Chin up harness - dildo harness by ASLAN Leather - review by Owl Identified

The ASLAN Chin Up Harness is a great way for, well, as my partner said to "see what [my] balls must see every day!" With this face harness the wearer has the ability to strap a wide variety of harness-compatible toys to their face and watch in rapturous awe while their partner is penetrated directly above them. The harness functions as a sort of mask which anchors a toy over the mouth of the bottoming person. The wearer is herein rendered silent by force and very vulnerable. Needless to say, this isn't the sort of thing you'd typically whip out on a first date; the Chin Up makes for some pretty heavy play that is safest when there is mutual trust and respect between partners. I also wouldn't recommend this for players that are new to BDSM. If you haven't sufficiently tested and come to understand your boundaries with BDSM play yet, you may find yourself feeling you're in a little over your head with this one. However, this is definitely something for beginners to work toward because it is truly a worthwhile piece.

So, who likes a little "forced" silence and vulnerability? Yes, yes, I can hear all the voyeurs, submissives, bottoms and others salivating and the thought alone. And who likes the idea of putting their voyeurs, submissives, bottoms and others firmly in their place? Likewise, I can hear all the tops, dominants, masters and others squirming in their seats with glee. But maybe you're not convinced that a few scarce straps of leather are enough to take you to new and cosmic places of pleasure. "Oh come on, I'm no stranger to face-sitting!" I can hear you now. Trust me; with the Chin Up this is a WHOLE NEW kind of face-sitting.

ASLAN's Chin Up Harness is made out thin and plush garment leather that settles so comfortably over your face that you could forget it was there. I know, I know, it's impossible to forget about if you're LOOKING at someone wearing it, but I wore it for a few hours around the apartment (for science, people!) and I seriously forgot it was there. Imagine the terror of my vanilla roommates when they came home and found me making stir-fry in a black leather face harness. Yeah.

This harness does have the faint, heady smell of leather about it which I think makes it that much sexier, but if you don't like the smell then you're not going to be a happy camper. The mouth piece is fixed directly under your nose, meaning that in addition to smelling your partner during your play sessions you are going to be smelling leather. Leather fetishists rejoice and vegans mourn!

As always, ASLAN makes one hell of a harness. Their attention to the details is incredible and they really don't ever seem to miss a trick. Comfort is taken into account and the leather used for this is wonderfully soft AND light weight which is awesome. The Chin Up Harness does its job and doesn't get in the way or distract from the main attraction by being uncomfortable to wear. All of the seams and the stitching are impeccable and can handle a pretty substantial amount of stress.

There are two Velcro fastenings on this harness --one that fastens around your head (laterally) and one that extends over the top of the head (toward the spine) that interlocks with the lateral straps. Initially I didn't like the Velcro because it seemed like a way to shave off a few pennies in manufacturing at the cost of quality. However, as soon as my partner strapped this on and lied down on the bed it immediately made sense. While Velcro may not be the sturdiest of all fasteners, metal buckles on the back of your head would severely limit the number of positions you could wear this in. Perhaps one of the most appealing positions (lying down) would be impossible as you'd have metal buckles poking into your skull. Masochism is one thing, but that's just no fun. In any event, the Velcro held up very nicely and did not come undone at any point, so it really didn't compromise the quality at all.

This harness does not have an O-ring attachment like most of ASLAN's other harnesses. Interchangeable O-rings come in a variety of sizes which allows a wearer to use any sized toy with their harness. Without an O-ring, you are really limited to use of dildos that are 1.75 inches wide and smaller. This is still a pretty wide range of toys that you are compatible with and unless you are a die-hard devotee to cocks that are 2"+ in diameter, you should be covered. Ultimately, the choice to nix a O-ring is probably for the best; an O-ring anchors the dildo outside of the mask, which would make it less structurally sound and probably more unwieldy in use.

I've already mentioned that the Chin-up Harness is VERY, very comfortable, but it's also very accommodating. Between my partner's big ol' melon head and my tiny peanut head this harness has proven to be incredibly versatile. It also sits incredibly snugly during use and doesn't wiggle around so long as you fasten the straps nice and tight. The only problem we really ran into is that my partner has very long hair and it was really difficult to keep his hair out of the Velcro. Even with both of his hands thrown in to the mix for assistance, I'm pretty sure it would take Vishvarupa-esque talents to ensure no hairs get stuck. Of course it's not the worst thing in the world, you just might lose a strand or two in the process.

I can't imagine this being an uncomfortable fit for anyone; it's just that good. The mouth piece even has a downward curving dip along the top seam so that there's nothing blocking your nasal passages, which ensures comfortable breathing the whole time. However, if you have sinus problems and have difficulty breathing through your nose, this may not make much difference to you. Because the mouth is covered by the toy of your choosing, you are in effect gagged, making breathing through the mouth next to impossible. This leaves you with breathing through the nose as your only other option, and if your nose ain't too clear to begin with, this may mean the Chin-up Harness is not a great option for you.

This has quickly become the new favorite of my partner and I because of how functional it is and because of the new series of new positions it has introduced to our repertoire! The easiest, as I've mentioned, is the classic face-sitting position which entails the bottoming party to lie flat on their back and allow the topping party to straddle their face. An oldie but probably still our favorite, this happens to be the one we turn to most often. However, this has also performed remarkably well in some pretty unusual positions: my partner has knelt in front of a wall, leaning back for support, while I have bent over in front of him and been penetrated in this way. He is even able to penetrate me while I am bending forward over something like a bed while on his knees; he can thrust as quickly as he is able (without getting whiplash) and the Chin-up Harness stays exactly where it's supposed to. The only thing I haven't been able to try yet is him lying flat across my desk (which happens to be the perfect height) with his head hanging off the end, while I stand straddling him and allowing him to penetrate me that way. I'm sure it would work out just fine, I'm just too lazy to clear off my desk :)

The most important thing is that this does NOT move around, the dildos do not shift during play, everything stays where it's supposed to. I say this is the most important thing because face-fucking is not without it's risks. If the toy slips and you move with the slip, you could end up bending the wearer's nose the wrong way or giving them a fat lip. Which reminds me that I should caution anyone that plans to use this harness to be VERY careful! There's a lot of delicate hardware on the face, and the last thing you want to do is break someone's nose at the height of orgasm. You should be cuddling after a play session, not filling out papers in the ER! It's also really important that the person wearing the harness works out a kind of safe signal because they will be unable to speak clearly while the harness is on. Something like two taps on the shoulder or clapping their hands together will work very nicely - just make sure that it's something that will be able to get your attention in the heat of things.

Leather is a pretty easy material to care for but you do need to be thorough. The Chin Up Harness can get a little messy, so you can spot clean it with a damp wash cloth and a tiny, tiny bit of anti-bacterial soap. Scrub gently, then rinse your wash cloth clean of suds and then wipe the soap off of your leather. Never submerge your leather. After cleaning pat away excess moisture with a towel and then allow to dry in a cool, well ventilated area out of direct sunlight (to avoid bleaching and over-drying). Once your leather is completely dry you can put it back in storage. You can condition your harness with leather condition if you desire, but it's not necessary. Also, remember that leather cannot be sterilized so there is a risk involved with sharing this between partners, as with any leather accessory. You can store your harness in most clean and dry places out of direct sunlight. I keep mine right in the plastic baggie that it came in :)