I tried Emla too, and in my experience the best way to use it is to change it into a different drug, something similar to vicodin, put it in pill form, and swallow several of them about a half hour before your session. Vicodin isn't too horribly difficult to come by since your'e not asking the doctor for a huge bottle, and it is less expensive than that creme too. I've got about $60 worth of it left, and I actually used some the other day to dig a sliver out of the meaty part of my hand, and even that wasn't completely comfortable. That's just been my experience with it though, I had a friend who swore by it but she applied it just like you described, so mybe it varies by person.
