Weather balloons, flyswatters, whoopee cushions, and swimming caps. What do all these things have in common? First and foremost they are all made of rubber or latex, however secondly and most important Mistress Cassandra showed us how they can all be kinky play toys as well.

For those of you who don’t know, Mistress Cassandra is a long time member of the S/M scene. She has been a prodom for quite some time perfecting her craft and sharing her knowledge with the community not only here in the Bay Area, but in the worldwide S/M scene as well and we are fortunate to learn from her.

Cassandra started the program by giving us all a brief history on rubber and latex as apparel. Indigenous people of South and Central America would use sap from rubber plants as foot coverings. They would dip their feet in the sap and after the sap hardened they would have a crude type of shoe. Later on in the 1800s, Charles Goodyear perfected the technique to vulcanize rubber and so began the many uses for rubber and latex goods, kinky and vanilla.

The first person to design rubber clothing (other than raincoats, etc.) was Barbra Bear of Chicago who started the Slimwear of America exercise suits and these evolved into rubber fetish clothing. She is still in business today and has a catalog as well as online access.

Rubber and latex items are available in many different textures and fabrications from smooth and satiny to thick and thuddy. The natural color of latex is a golden brown color similar to most condoms. When latex is new it is very transparent and will begin to get more amber as it ages.

Most latex clothing is made from flat sheets of latex and the coloring for most latex is achieved by a process of dipping the latex into liquid latex to achieve color. Cassandra explained that this process tended to make dipped items thinner at the top and thicker at the bottom. She cautioned that when applying or removing these items you need to be very careful. For instance, rubber stockings will be very thin at the top and will tear easily so you need to be aware of fingernails, jewelry, etc. when pulling them off. Also when removing rubber hoods remember to apply even pressure all the way around. By being careful you will make your toys last longer.

Some things to look for and remember when you are buying rubber and latex are, good reinforcements, metal and not plastic zippers as they will start to eat away at the rubber. Cassandra suggested getting thicker latex as it will last more than twice as long. If you’re shopping for a catsuit or bondage suit it is probably best to avoid “all in one” suits the reason being that hoods and gloves tear easily and that is more economical to replace a hood or glove than an entire catsuit. Getting your latex a little looser is better as it won’t stretch out so quickly.

Equally important as what you buy is how you care for and store your items. For polishing and conditioning your items Cassandra recommends Black Beauty latex polish. For repairing your items Cassandra recommends rubber cement to reglue seams and inner tube repair kits to patch holes. If you want to restitch a sewn seam or you want to make your own garments use cotton thread, as nylon thread will eat away at the rubber. Keeping your items clean and dry are very important. Wash your items in tepid water and a little detergent. Wash, rinse and dry. When storing your items the best suggestion was to powder items with cornstarch or regular powder. Remember to powder all sides of the garment that will touch.

The best containers for your garments are large Tupperware type containers. Gently drop powdered items into containers and don’t pack too tightly. If you are hanging items, do not use plastic hangers, as these will cause your garments to rot where they touch the hanger. Padded fabric hangers are the best way to go. One of the recurring warnings throughout this program seemed to be that plastic and rubber do not mix so keep that in mind. Another word of caution is that latex attracts hair easily so if you have long hair it would be a good idea to secure it when putting on and taking off rubber. Store your items in a dark place, direct and indirect sunlight can damage your rubber.

Cassandra then went on to show us all the different toys and garments she has collected over time. It’s always fun to see how inventive she can be with everyday items. One item that she passed around was a sheet of rubber from a weather balloon it was smooth and slippery great for draping and running over someone during a scene. You could also bunch it up like a towel for whacking someone on the bottom.

Rubber like leather has a unique smell to it as well and can be very erotic.

For medical scenes Cassandra recommends colonic tubes, latex catheters, doctor’s facemask, enema bags, and autopsy gloves turned inside out have a great slippery texture.

For infantile scenes items can include squeaking toys like rubber duckies, adult size infant wear and plastic pants, she also showed us an adult size latex all in one baby romper. Also on hand were a hedgehog rubber toy with spikes that looked fun and a cute infant’s hot water bottle with a teddy bear on it.

For equestrian scenes items can include bridles, boots, riding crops, tack shops are a great resource and grooming mitts for horses have a great texture for passing over someone. Other items on Cassandra’s table were rubber hoods for bondage scenes one of the hoods Cassandra had was double layered and inflated around the person’s head while they wore it.

There were many dildos and butt plugs including silicone ones which have a nice rubbery feel and are very comfortable. Kayaking gloves have a great sticky texture for grip.

Other items included rubber shoes, plastic spatulas, dog grooming brushes, accujack machines, paddles covered with floor tread, ping pong paddles, rubber hair brushes, Chinese massage ball, paint stirrers, bicycle handlebar grips, gardening mats for kneeling, bungee cords, etc. etc. There were too many to list but if you use your imagination with everyday objects the possibilities are endless.

One great suggestion was using a rubber dog bone as a gag. Cassandra also likes to use her sonic toothbrush in a novel way. She covers the brush with a rubber glove tying the extra fingers around the handle and whirs away. The sound of the brush and the vibrating of the glove had all our attention.

As always safety is a very important factor in playing. When using dildos, plugs, etc. remember to use condoms if more that one person will be playing with the toy. Good suggestions for lubes to use with rubber and latex are Liquid Silk, I.D., Eros and Astroglide. Some people are allergic to latex and rubber and there are some alternatives to rubber/latex condoms. For men there is the Avanti condom and for women there is the Reality condom. Both are made from polyurethane. You can make your own dental dam from cutting up a latex glove.

Remember to keep your toys clean, soaking your toys for at least 15 minutes in a solution of 1 part bleach and 9 parts water will kill any bacteria and keep them safe.

Well as usual Cassandra helped us see all the kinky possibilities around us. I now look at all stores as potential toy stores. Cassandra’s bountiful table had definitely expanded my horizons. We all enjoyed seeing everyday objects turned into erotic fun with Cassandra’s dry wit and great imagination. As one member said not long ago, “Cassandra is the Martha Stewart of the S/M community. And that’s a very good thing.”

Posted with permission from Society of Janus
Ó Society of Janus http://www.soj.org