding his arms securely behind his back and his legs tightly together precluded that movement. The slave felt “greased” in the rubber suit enclosing his torso, the sweat lubricating his erection as it tricked down his chest, pooling in the groin. His body couldn’t feel the freedom of cool, dry air passing over bare skin since every limb was enclosed in rubber, hands locked in fist mitts and feet in latex socks which came up to the middle of his calves.

But it was the hood that made him really feel like another man’s slave, controlling and restricting his ability to be himself. A hand moved his mouth hole into position, holding his head still so that he could continue to serve his Master. When the man’s cock slid past his lips and over his tongue, he could no longer control himself; copious amounts began mixing with his own body juices as the slave’s own erection spilled its contents in the rubber suit.

HOODS AND IDENTITY

Many of us can see ourselves in a similar kind of situation as the one illustrated above. Being stripped, tied and hooded is an exciting experience, losing one’s ability and control to another. While being tied robs us of our freedom, the hood completes the process, robbing us of our persona, lowering our status even further. Now we are an object, a slave, another’s property to be used (and abused) as the Top/Master/Mistress desires. A hood, any hood, achieves that transformation quickly and easily by covering up our unique identity, leaving only a vulnerable body to deal with.

Hoods play an important role in determining what role we assume in our sexual entertainment. And entertainment it really is because, if it weren’t fun and exciting, we wouldn’t be doing it would we? Donning an Executioner’s hood, one takes on an aura of power and authority, while being forced to wear a slave hood strips us of our identity, lowering our status from person to animal or object. A hood can dramatically transform who we are, into any role we undertake to play.

Now, what about latex? Well, with a latex hood, the feeling of enclosure is much more intense, at least that’s how I feel when wearing one. It creates a second skin, masking our true identity, another layer of slavery. And it’s much more versatile in the sense of being able to wear one a lot longer.

LATEX VERSUS LEATHER

Of course, don’t get me wrong; a leather hood can be worn for days, if necessary. But, unless you’re willing to lessen its lifespan by allowing the slave to wear it outside, or in the shower and tub, or any place where there’s a likelihood of getting the material soaked, there’s a maximum length of time you can safely keep a slave in that kind of hood. Even sweat will eventually begin to affect its life. And, if the leather is not lined, you may end up with a black-faced slave should he sweat a lot! Mind you, maybe a black-faced slave is what you want?

The greatest advantage that latex hoods have over leather ones is that you can get them wet without any major difficulties. With leather, you have to be careful not to ruin the hood (it can actually shrink as it dries, lose its suppleness, become hard and uncomfortable to wear, and definitely shorten its lifespan). With latex, just rinse it out with warm water, perhaps a little gentle soap, let dry and then put it away for next time. That kind of versatility opens up a whole range of new things one can do. Watersports immediately comes to mind here. But I won’t get into that scenario in this article, at least not the kind that Fledermaus described in Watersports, and Why You Want a Bathtub in Your Next Home.

With latex, the problem of moisture is eliminated. Indeed, sweat is an added bonus to many a scene because it’s a natural lubricant, your face under a latex hood sliding across another man’s groin, the smooth, soft surface sensually caressing him at the same time as your face is sliding against the rubber inside, only to snap back into place as the tension in the latex pulls it back into form. After all, isn’t that what a wetsuit is made out of?

That versatility can be expanded to include latex or rubber clothing, from latex thongs and tank tops, to full body catsuits, straightjackets, sleepsacks and more! Full and complete enclosure is attainable here, and desired by many, with rubber, leather, metal, or rope bondage as an added attraction if the players want it to be. No tape though, please.

FULL-BODY RUBBER PLAY

As for rubber play in general, and rubber suits, straightjackets and sleepsacks specifically, the more hairless an individual is, the greater the sensitivity. It’s simple mechanics. Hair acts as an insulator — the hairier a man is, the more insulation, the less effect external forces have. Shaving the guy before putting him into rubber creates a much more sensitive recipient, for two reasons: one, there’s no hair, thus rubber has direct contact with the skin; tow, the act of shaving takes off the outer most layers of dead skin, heightening the natural sensitivity. And, shaving can be a very submissive act a man undergoes, being stripped of his manhood before slipping into rubber.

Now, the effect of hair will lessen somewhat the longer he is in latex, for one basic reason: sweat. Again the sweat. Being an impermeable material, rubber traps moisture released by the pores and, when mixed with the various oils that the body secretes, creates a ready-made lubricant. One doesn’t have to grease up a rubber-suited slave very much before play as he’s already done it himself. A little exercise is great, though you need to watch out for fluid depletion. Have plenty of water on hand.

