Whether your sub dislikes impact or you’re simply seeking additional pain-play ideas for your toolkit, this article is for you. Negotiate with your partner and see what sparks their interest.
(Note: Always test new tools, toys, and substances on yourself before using them on your partner so you know what feelings and sensations you’re creating. Also, if you use any of these ideas for evil rather than fun kinky benevolence, I will come HAUNT YOU IN YOUR SLEEP FOREVER. Don’t do it.)
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1) Hot Sauce
It’s not just for devoted taco lovers. Naughty subs can benefit from a scorching tongue as well. This might be an appropriate punishment for a partner who has used foul or disrespectful language against you. Can’t be tolerating that sort of bratiness at all, can we?
Safety tips for this activity:
- Taste the level of spice for yourself beforehand, as every product is different. A drop or two is more than enough in some cases.
- Have some milk on hand to neutralize the burn if the sensation becomes too intense.
- Wash your hands before touching your eyes or moving onto other activities. Spicy fingers can be an unwanted surprise.
2) Figging
Figging involves carving a piece of raw ginger into the shape of a butt plug or dildo and inserting it into the anus or vagina to create a burning sensation. It comes on slowly, usually peaking within 5 minutes, and can take around 30 minutes to taper off. This activity can combine well with spanking and certain types of impact play, as clenching one’s orifices around the ginger intensifies the pain.
Safety tips for this activity:
- Make sure your sub isn’t allergic to ginger before you try figging.
- Carve the length of your piece of ginger into whatever width you desire, but make sure it’s tapered at the insertion point and has a wider base at the end for easy removal. You don’t want anything getting lost up there!
- Make sure it’s rounded and smooth, like a normal butt plug. Any sharp snags or angles will cause (unwanted, hehe) pain and possible tears to the skin, which can lead to infection and other problems.
- Some people like to use lube for figging while others don’t feel it’s necessary. Experiment and see which you prefer. If you do choose to use lube, silicone-based products are recommended for anal play.
- Wash your hands after handling the ginger to avoid spicy suffering in unwanted places.
3) Clothespins
These can be used as a fun form of torture on many different body parts, from labia to tongues to nipples and more. While wearing them is painful, the moment of removal tends to be the most intense. Alternatively, you can also use clamps.
Safety tips for this activity:
- Some of these pinchy tools are tighter than others. Choose ones that won’t create a risk of cutting or bruising the skin.
- Always keep a close eye on any part of the body that has been clipped or clamped. Clips and clamps restrict blood flow which is needed to keep organic human tissue alive and healthy. Tissue and nerve damage can occur, if these devices are left on too long. Any signs of blue/purple colour or cold to the touch, the device must be removed immediately!
- Good rule of thumb, never leave a clip or clamp on for longer than 15 minutes to make sure you don’t damage your partner. Everybody’s body is different so always start with a a minute or two and work your way up. If your partner is capable of handling 15 minutes make sure to remove the clips and clamps and allow that area to rest (blood flow to return) before reattaching in that area if you so choose. If you do reattach to the same area, try rotating the device 90 degrees to put pressure on a different part of the same area.
- Don’t have your sub wear clothespins or clamps for over 30 minutes at a time. Remove them immediately if numbness sets in.
If your partner is feeling particularly adventurous, you might even create a zipper, which is a string of clothespins or clips held loosely together by a cord or chain. Pull it and ZIP!, off they all come at once. Ouch!
Learn more about the zipper string method
4) Wartenberg pinwheels
Once upon a time, a guy named Robert Wartenberg invented a stainless steel tool designed to test nerve reactions when rolled across the skin. Modern versions made for BDSM usually consist of a handle attached to a spinning wheel of sharp, radiating points. Wartenberg pinwheels are extremely versatile. Used with less pressure, the sensation is akin to a light tickle. When pressed into the skin, especially over sensitive areas like inner thighs and genitalia, this toy can be quite painful. It makes a cool pokey pattern too!
Safety tips for this activity:
- Try not to push with so much pressure that you end up breaking the skin.
- Clean this toy after use so it doesn’t get gunky or harbor bacteria.
- Store this toy when you’re done using it. Accidentally leaning or stepping on the spikes makes for an un-fun surprise.
Want to kick it up a notch? Attach your pinwheel to a violet wand for electrical joy.
