Ah, balloons – great for drawing faces on, popping in strangers’ faces and constructing inflatable genitals from during tedious birthday parties. For a colourful subculture of people, though, balloons are the only thing that get their juices flowing. In the name of journalism I explored the lure of balloons, to see if I could get hot for stretchy rubber...

‘Looners’, as they affectionately call themselves, fall into two categories. The first, ‘poppers’, get their kicks from bursting balloons; after the tense anticipation of inflation, the mini-explosions give poppers a delicious sense of release. Non-poppers, on the other hand, prefer touching themselves with inflated balloons and feeling the rubber squeak against their skin.