Thursday, March 22, 2012

Behind The Zion Curtain

Photo by marcbalbi
Psstt... Come closer. I have a secret to tell you. There are kinky people in Utah. Yes, really!! Well, many of you already knew that I live here. But there are others, too! I know, it's hard to believe. Poor Utah gets such a bad rap by only being known for bad polygamist jokes, not selling booze in grocery stores, Orrin Hatch, and the disgusting creation known as "fry sauce". (Google it if you're unaware. On second thought, ignorance is bliss.)

There is much more to Utah than bad stereotypes. Bill Cosby declared Utah the Jello state. Wait, I said other than bad stereotypes. It's illegal to kill a seagull here and I'm told there are lots of things to do if you are one of those people who goes outside and stuff. But this isn't a 5th grade state report. You can look up fun trivia on your own time. Let's get back to the aforementioned kinky people.

My journey into the world of spanking began with SCONY. I've had a lifelong interest in spanking and a few years ago, that is where Google led me to. I joined their chat room, got to know a lot of really awesome people, and later traveled (and still do) to many parties and events. And that is the short version of how a girl from Utah became involved with a New York based spanking group.

But what of the Utahns? I had never attempted to find out if there was a "scene" here for a few reasons. One being that I love the group I'm involved with and all my friends there and didn't know if I had the time for more anyway. Another reason was that I questioned if there even was a kinky scene here, because after all, it's Utah. I had my doubts. And if there was, would it be at my comfort level of spank-y people or prominently other varying interests that weren't my thing? Anonymity was also a concern and something I was super paranoid about in the beginning. Salt Lake City is no New York City of course, but it's not like I know every person in the state either. But what if I saw someone I knew? What would I do?

All of those things kept me from venturing into things locally, until recently. Distance is taxing and I finally decided to just go for it and see if anything local existed. Thanks to FetLife, one can search for local groups and events and voila, some existed! Compared to some areas, things here seem to be a bit underground. I mean that in the sense that you'd be hard-pressed to find a party location listed online and just show up and be welcomed in. There are certain steps one has to take, which is understandable because who wants to welcome some complete stranger into their home?

My first step was a munch. (Side note- I really dislike the sound of that word.) Munches are a gathering of kinky people in a vanilla setting such as a coffee shop or a Denny's or wherever else they feel like meeting. There are regularly quite a few of these happening so I picked one that was close to me. I went in, got some coffee, and almost walked right back out. <insert nervous newbie jitters here> But I didn't. I located everyone and found the people to be really nice and friendly. I even discovered some shared interests of karaoke and Peeps. Score! That led to being invited to a play party, and that led to another party, and another munch, and another party, and lots of awesome people in between.

I always try to be conscientious of other's privacy so haven't written about any of these new adventures prior to this post. Plus there's been a lot of other things going on, in case you missed the depressed-fest that was last week. Anyway, I did attend a play party this past Saturday and my friends S and M (no pun intended) said it was okay if I shared about my scene there with them, so here goes. At the spanking parties I'm most familiar with, there are many opportunities to play privately and that's how I've always played. The idea of people around and watching me, especially in various states of undress, just makes me feel very anxious and uncomfortable. I seem to be the odd man out on that.

I mention that to explain a bit about the set up of where I was. There were a lot of different spaces for different scenes but everything is fairly out in the open. You can't go into a room, close the door and have your scene privately, and then rejoin the party. That's specifically not allowed actually because they have people there that need to be able to monitor the safety of everything going on, etc. That left me with two options. 1. Don't play at all. <sad face> or 2. Attempt to find a generally unoccupied space and just play anyway. The three of us found an empty room and set out the toys. Did I mention that lack-of-self-preservation-Lea (that's me) brought all my implements from home?

After discussing what could and couldn't be used and me adamantly mentioning that I'm kind of a wuss and bruise easily, things began. I'm always clear on the bruising thing, especially when playing with someone new, because some people are quite surprised at how quickly it pops up. I bent over the metal exam table thingy that was in that room and lifted my skirt up. This was on St. Patrick's Day so that was the theme of the night. And though my Christmas themed boyshorts were for the wrong holiday, they were at least green. M started off spanking me while S, bless his heart, hung out in the open doorway so we wouldn't attract a crowd. She started with her hand but then switched to some of the implements. Aside from the distinctive feel of my nemesis, The London Tanners domestic discipline strap, I couldn't always tell what was being used and quit trying to guess.

They switched back and forth with M spanking me for a while and then S, but a few minutes into it I was kind of zoned out so didn't always know who was who and what was what. Aside from the fact that it all hurt. Lol. I could hear some chatter from outside the room from onlookers but wasn't paying that much attention to it. I'm generally fairly quiet when receiving a spanking and this night was no different. There were a few oww's and kicks of the legs with particularly hard swats though. I was taking it all in and I believe the entire toy collection, theirs and mine, was about exhausted by the end. That was a LOT of implements. My stuff alone contained the strap, leather paddle, two wooden paddles, two bathbrushes, a flogger, and I can't even remember what else.