5) Electroplay
Speaking of violet wands, they are just one of several options for BDSMers who dig electricity. Electroplay with neon and violet wands involves shocking the skin at different levels of intensity, ranging from faintly buzzy to super painful. Another popular toy is the TENS unit, which uses the electricity within our bodies to cause involuntary muscle contractions. (Great for play centering around orgasms, too!) Some electro-toys are designed for external use, while others can be used internally.
Safety tips for this activity:
- Always keep electrical toys below the waist, away from the heart. These devices aren’t appropriate for nipple play.
- If your sub has a copper IUD for birth control, they probably won’t feel the electricity from toys used externally. It’s not recommended, however, to use insertable toys on subs with IUD implants.
- High voltage can burn the skin and leave scars. Increase the intensity slowly and carefully as you play.
- Remove all jewelry before clicking on the power.
- Don’t use electrical toys on broken or irritated skin.
Never use electrical toys on people with pacemakers or other medical implants. (See note above regarding copper IUDs.) Also, don’t use these toys on anyone who has a heart condition or may be pregnant.
6) Wax play
Not only is hot candle wax delightfully painful. It’s also great for making pretty designs! Cover your sub with colors and turn them into art.
Safety tips for this activity:
- Buy candles designed specifically for BDSM. Many normal candles burn at higher temperatures and contain ingredients that can damage the skin, resulting in scars.
- Everyone reacts differently to hot wax. Start by dripping on skin that’s less sensitive, holding the candle at least two feet above your sub.
- Never drip wax around the face or near the eyes, as it has a tendency to splash and travel before it dries.
7) Stress positions
Stress positions put acute pressure on isolated muscle groups and are painful to hold for sustained periods. You might order your sub into chair pose, the secret bane of yogis everywhere. You might also have them stand on their tippy toes in the corner with their hands on their head. Within a few minutes, they’re likely to be begging for mercy.
Safety tips for this activity:
- Holding stress positions for too long can cause muscle damage. Limit this type of fun to 5 or 10 minutes at a time and stop immediately in cases of numbness or sharp pain.
8) Uncooked rice
The feeling of dozens of tiny rice grains digging into your skin can be agonizing. You might sprinkle a handful onto a wooden chair and sit your sub there on their bare butt after a spanking. You might also spread a thin layer across a hard surface and order them to kneel. The possibilities are endless!
There aren’t any big safety issues to bring up here. However, as is the case with hot wax, play involving rice is messy. Make sure you’ve got a vacuum on hand.
9) Ice ice, baby
The sting of ice cubes can add an element of sensuality and surprise to any sultry BDSM scene. Most people choose to rub them over the surface of the skin. You might also consider buying an ice mold that makes spheres rather than cubes. With a smooth, round surface, they can be slipped inside the body and left there to torture your sub as they melt. Brrrrr, so cold!
Again, there aren’t any common safety issues here, as ice melts quickly once it comes into contact with skin. However, you should be aware of a condition called cold urticaria, which affects less than 1% of the population and occurs in twice as many women as men. Urticaria causes itchy hives to break out across the surface of the skin. On the off-chance that this happens during play, put the ice away and monitor the reaction. It should disappear within half an hour or so. In cases of severe, systemic reactions, people can actually go into anaphylactic shock from exposure to cold or freezing temperatures, but this is rare and unlikely to happen.
10) Needle play
Play involving needles can be especially exciting for masochists. Done well by a qualified dom, it’s an intense, smooth type of pain that can’t be achieved through other activities. Needles can be inserted all over the body to create cool patterns or provide sensation.
It takes proper in-person training to learn to use needles safely. I won’t get into any of that here, as no explanation I could come up with would be up to par. If needle play is an interest you’d like to pursue, you might check and see whether any classes are available within your local BDSM community, or try to land an apprenticeship with a body-piercing professional.
So, what say you? Feeling inspired? Great! Have fun out there, be safe, don’t forget the aftercare.
By Molly Lazarus
Molly Lazarus is a sex blogger, kink educator, and erotic fiction author. Her website, Kink Out Loud, serves as a resource for readers who are curious about BDSM or new to the practice. Offline, Molly acts as Volunteer Coordinator for the Bay Area chapter of Kinky Salon. You can follow her on Facebook and Pinterest, or browse her fiction on Amazon.
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