The NY Post has an article suggesting spanking can reduce anxiety and interrupt fretful thought loops. It’s probably just an excuse to feature a sexy pic or two, but I’ll take a mainstream article with a positive spin on kink. Particularly one that’s gender neutral and doesn’t take male dominance as the default.
I always used to find thwacky impact play soothing, but in the last year or so it has been more of a mixed bag. I think my skin has got more sensitive as I’ve got older and sometimes blows will trigger itching and an unpleasant heat. Maybe I just need to moisturize more. Certainly when I can get into the right zone, a good spanking is a lovely way to destress.
I’m not sure of the source of this photograph. I have a suspicion it’s really old. Not 100% sure but it reminds me of a spanking series that was floating around on usenet 20+ years ago.