Mistress Leonor – Interview with the Barcelona Dominatrix

Mistress Leonor is a professional dominatrix based in Barcelona. With a background in visual arts, anthropology, and documentary filmmaking, she approaches BDSM as a form of artistic expression, spiritual exploration, and personal transformation. Her fascination with Catholic mysticism and the relationship between pain and pleasure shapes her distinctive understanding of female domination.

In this exclusive interview with Lady Sas, Mistress Leonor reveals how an encounter at a queer BDSM party changed the course of her life. She explores the psychological and spiritual dimensions of submission, explains why trust and vulnerability are essential to her work, and offers a fascinating glimpse into Barcelona’s vibrant Femdom scene.

Lady Sas: How did you first enter the world of BDSM, and how did your path eventually lead you to becoming a Dominatrix?

Mistress Leonor: My entry into BDSM was born at a crossroads, where I found myself faced with the possibility of starting from scratch in a new environment. With an academic background spanning the visual arts and anthropology, I was actively searching for a subject on which to begin writing my second documentary. I set out to find a project that would accommodate rigorous intellectual inquiry as well as performative practice.

The epiphany came when I attended a queer BDSM party for the very first time. For years I had been studying colonial art, fascinated by the religious imagery of martyred saints whose flagellation borders on mystical ecstasy. Suddenly, in that dungeon, I observed a blindfolded woman, immobilised in the stocks, being punished with a small device studded with spikes. After 10 minutes, the woman removed her blindfold and her face radiated the peace of someone who had just awakened from a deep slumber, despite her bleeding legs. It was the same phenomenon as in the paintings of martyrs, but this time unfolding before me in flesh-and-blood bodies. I found it profoundly revealing to realise just how paradoxical the ecstasy shared between pain and pleasure can be: the simultaneous yearning and annihilation of the self.

After that night, I secluded myself for three months of frantic study before putting my own body into action. I deliberately avoided commercial pornography and devoured literature on the numinous, the rites of pain and their biological underpinnings. However, during my first year working as a Dominatrix, whilst I persisted in writing and rationalising everything, the distance I maintained as a researcher became unbearable. I realised that I could not plunge into the abyss of the other if I observed them from such a distance; I feared that by maintaining a rational gaze, the magic of the ritual would shatter. So I set aside my files, put my notebook away and gave myself over completely to the living experience. I needed to get my hands dirty in the mud of the present, to inhabit the blood and the silence alongside the Other. This meant opening myself up to encounters involving a level of intimacy that I found difficult to come to terms with at first, where extremely complex emotions were intertwined.

As I write the script for the documentary, even now I’m still unsure what my role in it should be: should I remain anonymous behind the camera, or is the right thing to do to step forward and enter the frame? However, it was through my psychoanalytic therapy that I realised this threshold of indecision was, in fact, the time I needed to consecrate myself to this calling without any pressure, embracing the challenge of beginning to practise domination, crossing the bridge of my desire without guilt and with the unwavering conviction that, when the dungeon door closes, a realm opens up in which my very being is transformed.

The Art and Spirituality of Domination

Lady Sas: You describe domination as an art and as a practice that can connect beauty, pain, pleasure, and transformation. What does domination mean to you personally today?

Mistress Leonor: Today, I conceive domination fundamentally as a strict discipline of the spirit. It is a space designed to exercise fortitude of the will through voluntary submission, where pushing the flesh to certain extremes can reveal the sublime nature of existence once pain is embraced. Much like in the most rigorous performance art, physical exhaustion, the imposition of limits, and repetition act as a trap for the mind: there comes a point when the ego collapses, consciousness empties itself of its constant noise, and the individual manages to fully inhabit their existence in the present moment.

In a contemporary world devoid of rites of passage, performing hierarchy and the capacity for reverence allows me to guide the Other toward learning the art of ecstasy in a process which, in its nakedness and vulnerability, resembles the experience of an adult baptism: a simple yet deeply meaningful act, where one feels so much yet knows nothing, because objects and “profane certainties” dissolve into a constant interplay of reflections.

Within these sessions, I have come to understand that the sacred is inherent to the human condition and that our pursuit of transcendence is inescapable. For me, practising domination has been a way of sharing my own exercise in devotion, which I learnt in various communities. My most intimate desire is to try to divest violence of its mundane crudeness, to abstract it from its merely physical meaning and transform it into a transcendent act, a sort of “symbolic suture” in the face of the world’s profound failings and structural demands, so that the one who surrenders may restore internal and external peace within themselves.

