I was shocked when I found out that some BDSM enthusiasts don’t even know what Aftercare is! The session ends, they exchange a couple of words with their dominant and just go home. Someone will say that this is how it should be, but still, the pros believe that Aftercare is a mandatory part of every meeting. This concept includes something very simple – hugs, a small massage, and talking sessions, if suddenly there are any injuries, scratches, or hematomas, then your dominant can treat them with tenderness or even love.
Here a lot depends on Dominant because any decision about Aftercare is made by him. This is especially important if you practice something really extreme, such as bondage, strangulation, spanking, torture, enema, and especially really painful practices. Then an experienced dominant should not just pat his Bottom on the shoulder and give him a Band-Aid, but make sure that everything went exactly as it should have been.
For example, couples practicing binding and shibari should know the safety techniques to be able to recognize burns on the skin from the rope. If we are talking about electric shock games, you should also pay attention to what marks remain on the body. This is an opportunity to take care of the Bottom, to give him support and comfort, to give him exactly the feeling of need that many so lack. So to the question of whether Aftercare is needed or not, I would say yes.