I was a bit surprised at how much I took considering all the toys we ran through. M commented that I had a panty line of bruises. She wasn't kidding. When I had a chance to look in the mirror later, I was quite purple all over. When we were done and I stepped away from the table to readjust my skirt, I even had a bruise on my thigh from leaning into the table that whole time. Sigh. I gave them both a hug and went to assess the damage, though I could already feel how sore I was and would be for a while. Someone commented to me that I take a really good spanking which made me want to look around me and say "Who? Me??" Lol. I went to sleep that night on my stomach but with a smile.

What have we learned? 1. There are indeed kinky people in Utah, and cool ones at that. 2. You can't know until you try. 3. I still bruise like a peach. 4. Fry sauce is gross. I think that about sums it up. Have a good weekend everybody!

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing. I have been to several munches and have had a fun time. I look forward to sharing experiences in three weeks.

A.S.S. said...

One of the coolest things about FL is that it opens your eyes to the fact that there are kinky people ~everywhere~. Now often times they will have interests that expand beyond spanking. But many of those people are into spanking too, and open to focusing on just that kink.

Have long-long known there were spankos in Utah though. The first two spankos I met online were both from Utah.... and this was back when I lived in California in the mid-90s and everyone had dial-up and the kinkiest adult community was found on newsgroups. They were careful though, and very much preferred meeting spankos from other states.

Then once Suzy and I got together, we have met a few spankos from Utah. They're definitely out there. They just tend to not be OUT THERE... as there are social reasons to be more private and hidden.

Really happy to hear you found a small group in the beehive state, and that you had a good time!

Hey, totally random blog question... how come you only show one post at a time? Just curious!

:)
~Todd and Suzy

bree said...

Yay! Good for you, Lea! I am very excited for you.

@Joey Joey, really! Three deleted comments? I can see one but three?! ;)

Erica said...

I don't want to know what fry sauce is. However, I was aware that Utah is quite the kinky place. I have a friend who lived there most of her life and she told me of scenes and parties that would blow your mind!

Marne said...

Lea, I'm glad you found kinky Utahns. Just don't forget us. We miss you in between Weekends!

Hugs -

Marne

Anonymous said...

@bree. And @lea. Mea Culpa

kiwigirliegirl said...

coo, post, you are getting brave Lea :) thanks for sharing....i wish there were such things here :( *sigh* nevermind

sarah thorne said...

A couple of things - first, curiosity got the better of me and I looked up fry sauce. While it does not sound appetizing, it wasn't nearly as bad as I was imagining!

At some Indiana get-togethers, they call it a slosh rather than a munch. Not sure if I think that is a better word.

I agree about Joey. Really?? lol

I am glad you ventured out and were able to find a group close by with whom you can socialize. That has got to make it more bearable!

sarah

sarah thorne said...

Oh, and btw, thank you for telling us what they call people from Utah (Utahns) - I had no clue! I just thought they were called Mormons!

sarah

bree said...

@sarah's @joey LOL.

@joey please give me the answer to this math question: 3 X 2 x mea culpa = ?

Anonymous said...

The more you tell me about Utah, the more I realize I should have failed my fifth grade state report.

I am very, very happy to hear you have expanded your horizons and made new friends, but don't forget that you are not allowed to love them more than you love us.

--Regan

SublimeWifey said...

Thanks for sharing your story. I've often wondered how to find a scene ... well not so much how to find one, but how to find the courage to attend a munch or any gathering that might reveal my spanking interests. It just feels like such a big step, a leap of faith, or trust I guess.

Lea said...

@joey, It can be a lot of fun, once getting past the nerves of first meeting people.

@Todd and Suzy, Who are these people you know and do you still have their contact info? ;-) I have my page set to only show one post at a time for more accurate stats. Then I know what's being clicked on most rather than if it all showed up on the main page.

@bree, Thanks! I think Blogger freaked out on Joey. Or maybe he was posting from a phone?

@Erica, Wow, really? Apparently I was the only one not in the know!

@Marne, I miss you all too! I could never forget anybody. "Whaddaya kiddin me with that?" ;-)

Lea said...

@kiwi, Maybe you should start a group local to you! :-)

@sarah, Fry sauce is gross but not the worst thing ever. Some Mormons are Utahns but not all Utahns are Mormons. You heard it here first.

@Regan, I don't think fry sauce was covered material in social studies. And don't worry, there's plenty of love to give. ;-)

@SublimeWifey, It can be a big step. I'm very shy and public situations can make me anxious. But I can certainly say all the wonderful people I've met are totally worth dealing with any initial nerves.

Emen said...

I am so admiring of your courage and determination and joy in your kink.

And I SO love the detailed, very hot play by play (sorry) of a world I'll never know.

I was so nervous when you walked into the Munch I did leave. Got the vapors and had to lie down.

Great post.

Anonymous said...

M and I enjoyed the scene too! Although, I watched much more than spanked so cannot take too much credit for the state of your bottom. :-)

I am very glad you decided to look into the local scene, and that we happened to sit near each other at the munch

-S

Lea said...

@Emen, Glad you enjoyed reading it. No need to be nervous for me. ;-)

@S, I wasn't always sure who was who. My hair is always in my face. Lol. I'm happy that we crossed paths. :-)

Dragon's Rose said...

I enjoyed my own stay in Utah and discovered the kink community there. It was fun while it lasted. I still miss my kinky friends. They know what a mouse I was at my very first party and never got to see me scene publicly. Now I know what I was missing.

Lea said...

@Dragon's Rose, There are definitely a lot of great people out here!