Fet Hacks: Summer Edition
20 Tricks and Tips to Simplify & Amplify your Fetish Experiences in Tropical Weather
As a native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, I grew up in tropical weather. In the tropics, because it’s warm (or stinking HOT) for most of the year, architecture and culture is based around keeping you cool. Most buildings have fans and/or air conditioning and fashion promotes thin fabrics and sun protecting accessories (see tip #20). But in many northern hemisphere cities, such London and Oslo, Norway, where I currently live, the opposite is true. Culture is based on keeping people warm. Houses have insulation against the cold, but are not well ventilated for the (now more common) heat waves during summer. Public transport and night clubs are often not equipped with air conditioning strong enough to work at over 30 degrees Celsius (86°F). And most fetish gear will make you sweat like a pig, which is not overly sexy, so we kinksters often end up avoiding play due to the discomfort. But that does not have to be the case. Australia has a thriving fetish & kink community, so to manage the heat that pervades for most of the year, we must be creative to achieve our perverted goals. Many of the tips described below may appear to be common sense, but I was surprised how many people in the Nordics never thought of these. So grab yourself a cold drink and start taking notes to enjoy your pervy fun during the summer or when traveling to the tropics.
At the Club...
Fetish clubbing can be a hot affair even during the winter. Fetish venues can easily get too warm if events are at full capacity. During the summer, air conditioners may not work as efficiently. Add to that dancing, whipping and a lot of fetish wear and you’ll get steamy mirrors as if you were in a sauna. An ounce of prevention can help you keep cool through the night.
1) Keeping Cool in Latex
Latex is the devil of fabrics. It doesn’t keep you warm in winter and it makes you boil in summer. But you can use the fact it has no insulating properties to your advantage. If you wet latex, the temperature will filter straight to your skin. So when things start getting hot, visit the bathrooms and wet your latex (especially near the neck and shoulders). I usually bring a hand towel to the clubs so I can wet it and then run it over my legs, back and chest. But paper towels also do the trick. Be polite for your fellow party goers and avoid leaving a slippery mess on the bathroom floor (club/party organizers check tip #8 to avoid this becoming a hazard).
2) Hydrate-Hydrate-Hydrate
Do I need to say this? Yes, no matter how much people know that they need more water in summer, alcohol tends to make us forget. So make it a routine to alternate alcoholic drinks with a glass of water. This is particularly important if you’re wearing latex or other warm fetish gear.
3) A wet towel can save your night
Even if you’re not wearing latex, take a small face cloth to the party. It’s a small addition to your toy bag and all you need to do is wet it in the restrooms and run it over your neck, behind the ears, around the wrists and over shoulders. The evaporation of the moisture on your skin will cool you down. And you can repeat as often as you need to stay fresh. For extra coolness, grab a glass of ice from the bar to make the water really cold!
Splashing around in latex is ever so fun! MKM at Montreal Fetish Weekend
4) Make up & Hair savers
Your face and head release a lot of our body heat, hence, one can easily get a sweaty face before the rest of the body is sweating. This is a big enemy to your hair and makeup. But there are tricks to keep looking fresh through the night. First, if you have long hair, put it up. Choosing hairdos that move hair from your face and neck are better to avoid heat. Avoid wearing full hoods and heavy hats during summer as these will block the heat from being released through your scalp. Use hair pieces (pony tail style) instead of wigs, or if you must wear a wig, choose a short haired style.
For makeup, always bring a compact powder so you can blot out oiliness and sweat through the night. Some makeup companies offer blotting paper towels specifically for this purpose. Also use waterproof mascara and eyeliner, so they don’t run when you start to sweat. I always recommend 24h lipstick for fetish events year round, to avoid kissing off your lipstick and constantly having to reapply. In summer, a 24h lipstick also reduces smudging from sweating.
5) Folding fans
During the summer, I always carry a folding fan in my handbag. Not only do they give you your personal hand powered “breeze” but they are also very stylish and can become a practical accessory to your fetish costumes. If you forgot your fan or don’t have one, just find an A4 sheet or a flyer and fold it up into vertical gates so in the end you have a little personal fan.
http://www.origami-instructions.com/origami-fan.html
6) Explore tropical role plays & outfits
Captive of natives in a tropical island, Caribbean voodoo queen & victim, Lifeguard, kidnapping (considering some South American countries have some of the world’s highest rate of kidnapping, you could make this rather authentic), Carnaval (Mardi Gras), bikinis, feathers and tropical prints can be fetishised too! I’ve done a role play where the Brazilian samba dancer seduces an unsuspecting Hawaiian shirt wearing “gringo” (foreigner/tourist) and proceeds to then tie him up and take control.
