Chores – We’ve all got them, and yes, they can be repetitive and boring. But in Dominant/submissive or Master/slave relationships we can shift the focus to our power dynamic. A slave carries out daily chores for his Master. The action of doing laundry changes from a boring task to a submissive responsibility, and each time we do it it strengthens the power exchange between the Dominant and submissive.
Leather polishing is an extension of boot blacking in the BDSM lifestyle. Boot blacking is an active form of submission – it is an honour for a submissive to be granted permission to perform boot blacking services for a Dom he desires. The Dominant sits high above the submissive, watching the sub kneeling down, brushing and polishing His boot. This activity allows the Dominant to physically and mentally become bigger and assume His role as a higher being, and the sub to reduce himself to become smaller and humbler, on the floor, paying homage and worshiping the Dominant’s boot. In this moment, power is flowing, and for some of us it is more than a breathtaking kiss.
Leather polishing is different from boot blacking, but somewhat similar. In a BDSM Leather Household, every piece of leather equipment requires intensive and frequent care (especially if you live in a humid country).
WHAT MAKES LEATHER POLISHING SPECIAL?
personally, as a submissive, i am not confident to touch any of the leather tools of my Master in any setting. Looking at my Master’s whips, i am deeply aware of who they belong to and their magic. i feel like somehow if i touched them my submissive energy would pollute them, or the Dominant energy contained in them would affect my submissive being. It is a slightly religious feeling, where you don’t touch something sacred that does not belong to you.
i’m not sure if i’m alone in that feeling, or if other slaves and submissives feel it too, but for me it is very visceral and real. It’s a very sacred thing for me, as a submissive, to be told to give care to the Dominant’s sacred tools.
Leather polishing allows for using your bare hands, having a close-up vision of the tools that hurts you, and still, you are on the floor giving care to protect these tools. Paying close attention in giving care to every part of the tool is about protecting the sacredness of the Dominant, through the objects that the Dominant uses to exercise his dominance. As you slowly work through every leather item that has piled up – the whips, the floggers, the Master’s cap, the boots, the belt – it feels as if you are protecting the sacredness of the household you are in. Every piece of leather is cared for by your small submissive heart.
We call it Zen. It is similar to religious practices where you are allowed to rest your mind in sacred practices and achieving a moment of inner connectedness and peace. In the moment, you escape from the modern life of business, and experience a state of totality and actuality as a human being, quietly focusing between your soul and the universe. With leather polishing, this is also between the submissive and the Household.
Perhaps one difference between the BDSM practice of leather polishing and religious ritual is that religion allows you to achieve the moment of zen with a virtual paradise. Leather polishing allows you to achieve actual paradise. It is not a God that is removed or hard to reach, it is a real Master/Dominant, and He’ll probably want to check your work to make sure He is satisfied.
HOW TO CARE FOR LEATHER
• Collarncuffs – Leather Bondage Toys and Clothing Cleaning Guide
• Wikihow – How to Care for a Leather Jacket
• YouTube – Flogger Conditioning Tutorial
• David Morgan – Care for Whips