Since sweat is trapped, the water will impact body temperature. I can personally attest to the cycle of hot and cold, as I’ve been completely encased in rubber, hood and all, for a 30-hour stretch at a time. In fact, it was the only time I came without actively engaging in sexual intercourse. Despite being told not to, walking around in rubber made me erect and (combined with the excitement, the heat, and the mere fact of rubber rubbing against my already excited cock) eventually triggered an ejaculation, even though my hands were tied behind my back. Of course being in chastity for several days before being encased in rubber didn’t help.

HOW RUBBER PLAY ENGAGES THE SENSES

But I digress. Back to the main focus – hoods. And smell.

Considering smell, one cannot overestimate the powerful effect aroma has on men. You’ll have noticed how strong smell played into the story earlier. That’s not entirely true. It is accurate that rubber has “a” smell, but it’s not all that strong or noticeable in a mild and temperate climate. Only when you begin to heat it, then introduce the added bonus of a sweaty individual inside, does a rubber-clad person begin to emanate a strong odour. Depending upon whether the individual within has washed recently, or left it for several days for extra excitement, the smell can range from mildly erotic to pungent. After all, we are warm-blooded creatures, we do sweat and we do smell.

Of course, we’re not going to have the aroma that leather has, but it’s a kind of smell that is particularly unique to latex and the individual inside. By the by guys, for the hetero audience, women are generally turned off by male sweat – I believe it has to do with pheromones. But, that very same smell moves from offensive to erotic when they begin to ovulate. Go figure? Oh, that locker room / jockstrap smell isn’t tremendously offensive to other men, although the aroma can be little strong! Hmmmmmm!

Visually speaking, latex hoods can also have a tremendously powerful visual effect on both Master and slave. Instead of “Johnny” your lover tied up, it’s slave #17 being prepared for your evening’s fun. It eliminates fact to face contact, and the automatic connection between two individuals — instead, it lowers the bottom to the level of an anonymous slave, a hooded piece of meat to use, abuse, or whatever, at your leisure and pleasure.

RUBBER PLAY SCENES – THEIR HOTNESS AND THEIR DANGERS

With latex, that level of anonymity can be extended for hours, or even days, depending upon the slave’s ability to wear the hood for that long. Usually, 24 hours is enough because of the associated sweat the overall “gucky” feeling hair tends to get after being in rubber for that long. But, do a quick head shave and VOILA, two, three, four days, or even a week!

Another aspect of rubber hoods is the encasement quality, where the hood conforms and molds to an individual’s head. This is particularly true with lightweight latex hoods, although heavyweight latex and rubber hood do impart a similar feeling. Many a fantasy involves the slave being stripped, shaved top to bottom, then head slapped in latex. It eliminates the primary senses humans use, sight and to some extent sound, greatly intensifying touch instead. Latex also has that “snappy” quality which can be used to great effect: no more need for a little paddle or whip, just snap the latex at a place where you want and, presto, you get a little red mark on the bottom’s skin.

Of course, there’s a far greater likelihood to become much more claustrophobic in latex hoods than either leather or metal ones because of the kind of feeling they convey to the wearer. It also has the danger of restricting the airflow to the wearer. And that leads into the psychology aspect.

Latex hoods have the power of conveying an intense psychological effect on the wearer. Because there’s something claustrophobic about latex hoods, the very nature of being encased has a direct impact on the wearer, affecting the bottom’s state of mind. Depending upon the original psychological state of the wearer, a slave becomes much more pliable and submissive, and even more so if the hood robs them of their sight. Like animals, rendering them sightless usually has a calming effect. It becomes total imprisonment when wearing a latex hood.

As for variety, there are many varieties of latex hoods available. Ones with sci-fi features, molded insect eyes or glass lenses and molded alien mouth, or an inflatable one with nose and mouth tubes etc. An extraterrestrial heavy rubber hood can be had, as well as a single layer molded hood with solid rubber pecker gag. And, you can combine the latex/rubber hood with gas masks for that extra special feeling. In fact, you can get a latex hood with an attached tube and funnel to channel whatever fluids you want to pour into your bottom.

Latex hoods, and hoods in general, are a wonderful way of introducing the element of submission, and that’s why they are quite popular with the BDSM crowd. The slave in all of us cries out for anonymity, and the need for hoods.

But, enough reading about it. Get out there and explore the wonderful world of rubber play. It’ll open up endless possibilities and make life a lot more interesting!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

This article was first published in VASM’s Scene magazine, Vol 20, Issue 6, Sept/Oct 2002.

Deviance & Desire