Is self-locking a stage in your chastity journey or an end in itself?

When I discovered male chastity I was single and thought my only option was to self-lock. I wasn't really aware it was possible to have a keyholder other than a wife or girlfriend.

I enjoyed that initial self-locking, I could live out many fantasies in my head, and have a much more powerful release after a period of abstinence. But I soon realised all my fantasies involved another person who held my key and controlled me. I found it hard to find an incentive to stay locked for more than a few days at a time, especially when the urges came on strong. So it was only a couple of months before I went online.

Over the last few years, I've had two online keyholders and I'm now locked by a Professional Mistress who I see in person. I would never have imagined going to a Pro in the beginning (I thought Pro Dommes were just about extreme pain play and humiliation), but I have absolutely no regrets. I've had some of the most sexually intense experiences of my life with my Mistress. The first time she played relentlessly with my cage, had me on the edge begging for release and didn't unlock me was pure heaven. And in addition to all the play, she is wonderfully caring and helps me in so many more therapeutic ways. It is admittedly a luxury service when it comes to finance, but in my view life is better with a few luxuries now and then!

So I'm curious whether others have found complete satisfaction in self-locking, and have no desire to find a KH, or whether having a KH is your eventual goal/dream. And if you don't have a partner you can ask, whether that's something you plan to address - either online, through visiting a Pro, or longer term through finding someone special to live with in the future.

I appreciate people will have different reasons for self-locking and if it works perfectly for you - then great. My 'advice' as far as it goes, is that if you like self-locking but would love to go further and don't have someone close to hold your key, both online (if done carefully) and professional 'in person' keyholding sessions can both be very rewarding next steps.

P.S. A note on Professional KHs, I know there's a common view about fakes and findom. I think that can be a risk online (though there are things you can do to reduce the risk). When you see a genuine Pro in person, and you build a rewarding relationship based on mutual trust, my experience is that fakes are not an issue!