What NOT to wear: Avoid overly warm materials such as fur and leather. Leather will get moldy when you sweat too much in it. Furries should either travel to the opposite hemisphere (seasonal fetish migration) or invest in an industrial strength air conditioner for their events.
*For Club & Party Organisers:
The next four tips are especially for people managing fetish clubs or hosts of fetish parties. The responsibilities of hosting a fetish event will vary with the seasons. I’m not here to teach you how to run your event (that’s another article altogether). These are just a couple of summer tips to make sure your guests have a comfortable time.
7) Air Conditioning & Fans
With the advent of climate change, even countries with a history of mild summers (eg. Norway & the UK) have recently been getting heat waves. Don’t hope for the best, make sure your space has air-conditioning capable of handling your crowd. A house party with 25 people in 25 degrees is cozy, if the heat goes up to 30 degrees, you’ll need at least 2-3 fans to keep your crew refreshed. For a bigger event, you will definitely need air-conditioning (unless it’s an outdoor event). If you don’t own the venue, you can use mobile air-conditioning units. These are not too expensive and easy to install and pack away once your party is done.
Swimming in Latex at Fraser Island, Australia
8) Wet Room
The toilets at big parties always get a bit messy. This gets worse in the summer. Double up your bathroom cleaner routine. If you promote people to wear latex at your event, provide some large cloth towels for people to wet for the latex refresh technique. If your toilets happen to have a shower, set that up as the “wet room” to keep all the water splashing to one location. Be sure to put “Watch out! Slippery Wet Floor”. Line the floor of the area with non slip tape and provide plastic seats in the shower to prevent falls. High heels and wet tiled floors are not the best of friends…
9) Jelly Wrestling, Foam parties & other “Spring break” hacks
If you can’t fight the heat, use it to your advantage! Tropical holiday destinations have already solved this problem, so you don’t need to reinvent the wheel, so take some of their ideas and make it fetish! A large plastic children’s pool can easily become a jelly wrestling pit. But rather than make it messy with regular store bought jelly (which takes ages to set in the fridge) get the jelly directly from jello wrestling companies. Some of them offer different colors or even better to reduce staining potential: CLEAR Jelly! These purpose jelly kits don’t have sugar and they can be easily disposed after the party is done. Other ideas requiring more planning and investment are foam parties, latex pool parties or water gun fights. Yes, these are messy ideas and not applicable to all venues. But if you are planning to run an event in summer, you can make the “mess” part of the theme for the event, so people dress accordingly: to get messy!
http://www.jellowrestlingsupply.com/
http://www.jellywrestling.com.au/diy.html
10) Theme it up
Many fetish parties around the world use themes to inspire the guests to dress in the same style for the event. For example, “Back to school” events bring out the naughty students and strict teachers while “Guerilla” promotes all sort of military and camouflage dress ups. Theme your events according to the season. Like tip#6, promote costumes that match a summer role play. Here are some fun summer themes that will match with skimpy outfits fit to handle the heat: Toga/Gladiator/Egyptian, Gods & Goddesses, Beach, Carnaval, and science-fiction.
MKM & Ms Penelope Dreadful enjoying some shade in the Queensland sun.
In the Dungeon & Bedroom
In the winter, people may shy away from play because getting naked can be a challenge. However, summer brings some interesting challenges and options for play. Don’t let the heat ruin your fun, use it to your advantage.
11) Ice Stimulation
Use ice cubes within your sensation play. I normally alternate with candle wax for a hot and cold contrast, but in summer the skin is already so hot that the ice alone creates this effect. Just tie up your sub and run the ice slowly over the skin, or overwhelm them with splashes of cold water. Make sure you use a towel underneath them as things will get wet.
12) Watersports (Golden Showers)
Summer is the best time to do watersports (urination play). So if you’re into it set up a space and go nuts! I love setting my sub in a bath and then covering them in my golden nectar. In winter, I usually fill ¼ of the bath in warm water first. In the summer, you can use cool water instead, and again setting a lovely temperature contrast between the water and your body fluids.
13) Body Worship/Sweat humiliation
When things get sweaty in summer, use it to your advantage. Make your sub lick your sweat or make it drip over them as part of their humiliation dose in the session. I love doing body slides during summer as the sweating helps with the slipperiness.
