Name: Natasha Strange www.KittenWithAWhip.com

Which sex work field are you in/were you in? For how long have you been in this field?

I am a professional dominatrix and have been since early 1995 - 11 years.

What is your preferred job title?

It depends on the situation of course, but it generally boils down to Professional Dominatrix.

How did you decide which type of sex work was right for you?

After leaving it and trying to work in the Silicon Valley. I worked in a dot com job for 15 months and while it was great to have a normal life for a bit, and a regular steady income, health insurance, and paid vacations... it left me feeling helpless - working with so many other people in charge of my time, empty and bored with the repetitiveness of it all. I have never been so happy as to just turn my attentions to this as my career.

How did you find your job?
I needed some way to pay rent and finish college. I started at a fetish and fantasy house in the SF Bay Area - Fantasy Makers. I planned to only be there till I finished college, but... well, here I am, 11 years later working for myself.

Briefly describe your working environment – office, home, agency,Incall place, street corner, brothel, etc. I rent dungeon space from another Domina. We have a private space near downtown San Francisco which is very well equipped for all kinds of BDSM games and role-plays.

How do most clients find you and/or book an appointment with you?

I advertise in two places - one on line (Eros-Guide.com) and one print (Dominatrix Directory International). In both of those places I direct prospective clients to my web site which tells all about myself, my interests, and my space. Over the years I've exchanged links with many other sites, Domina's, top-lists etc.

Tell us a bit about what your job involves.

My job involves a little of everything. I build and maintain my own web site, so there is nearly always something to do involving that - updating photos, text, updating links. There is also quite a bit of email to answer. I answer my phone each weekday between 10am and noon to screen prospective clients and chat with regulars. Screening clients can be difficult as some will call and call but never book, simply wasting your time until you don't have the patience to deal with the real clients. Some will also call asking if you indulge in fetishes just to chat with someone about their fetishes. I also tend to do yoga or some other exercise each morning. My job requires that I stay in at least decent shape! Occasionally I do photo shoots to keep my photos up to date. I also have errands to run to keep myself and the toys stocked and in running order (although I do tend to assign many of those to my personal sissy maid at this point). Finally, after all that is done, I have sessions. which can typically run anywhere from 1-4 hours, sometimes much longer and tend to leave me mentally and physically exhausted at times. This is not a simple easy career.

What is an 'average' appointment/session/call for you?

I tend to get to the studio at least 30 minutes before my client, sometimes more depending on the amount of prep work is needed. With a new clients we sit down and chat about interests, limits, health issues and concerns. Even if we have talked about all this via email or on the phone, I always like to have the information fresh in my mind and it also gives the subbie time to expand on important topics. Afterwards we play. That means different things to different people, from lite cross dressing, to heavy beatings. With some people it's all mental, others all physical. Part of my job is figuring all that out from a few phone calls or emails and a short interview. I generally have 5 minutes to figure out of someone needs to be comfortable to get off, or gets off on being uncomfortable, then 55 minutes to make it happen in ways they would never experience at home.

What's your weirdest client/session/call/request?

There have been many. I had a client rent an office space and hired two actors for a very intricate role-play. I've abducted someone and mummified them in mohair. Tonight I'm taking someone to a strip club, completely dressed as a woman, to get blow job tips from the strippers, then dropping her off miles from her car in stiletto heels, a very short skirt and huge breast forms and instructions to "hook it" home. Is that weird? ;-)

What do you like most about your job?

The variety and being able to run my own business. I like that I can travel any time I like, and sometimes have clients pay for it.

What do you like least?
Generally I love my job. I do wish more people would take it seriously though. And I hate getting something all planned, then having the client cancel. :-( I've worked really hard and am very lucky to have a large enough stable of clients to support me, but in the past, my biggest, number one complaint was always the unsteady cash flow. One week I would do very well, the next, nothing.

What would you like people to know about your work?

If you are thinking about being a Pro Domme, realize that it is a business. You need to have regular hours when clients can reach you. You need to be professional. You need to know CPR as well as CBT. You need to work your ass off to promote yourself. It is nice that you only have to have a couple of hours of sessions each week to pay your bills (depending on your dept of course!) but that booking those sessions can take a long time. And don't ever book with a client you don't feel safe with simply because you need the money!

If you could go back in time, and tell yourself one thing just as you were getting started in sex work, what would it be?

Something with flowers... ;-) I think I would have told myself to take Domination more seriously as a business (being that is WAS business school I was finishing!) instead of simply as a way to make some extra cash.