'I'm a professional dominatrix. This is what they don't tell you about the job.'

Born and raised in a country town, Ana always felt like she didn't quite fit in. It was the kind of place where everyone followed the script.

You finish school, go to uni, find a partner, move in together, get a dog, get married and have children. But that path never felt quite right for her.

"I felt like that wasn't the life I wanted to be leading," she told Mamamia.

So, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed with $800 to her name, 19-year-old Ana packed up her life and moved to Sydney. It was there she discovered the world of adult entertainment — and what power truly meant to her.

15 years on, Ana travels the country working as a professional dominatrix. Her life is anything but ordinary.

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Becoming Mistress Anastasia.

It took Ana years to grow into her persona of Mistress Anastasia, as she's known professionally. Her first step into the adult industry came through a friend, who introduced her to stripping.

"I was like, 'Well, if she can do it, I can definitely do it'," she recalled.

While stripping, Ana met other women who attended kink and swinger parties.

"It was the start down a really, really fun rabbit hole," she said.

"Stripping led to sex work and, skip forward to 2025, and I've been in the adult industry for 13 long years now."

After a few bad experiences, Ana realised she wanted more control in her relationships. So she leaned into the dominant side of herself.

"I am as what we call a 'switch'. So I can go from being submissive to dominant, but I'm only ever [submissive] in my personal life with my partner," she explained.

"Whereas in sessions, I always need to be the one in control and I love that and I love the power play and all the naughtiness that goes with it."

Ana found her power in the adult entertainment industry. Image: Supplied.

Beyond the latex and leather.

Life as a dominatrix isn't quite what you might expect. Ana offers a list of services and clients choose anything within her realm — whether that's a basic introduction to kink, with some whips and bondage, or something more intense like cuckolding (watching Ana sleep with another man).

"It's not necessarily what might be painted in the mainstream media or movies and TV shows. We don't stand on corners … it's very high-end and classy," she said. "We provide a luxury service to these clients that want to come and see us."

And no two bookings are the same.

"There's some people that I've seen for years now and as that relationship builds with my clients, you explore lots of different things," Ana said.

Sometimes, Ana even brings her partner into the mix.

"We are in what you call an ENM, ethically non-monogamous relationship," Ana said.

"We just like to be free-spirited and we run swingers and kink events as well as attend them."

Ana said she provides a luxury service for clients that's nothing like what you see in movies. Image: Supplied.

Strong communication is at the heart of it.

"We make sure we have the best communication that we can have to maintain boundaries and make sure we are having intimate time together, whether that's being on the couch, cuddling, watching a movie, or having us time in the bedroom," she said.

Becoming Mistress Anastasia isn't just about slipping into latex — it takes serious prep.

"One thing that's really underestimated is how much effort, time and effort goes into these sessions," Ana said.

Then there's the prep, the set-up, the cleaning, the client communication, social media and advertising.

"It's much more than people think," she added.

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Meet the clientele.

A lot of Ana's clients are high-powered corporate men — think CEOs, CCOs, suits. To her, it makes perfect sense.

"They might have family and it's really stressful, and then they go to work and that's really stressful. They're always the ones in control, making decisions, so sometimes it's really nice just to be blindfolded and let someone else do the work," Ana said.

"Your brain lets out all these amazing heavy endorphins, chemicals like oxytocin, dopamine, serotonin … you get this natural high from what is being released. I think that really helps clients just let go."

But it's not just high-flying men.

Some clients just want help with talking to women. Others are women or couples looking to explore something new.

"I remember there was this amazing couple I saw at the QT hotel… the man wanted to be dominated by his wife. And they were probably in their sixties and she just had no idea where to start," Ana recalled. "They wanted me to come in and show them and talk them through it and educate them."

Ana loves helping her clients let loose. Image: Supplied.

While sexual exploration is a fun part of Ana's work, she says it's not always about sex.

"There's so much of a psychological aspect to these people coming to a provider such as myself," Ana said. "They're learning about themselves. They're on a sexual journey and I love that I can go through that with people.

"I've done lots of weird, wild, and wonderful things. But at the end of the day, I'm bettering people's lives because they get this release when they see me or learning about themselves and that's amazing."

Sexual liberation, Ana says, helps break down stigma.

"I just want to impart all the things that I've learned over the years and help other people have a happier, hornier society, " she said.

Catch Anastasia on SBS Insight's Escaping Reality episode on SBS On Demand.

Feature image: Supplied.