“Today, I conceive domination fundamentally as a strict discipline of the spirit.”

— Mistress Leonor

Lady Sas: Your background in the art world seems to have a strong influence on the way you approach BDSM. How does art shape the atmosphere, rituals, and experiences you create with your submissives?

Mistress Leonor: For me, art is the language through which I am able to transcendentalise violence and make it sacred. From my experience as a performance artist, I understand that for the ritual to take place, the physical environment must cease to be homogeneous. In the radical separation between the inner sacred and the outer profane, the dungeon stands as a Centre, a single, fixed point where I present the submissive’s physical body as an altar. Art shapes the atmosphere through radical simplification, isolating stimuli to achieve maximum attentional tension. The presence of specific elements, such as a black velvet kimono, the ever-present fire of a lit candle, liturgical incense made in Andalusia, the soft light, and the blindfold at the start of the scene, is enough to construct a sacred structure. Whilst there is no transfiguration, what I seek is the transformation of one’s own perception through what Alejandro Jodorowsky calls a ‘psychomagic act’: to detach oneself for an instant from the tedium of contemporary subjectivity, opening up a dimension where it is possible to ‘reset’ ourselves through vulnerability and experience contact with the sacred.

However, I am aware that over-aestheticising domination can distance it from its visceral rawness. This entire liturgical framework is my theoretical proposal, the ideal setting that unfolds when all the elements converge to allow us to plumb such depths: the submissive’s level of experience, the trust we have woven, and my own state of mind. It is constantly shifting. The dungeon is not always a sanctuary, nor does it demand a heavy spiritual burden at every encounter; there are days when I simply want a raw session, focused solely on physical punishment, and I move forward or back as I read the responses of the person before me.

Sustaining attention and remaining present as if it were a Kammerspiel is non-negotiable, but it is vital to allow myself to play and flow. Unlike classical theatre, where blood is paint and pain is simulated, in the dungeon, vulnerability, tension and flesh are undeniably real materials. The room operates as a liminal enclave where desire, fury, ecstasy and reconciliation coexist, allowing us to transmute our most intense energies. Amidst all that rigour, there must always be a crack left open to laugh, relax and let chaos take us by surprise. To understand human fragility is to accept that, at times, true catharsis arises not only from the solemnity of the ritual, but from the shared lightness within it.

Credits: Photos of Lady Sas & Lady Victoria by Thomas F., AI-edited by Franziska

Between Pain and Pleasure: Eros and Thanatos

Lady Sas: You often write about the relationship between pleasure and pain, Eros and Thanatos, the sacred and the profane. What fascinates you most about these contrasts?

Mistress Leonor: What fascinates me about these apparent polarities is that they do not operate as irreconcilable extremes, but as necessary thresholds of transmutation, a dialectical alchemy: neither can reveal its ultimate meaning without surrendering to the substance of its opposite. To access the light, one must descend into one’s own shadow; to attain spiritual sovereignty, one must know how to bow before the abyss of vulnerability; and to brush against the sacred, one must dare to fully embody the density of desire and the fragility of our mortal condition.

For me, pain, symbolic death, and renunciation are not the end of the experience, but the indispensable raw material through which consciousness is cracked open so that awakening and the fullness of being may come to pass. From this springs the intimate correspondence between Eros and Thanatos: death is the fertile reverse of life. For the fruit to exist, the flower must be sacrificed; for a transcendent erotic union to take place, one must accept the dissolution of the boundaries of the individual self. While the profane world reduces acts to utilitarian or biological functions, the irruption of the sacred founds a parallel reality where the body ceases to be mere matter, and the wound, at last, acquires a profound meaning.

Lady Sas: Trust seems to be essential to your work, especially because some of your more intense practices are reserved for submissives with whom you have developed a deeper connection. How does such a relationship evolve over time?

Mistress Leonor: The evolution of this bond over time is, at its most intimate root, the patient construction of a shared, versatile territory. It is usually woven through mutual compassionate respect and the non-negotiable premise of not betraying the trust we have so slowly built. I demand patience from those who arrive without knowing how to navigate certain protocols, giving them the time they need to learn to ground themselves; to the more experienced, on the other hand, I present myself as willing to explore new facets of Leonor. That only happens when I intuit that I can trust, always ensuring that technical skill never degenerates into mechanical or meaningless repetition.

