JOE meets an Irish dominatrix

It’s all slightly terrifying but many an Irish man is spending time at the foot of a dominatrix. JOE had a chat with London-based Mistress Maisie from County Clare.

JOE: Tell me about what first made you get involved?

Mistress Maisie: Initially I thought the same as everyone else does about fetish – that it was about beating the sh*t out of people. Then when I was in my mid-30s, I seemed to attract quite a lot of people who were into foot fetish. People were coming up to me and asking if I would spank them. For some reason, I don’t know why - I must have been sending some sort of vibe out there.

Anyway, I was at a cocktail bar in London and I got talking to two guys, one of whom was waiting for his wife, who as it turned out came from Limerick. They were into fetish and we started talking about it. The other guy who was there lived with the couple and was also their slave. I didn’t know what a slave or submissive was at the time. They asked me if I wanted to come back to theirs and I ended up staying for three days.

JOE: So how did you develop from having an interest in it to actually working in the scene?

Mistress Maisie: The couple they told me about the London Fetish Market, which at the time was a massive event, and I went to an after-party. It was basically people dressed up in fetish clothing sitting around eating Thai food. I thought, “This is a bit tame.”

But then someone told me that the ‘play’ went on upstairs and when I went up the place was packed. Everywhere there were people whipping each other’s nipples, someone was on a crucifix, there were people electrocuting each other... I just thought, ‘wow’.  It was an Irish guy who put on the event.

There was only one free chair so I sat down. I noticed a group of guys walking around me; I remember thinking it was like being circled by sharks. So I shouted at them, “Excuse me, do you mind? Move!” And then they all went, “Yes Mistress!”

My girlfriends ask me how I could keep a straight face, and I say I don’t – I laugh my head off.

Afterwards they started coming over to me and asking if they could kiss my feet or if I could spank them. There were about 10 or 15 of them. I told them to line up in a queue and asked them one at a time a load of questions about fetish, how they got into it, the clubs they go to... It was a learning experience. I knew it wasn’t what I had perceived, but I wanted to find out what it was actually about.

One of the slaves in the queue invited me to a fetish club, I went and it was such an eye-opener. It was the best night of my life. At the time I was thirty-something and thinking, this is it, my life is over. There is nothing to look forward too, it’s boring. Finding fetish was quite an uplifting experience.

Anyway, I was asked if I would be resident mistress. I just watched at first and then decided to ‘play’ – I started working and remained there for three or four years. When I found fetish I was going out six times a week.

JOE: So is it one of these things that takes over your life?

Mistress Maisie: No, it’s not that it takes over your life, it’s just that it’s so much fun. You meet so many interesting people from all walks of life.

JOE: So are there guidelines at these events or is it a bit of a free-for-all?

Mistress Maisie: You wouldn’t go up to someone and smack their arse on the street, because it’s abuse. Likewise, you wouldn’t go up to someone and slap them just because you’re in a fetish club. There are rules and boundaries and a code of conduct that you have to follow.

JOE: Ok, so take us through how it works – a guy gives you a call saying he wants to meet you… how would the discussion go?

Mistress Maisie: I would ask him what he’s into, and ask him about his best experiences and his worst experiencs. They often have three or four mistresses so they think they know what to expect from me, but I’m not like other mistresses. When anyone comes to see me I would do a newbie session with them first – and it normally scares the bloody life out of them. I don’t hurt them, but they are fearful of what I’m going to do. My girlfriends ask me how I could keep a straight face, and I say I don’t – I laugh my head off. It’s just so much fun. And I meet so many nice people.

JOE: So how do you differ from the other mistresses out there?

Mistress Maisie: My website brings people in who don’t know anything about fetish and who want to try it. If you look at most mistresses websites, they say that they are going to tie you up, degrade you, make sure your life a misery, blah, blah, blah... Mine is more informative and talks about sharing the fun of the experience with people. It’s about having a laugh and a giggle.

I often have to put a blanket around them and make them a cup of tea when I’m finished with them.

JOE: When you meet men on a one-on-one basis – what type of things do these guys expect you to do, what services do you offer?

Mistress Maisie: Well, for example, I’ve got these electrics that are really sensual. I can put them on me and then put the pads on someone else. So when I touch them or stroke them it’s kind of like a tingly sensation. It has also got electric rings on it which I can put on your c**k so that’s quite nice as well. It’s not really painful – it’s about finding a balance because everyone has a different pain threshold. It’s not just about pain, it’s about the mixture of pain and pleasure.

When you are sharing an experience like that with someone you get a rush of endorphins in your brain. It’s like taking a drug. I often have to put a blanket around the people I've been dominating and make them a cup of tea when I’m finished with them. I’m not hurting them, it’s just because of that come-down from where they’ve just been.

What’s the strangest thing you’ve been asked to do?

Mistress Maisie: I’ve been asked to do a lot of strange things, but I’ve not done them. One guy asked me if I would let him lick my dog’s arse!

You’re joking….

Mistress Maisie: I’m not! I said no way, I don’t want some dirty old fart’s tongue up my dog’s arse! That’s disgusting. It wasn’t my cup of tea at all. People phone me up and ask me to beat them, or give them a thousand lashes. That’s just stupid, why would I want to do that to another human being? If I’m going to push a person’s boundaries I don’t just beat them from the minute they walk through the door to when they leave, you build up a pain threshold like that over years. You have to make sure they are secure with you.

It’s all a bit strange, isn’t it? Like the foot fetish thing…

Mistress Maisie: I specialise in foot fetish. Foot fetish was the most researched thing on Google when it first opened up and when you think about it logically it’s obvious where it comes from. For the first two or three years of your life what’s the first thing you see? Peoples’ feet!

So I’m assuming your wardrobe is quite odd…

Mistress Maisie: Some people are into the burlesque look, some are into the mistress look, and some are into the normal look – they want you to wear jeans and a t-shirt. I had my own dungeon but it was a waste of time because most people wanted to be in domestic setting.

So you’re from the West of Ireland I believe?

Mistress Maisie: I am. I’m a Clare girl.

Do you make it back here much?

Mistress Maisie: I haven’t been back for a while, but I’ve been asked to come back. I’ve so many nice friends, many of whom are clients, over there. I’ll have to get back soon though, definitely.

If you’re into this sort of thing then click here to book yourself in.

Robert Carry