14) Chastity Devices, extra summer precautions
Chastity lovers must be more careful during summertime. The extra sweating and heat increases the potential for chaffing in the private areas. So carry some baby wipes with you for refreshing yourself through the day, or reduce the number of hours you wear the device during summer months.
Show off your skin in the summer months, MKM at London Fetish Weekend.
15) Fans, Air con and Wet Towels
Summer time play requires some adjustments to the dungeon set up. Get a portable fan or air conditioner to keep your play space/bedroom cool. Things usually heat up during play and sex, so you’ll need extra cooling if you want to keep playing before you overheat from all that vigorous spanking and thrusting. Keep one or two wet towels handy as well for wiping off sweat as the frolicking gets more intense.
16) The fridge is your friend
Put your massage lotions and aloe vera gel in the fridge for a refreshing touch to your regular day of pampering. But beware, when you are getting massaged, your body can cool down fast, so keep a large towel handy to cover the body parts that cool down quickest (for example, the feet). You can also put a bottle of lube in the fridge for an erotic and refreshing touch to genital massages and anal play. On that note, you can also place pyrex glass and metal dildos in the fridge for cold insertions. Your sub is in for a surprise!
When it’s so hot to wear anything at all, you can add an extra treat to your sub by putting their undies in the freezer. This trick does not last long, but the cooling sensation is very erotic. Combine with the ice play and all of a sudden the heat is your friend, not your enemy.
Activities to avoid:
Fire play, candlewax, deep heat (Tiger balm), hoods, wigs, outfits that cover you up too much (Victorian gowns, latex catsuits, furry suits).
Outdoors & Day-to-Day
Even Darth Vader deserves a space in the shade.
17) Dress accordingly & Keep your head cool:
Take the club advice and apply it to your everyday. Choose soft airy fabrics, reduce the amount of skin you cover, and avoid covering your head. If it gets too hot, cooling your face and head will produce an overall body cooling effect. So again, wet a cloth and dab your neck and back of the ears. Bring a cotton scarf and wear it wet around your neck for a constant fresh feel or use it as a refreshing cloth for other body parts as well.
18) Umbrellas & parasols. In Australia, most gothic girls (and many boys) carry a parasol on a daily basis. Shade is not always available and the strong sun will get absorbed by your black clothes and cook you. Having your own portable shade reduces this effect dramatically. Not to mention it will also protect your pristine white skin from the sadistic ball of fire in the sky. Many companies make gorgeous parasol and umbrellas so that the accessory will actually enhance your Victorian outfits.
http://abitshady.com.au/gothic.php
http://www.gothicplus.com/canes-parasols
19) Walk on the shady side of the street:
This sounds like common sense. People in the tropics have a radar for shade. But in colder climates, the opposite is true. So you need to set your brain to the season. In the city, unless it’s the middle of the day, the buildings will often produce shade at least in one side of the street. So cross the road to be in the shade. It makes a huge difference.
Choose role plays that suit a skimpy outfit. MKM as Voodoo Queen with Marquis Embassador, Nicci Tristan.
20) Spare shirt, socks & towel:
If you will attend some outdoor fetish event, such as a street fair or parade, and your outfit is really warm, take a spare set of fresh clothes so you can get changed at the end of it. Most pubs will let you use their bathrooms, and then you can make your way home in comfortable clothes. I often dress up in fetish at home and get changed after, but if your outfit is easy to get on and take off, you can also do the same procedure before the event. Wear comfy cool clothes to the location, get changed, party and reverse the procedure at the end of the event. If you’re wearing boots, fresh socks will make a world of difference for your sweaty feet after a parade. Also take a towel so you can wipe off your sweat before getting into your fresh clothes.
Print out this guide and keep it near your fetish gear so you remember these tips when you’re getting ready to venture out into the heat. We have enough discomfort from tight corsets, crazy high heels and restrictive clothing. Being uncomfortably warm can be avoided if you so wish. But be cautious! Too much cooling can also give you a cold, and summer storms can get a blazing day to drop 10 degrees with little warning. So even in the summer, take a scarf, sarong, towel or cotton sweater in case you get some chills.
Happy Summer Shenanigans! Be Hot, but stay cool!
Sizzling Spanks!
Mistress Mercury
Article originally published in 2 parts on iFet.com, July 2015.