Along this path, words and distance have been an essential cornerstone. The exchange of emails, although at times I find it exhausting due to the density and introspection it demands, is extremely gratifying to me. From a distance, writing allows them to unfold without the immediate physical intimidation, articulating their fears, their memories, and the folds of their own desire.

As the bond matures, the boundaries of the experience expand organically. I only open my intimacy to those who have previously had the courage to share theirs with me; it is something that is built slowly, but when trust becomes solid ground, the relationship transcends the limited framework of a typical session. With some submissives, I have felt so comfortable that we have even spent a whole week together, finding the balance needed to create a refuge where we can unwind and let tenderness and stillness coexist with discipline.

The Power of Submission: A Dominatrix’s Experience with Shibari

Lady Sas: You have also explored submission yourself, including your first experience with Shibari. Did experiencing vulnerability and surrender change the way you understand your own role as a Dominatrix?

Mistress Leonor: Until that moment, relinquishing control in intimacy had seemed like an unfathomable dimension to me. Whilst I am used to exercising control in various areas of my life, I had previously exposed myself to ceremonies that demanded the bending of the will; rituals that were uncomfortable, yet necessary for exploring myself beyond my comfort zone. In Latin America, I delved into various sacred plants and disciplines, such as Ayahuasca, San Pedro, temazcales, Kambo, and physical endurance tests, which revealed to me the brightest and darkest landscapes of my psyche. However, it was always a pursuit sheltered within a community, sustained by spiritual leaders with vast experience. By placing blind faith in their guidance, surrender became a natural step and, in a way, a decision that left little room for hesitation.

In contrast, Shibari confronted me with a solitary abandonment. Setting control aside in that context was the key to understanding the true nature of my work, for I discovered that submission harbours an honest and paradoxical form of freedom. Although I have had ‘switch’ sessions where the hierarchy has alternated in a playful and organic way, on that occasion I inhabited a plane of silence which, whilst it began as a sort of experiment, I never imagined would lead me so quickly to such profound depths of feeling.

Feeling the restriction of the ropes brought me back to a primordial calm, as if I were resting in the arms of a mother who no longer exists. That catharsis would not have been possible without the pact of safety and reciprocity of the one holding the ropes. I was then able to understand what I had previously only blindly intuited: the Dominatrix is, above all, the custodian of the rite. This experience completely dismantled any temptation to exercise a merely technical or tyrannical form of domination.

The West has structured power as the imposition of a sovereign subject upon a passive object. Undergoing this voluntary renunciation taught me that my sessions are far removed from that oppressive logic: within the ritual atmosphere, the figures of master and slave dissolve to make way for a shared presence. I grasped the immense gesture of trust made by those who come to me, and understood that my body must act as both a channel and a mirror: sustaining the environment so that the other may empty themselves of the ego’s demands and touch their own shadow. I understood that this bodily experience requires dying symbolically so that, as in the myth of the phoenix, we are forced to be reborn from our own ashes. Having been tied taught me to gaze upon the fragility of others with devotion and tenderness.

“I discovered that submission harbours an honest and paradoxical form of freedom.”

— Mistress Leonor

Lady Sas: How does Spanish society generally view Femdom and professional domination today? Do you notice a difference between public attitudes and what people privately desire?

Mistress Leonor: In today’s Spanish society, there is a profound schism between public discourse and what pulsates within the intimate territory. On the public surface, a mixture of residual taboo and moral judgement prevails, as the historical weight of a Judeo-Christian morality that secularised guilt persists. Added to this is a contemporary perspective which, by reading power solely in terms of oppression or one-way violence, is incapable of conceiving that submission and rigour might constitute an environment of care, introspection or sovereignty.

In private, however, what is revealed is a desperate need to be seen. In an era when human contact is becoming diluted and their experience is growing increasingly sterile, those who turn to submission yearn to be part of something genuine, seeking a transfer of living energy and raw emotions that can only occur through shared presence. By suspending the demands of daily life and shedding the ego through physical limits or ritual, the person who surrenders finds a place where their vulnerability is held, integrating consensual pain, tenderness and desire into an experience of authentic liberation.

