Rhythmic Caning

CANING!

Wow, your first reaction is “CANING?!?! Isn’t that painful/scary/kinky/dangerous?”

NO!

There is a significant difference between high-intensity caning of someone with a bamboo or rattan cane than what is experienced with RC. For people who enjoy being “Caned,” the attraction is that a TON of endorphins are released into the body after having one or more VERY intense strikes to the flesh with a cane. Pain releases endorphins, just as pleasure does. Or chocolate. Or drugs.

The difference in RC is that instead of the body experiencing a few VERY hard, VERY intense and VERY painful strokes of a cane, the body experiences hundreds, often thousands of tiny, stingy strokes, all of which release a tiny amount of endorphins. It’s more massage than a beating. While RC had its birth in the BD/SM community, it is something that is actually very capable of being a mainstream method of massage.

What you need:

1) A partner who has the ability to maintain rhythms with music, and an ability to judge when you are experiencing something that has gotten too intense. RC is not always something that would be used as foreplay! When practiced with your SO, however, it can be a GREAT intro to other bedroom activities. At the very least this should be a person who you trust completely. In this case, you’ll want to use “safe words.” Establish ahead of time that if you say the word “yellow,” what the massage artist is doing is at the maximum intensity level you wish to receive. If you say “red,” they are to stop IMMEDIATELY. These are non-negotiable. If someone rejects the idea, you shouldn’t do RC with him or her, PERIOD.

2) Some items to be used for the actual striking. Drumsticks are cheap and work VERY well. Many other common items work marvelously including wooden spoons, lightweight hairbrushes, cooking whisks, wok cleaning ‘brushes,’ paint stirring sticks… The possibilities are endless. Start with the drumsticks and go from there. Experimentation with new ‘drumsticks’ is part of the fun. You’ll find a growing variety and supply of items arriving. Oh… And don’t forget HANDS. Hands can change shapes, intensity, size and texture very easily. You can even use them exclusively. Experiment with the different sounds that can be made with them!

3) Music, preferably without vocals, or with vocals in another language. What you use depends on where you want to go with the massage. Slower, methodic songs are great for winding down and relaxing. Faster, more intense tracks, such as techno, industrial, dark wave and trance can be used if you want the massage to take you up. Another good thing that you can do is either build a mix CD or have your therapist do it. You can control where you go by how you stage the music.

4) Cool but not COLD drinks nearby for both parties.

5) A darkened room free from distractions and outside noises.

How it’s done:

You may have figured this part out by now, but the process is fairly simple. The first thing you need to do is to find a place when you can lie down and the therapist can sit or stand comfortably for the duration of the massage. Doing the massage is HARD WORK and it’s usually best to carry it through to completion without stopping. Start short and work up to longer sessions. Also, talking should be kept to a minimum!

The actual RC starts with the recipient laying facedown on a comfortable surface, either naked or in a very sheer outfit. The recipient should be checked for any bruising on the areas that will be massaged. IF THERE IS A WORKING BRUISE, AVOID THE AREA!!! The recipient should make themselves comfortable while the massage artist starts the soundtrack and dims the lights. The MT will then start applying strokes in time with the music. It is also QUITE acceptable for the MT to improvise and ‘jam’ while doing the session. The MT and recipient should be mindful that the impacts are controlled and applied with a level of force that both are comfortable with. Go back to the information about ‘Safe Words’ above, and remember to follow it!

From this point on, everything should fall in with the music and both people will do their part. Most people in the MT roll stay tuned in and focused on what they are doing. Most recipients actually may fall into a trance-like state. If this happens, when the session is done, be VERY careful standing and moving around until you’re sure you’re firmly on your feet again.

And that’s basically it in a nutshell. This is a technique that slipped quietly out of the BD/SM scene and is coming more and more into the mainstream. For some people it will be a gateway to more intense play, for most it will be, simply, the best massage you’ve ever had. For couples it can be a form of foreplay, as well.

So try out RC, experiment and have fun, while being safe and sane. This activity should be Safe, Sane and Consensual. Once you’ve figured it out, pass the info on to your friends for them to enjoy as well!