Inside Barcelona’s Vibrant Femdom Scene

Lady Sas: What is the Femdom scene in Barcelona like? Does the city have its own particular character compared with other places you have experienced?

Mistress Leonor: The Femdom scene in Barcelona is vibrant, rich, and fascinatingly complex; the performative level and the variety of proposals are exceptional. Being such a cosmopolitan and culturally magnetic city, it nourishes the scene with diverse profiles, both of those who dominate and those seeking to submit. Many of the Dommes who live and work here come from the visual arts, academia, dance, theatre, or activism. This energises the practice, lifting it beyond mere transactional exchange and turning it into a true laboratory of human exploration.

Furthermore, the craft here often operates as a collaborative network. Sessions are sometimes orchestrated in pairs or trios, a synergy that introduces a profound dynamism to the space. This shared approach, driven by respect and intellectual curiosity, allows the practice to constantly sophisticate itself, ensuring that our experiences in the dungeon become authentic, living works of art permeated by a certain theatricality and Mediterranean warmth.

Lady Sas: What advice would you give to women who are curious about exploring their dominant side privately with a partner but do not yet know how to begin?

Mistress Leonor: The first step, and perhaps the most decisive one, is to neutralise guilt and dismantle the cultural mandate that has historically confined women to passivity, modesty, or the role of a mere, compliant mirror of others’ desires. When a woman first feels the urge to guide, direct, or impose her will in intimacy, she often experiences this restlessness with bewilderment or fear of moral judgement, as if she were committing an offence. However, recognising one’s own eroticism is not a destructive transgression, but an act of inner sovereignty and reconnection with instinct; it involves understanding that embracing the desire to command does not strip you of your femininity, but rather intensifies and liberates your individuality.

To put this curiosity into practice with a partner, it is best to dispense with commercial caricatures and the pretence of coldness or theatrical cruelty. A single deliberate gesture is enough to consecrate the threshold: dimming the lights, lighting a candle, invoking silence, or imposing a guideline as elemental as demanding the other close their eyes and regulate their breathing. By transforming the room into a ritual territory, bodies become altars where every act holds presence and mystery.

Likewise, it is essential to understand that authority is rooted in affection, mindfulness, and containment, never in disdain or blind violence; and that the body functions like a muscle that requires training, discipline, and time to truly surrender to the process. The calm firmness of a whispered command holds a deeper power than any display of physical force.

Finally, my greatest advice is to understand that one’s own vulnerability is the very root of power. To hold the vertigo and the abyss of the other, one must have learnt to look one’s own shadow and fears straight in the eye, understanding that domination is a constant mirror. The scene must be born after agreeing upon boundaries with honesty and care, and must always conclude with a return to tenderness and mutual shelter. Guiding another’s surrender is not about erasing the partner, but about embracing the generosity of directing a ritual where matter, the body, and desire become a living ceremony of trust and transcendence.

Beyond the Dungeon: Mistress Leonor’s Private Life

Lady Sas: Away from BDSM and your work, what do you enjoy doing in your free time?

Mistress Leonor: Away from the intensity and almost ceremonial focus demanded by the dungeon, my private life naturally leans towards contemplation, slowness and art.

As a documentary filmmaker and visual artist, the act of creation is my vital refuge. I have recently returned to the canvas and to painting, immersing myself in compositions that converse with what I see in my dreams. I tend to dream almost every night, so every day I have a great deal to process upon waking. I channel that same sensitivity through my voice, taking private lessons in lyric singing with a soprano who integrates coaching and NLP. It is a double-edged training, as I refine my vocal capacity whilst simultaneously working on how I present myself to the world.

Barcelona has a vibrant cultural life. I frequently visit the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the Palau de la Música Catalana and various concert halls, alternating this artistic stimulation with the proximity of the sea and the mountains, where the landscape restores my sense of perspective and calm. I also nurture a constant devotion to books; I run a small project selling and rescuing highly specialised literature, which leads me to lose myself for hours amongst second-hand bookshops and dusty shelves in search of rare and forgotten texts.

In my daily life, I cultivate intimate, patient rituals that ground me. I take meticulous care of my houseplants and am constantly experimenting with the principles of interior design and Feng Shui to make my home a harmonious and dynamic environment. I enjoy wandering through the Mercat dels Encants on the hunt for treasures and vintage garments with memory, and I devote time to the study of astrology. There, the rigorous analysis of birth charts and solar returns, both for my submissives and for those in my close circle, offers me a lucid distance to decipher the labyrinths of the human psyche. Perhaps one of my most delicate gestures is raising the caterpillars that occasionally appear amongst my plants, accompanying their evolution and observing the subtle singularity with which each one inhabits its cycle, as a reminder of the beauty inherent in metamorphosis.

Lady Sas: What are your plans for the future?

Mistress Leonor: For the time being, I am awaiting the international premiere of my first documentary, An Eclipse and Chaos, at the 2026 edition of the Rizoma Festival. At the same time, I am completing the script based on my experience as a Dominatrix in preparation for filming. I have provisionally titled it Virgin Appears Once in Life, alluding to those who cross the threshold and experience a session for the very first time.

Alongside these projects, I will continue to share my findings and reflections on my blog, a logbook that has been vital in distilling my experience with submissives. My intention is to continue delving deeply into Catholic mysticism, an inexhaustible wellspring that nourishes my visual work, my private life and my practice in the dungeon, constantly revealing to me the bridges between the flesh, faith and redemption.

And beyond the screen or the dungeon, my most essential plan is to preserve a quiet, intimate and profound existence. I want to continue inhabiting my refuge in Barcelona, tending to the everyday, anchored in the present and safeguarding the inner silence that allows me to create, love and dominate from a place of absolute presence. Always faithful to that uncompromising curiosity that has led me to discover places that cultivate my capacity for wonder.

Lady Sas: Thank you very much.

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FAQs

Who is Mistress Leonor?

Mistress Leonor is a professional dominatrix, visual artist, and documentary filmmaker based in Barcelona, Spain. With an academic background in visual arts and anthropology, she approaches BDSM as a practice that combines artistic expression, psychological exploration, ritual, and spirituality.

How did Mistress Leonor become a dominatrix?

Mistress Leonor discovered BDSM while attending a queer BDSM party. Fascinated by the relationship between pain, pleasure, and religious imagery, she began studying the psychological, biological, and spiritual dimensions of BDSM. After several months of research, she started practicing professional domination.

What makes Mistress Leonor’s approach to Femdom unique?

Mistress Leonor views female domination as an art form and a spiritual discipline rather than simply an exercise of power. Her sessions can incorporate elements of performance art, symbolism, sensory deprivation, and ritual. She seeks to create experiences that encourage vulnerability, self-discovery, and personal transformation.

What BDSM practices does Mistress Leonor explore?

Mistress Leonor’s approach includes physical discipline, psychological domination, sensory experiences, and ritualized submission. She adapts her sessions to each submissive’s experience, boundaries, and the trust established between them. Some more intense practices are reserved for individuals with whom she has developed a deeper connection.

Why are spirituality and rituals important to Mistress Leonor?

Mistress Leonor draws inspiration from Catholic mysticism, religious symbolism, and performance art. She believes that carefully constructed rituals can transform ordinary BDSM experiences into meaningful encounters with vulnerability, desire, and the sacred. Elements such as candlelight, incense, silence, and blindfolds help create the atmosphere she seeks.

How does Mistress Leonor view trust and submission?

For Mistress Leonor, trust is the foundation of meaningful domination. She believes that submission should be voluntary and supported by mutual respect, communication, and clearly established boundaries. Her own experience of surrender during a Shibari session deepened her understanding of the vulnerability involved in placing oneself under another person’s control.

What is the Femdom scene like in Barcelona?

According to Mistress Leonor, Barcelona has a vibrant, diverse, and creative Femdom scene. Many professional dominatrices in the city have backgrounds in visual arts, academia, dance, theater, or activism. She describes a collaborative community in which joint sessions and artistic experimentation contribute to distinctive BDSM experiences.

What advice does Mistress Leonor give women interested in female domination?

Mistress Leonor encourages women to explore their dominant desires without guilt or pressure to imitate stereotypical BDSM performances. She recommends starting with simple gestures, clear communication, and mutually agreed-upon boundaries. In her view, authentic female dominance grows from confidence, empathy, mindfulness, and the ability to guide a partner’s surrender responsibly.