What is it?

Electroplay, is a fairly common form of play throughout the BDSM community. Being an overall safe and versatile form of play it’s one that can be easily picked up by beginners or expanded upon by the more experienced individuals in the community.

Electroplay makes use of various electrical implements to induce a shock or other sensation on the bottom. This can range from a sharp sting, to a buzzing or vibrating effect. Many different individuals engage in this type of play due to the large range of sensations it can produce. I personally have used it even as a form of “tickling”.

History

General

While the history of electricity and humanity dates back to around 500 BCE, we mostly have the 19th century to thank for modern electricity. I’m going to just do a brief overview with some bullet points as this history can get very convoluted very fast.

• I’m going to start in 1879. This was the year that inventor Thomas Edison created the lightbulb. His bulbs could be powered at low voltage and made indoor electric lighting practical.
• In 1882 Thomas Edison created the world’s first coal-fired public power station in London.
• In 1887 Nikola Tesla had already filed a series of patents that described everything necessary to generate electricity using alternating current, or AC.
• In 1892, Nicola Tesla, traveled through Europe, lecturing and met with Paul Marie Oudin and Jacques-Arsène d’Arsonval in Paris where they discussed ways of building electro-therapeutic devices.
• In 1893 AC technology from Westinghouse (Tesla) was contracted for use at the Chicago World’s Fair, rather than DC power from General Electric (Edison).

Kink

While kink events are often difficult to pinpoint historically, I’m going to do my best here. Here it appears that the use of electricity in kink is about as old as wide-spread use of electricity in general. When Tesla and Oudin met and discussed their electro-therapeutic device, they came up with their first design. Based off this design Oudin built the first “violet ray” and wrote an article on using it to cure skin disorders. This device was presented to the World’s Columbian Expo in Chicago in 1893 among Tesla’s other inventions on display.

… the Oudin coil. This device, very similar to a Tesla coil, could produce very high voltages from several hundred thousand to a million volts. In use, the brush discharges from a pointed electrode attached to the high voltage terminal of the coil would be played over various parts of the body to treat a variety of medical conditions. The Oudin coil was used in electrotherapy and diathermy through the 1920s.

• Source

Since the creation of this violet ray it saw continued use throughout history. Even appearing on page 138 of the 1932 edition of Popular Mechanics! Seriously, take a look at the ad and see if you can tell any difference between that and a modern violet wand.

General Categories

Electroplay is typically separated into two distinct categories. I will briefly touch on them here.

High Frequency / High Voltage

Certain electrical implements such as a violet wand fall into this category. A Violet Wand uses an extremely low amperage, but high voltage/high frequency current to produce sparks. Implements in this category typically deliver a sensation that can be described as burning, tingly, stingy or static electricity like. This sensation is caused by the spark from the unit on the skin. In some sense the user feels what could be described loosely as a shock.

Low Frequency / Low Voltage

A Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation or TENS Unit falls into this category as it uses low voltage/low frequency electrical current to provide sensations to the muscular tissue under the skin. Implements in this category typically delivery more of a thumping sensation and can be described akin to getting a massage. This is caused by the effects of the electricity on the muscular tissues.

Safety

As with everything we do, there are certain safety considerations that need to be accounted for. While electroplay is generally considered fairly safe, we still need to be mindful of things that could go wrong should we not respect it.

Ground Fault

One of the largest dangers of electricity play would be something that causes household current to travel through the toy and into one of the participants. While possible this is usually unlikely and typically only occurs if your toy gets wet causing a short. It can also happen if a an outlet is not wired properly. Remember to never get your implements wet! If you want to be extra safe using something such as a portable GFCI during play and testing an outlet with an outlet tester can provide further protections.

Medical Implants

Medical implants can have unexpected and adverse reactions to external electricity. The typical rule is to stay a minimum of 12″ away from these items. For example, if someone has a metal plate in their leg, then the other leg or groin should be ok.

Heart / Heart Conditions

Your heart runs off electricity and is very sensitive to it. When playing with someone ensure they do not have a heart condition, or an item such as a pacemaker. Even if they don’t it’s important to avoid running current across where the heart is located. Though a TENS unit may be safe to do this, I would still advise against it.

Pregnancy

If the bottom is pregnant, I’m just going to say no. End of story. Do not engage in electroplay with a pregnant woman. Sure you can probably do something limited, but do you really want to risk it?

Insertables

Do not put anything inside of anyone that isn’t meant to be there. While many violet wand attachments could easily be placed inside of someone, there are specially made insertables for this purpose. If it’s not made for or rated to be inside the human body, then it doesn’t go there! You risk burns, nerve issues, and a host of other problems.

Flammability

As I mentioned in my Fireplay 101: P2 writing, violet wands can be used to ignite fuel sources. This goes for anything that could potentially create a spark (not just violet wands). Be mindful of any flammable materials nearby and ensure that proper precautions are taken to avoid unintentionally burning the dungeon down.

Breaks in the skin

It is important to avoid any breaks in the skin. Any open wounds, cuts, and at times even scars can increase the conductivity of the skin and change the intended effects on the bottom. Typically this will result in a more intense and/or painful sensation than what was originally intended.

Final Word of caution

I’m just adding this excerpt in here in case anyone is not taking the warnings above seriously:

A few cases of accidental death as a result of autoerotic electrostimulation have been reported in the forensic science literature; the cases reported involved mains-powered, self-made devices, with current passing through the chest intentionally (usually via nipple stimulation) or unintentionally (for instance, touching an energized part with a hand). In one case reported in the press, a man from York, Pennsylvania was sentenced to 20–40 years in prison for third-degree murder and reckless endangerment after killing his wife with electrostimulation to her nipples directly from a power strip plugged into the mains

• Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erotic_electrostimulation#Violet_wands

Types

Violet Wand

A violet wand is a toy that is comprised of essential two parts. The first part is the wand itself which is nothing more than a power supply. The wand transforms your household current into a steady stream of sparks that we use to play with. The next part is the electrodes and/or attachments. These are what is used to actually apply the current to the skin and provide for a wide range of sensations from a mild tickling to the worse pain imaginable.

The electrodes can come in a variety of materials but the most common are glass. Glass is a fairly poor conductor of electricity and as such gives a much more mild feeling. There are also metal and silicon electrodes that can be used as well, from my experience the silicon tends to pack the biggest punch.

While use of the violet wand on the human body is relatively safe, one should not allow the sparks to linger too long in one spot on the skin. This could produce minor burns similar to sunburn, but is not necessarily life-threatening as other electrical toys may be, as described below.

TENS Unit

The TENS Unit is a completely different type of electrical toy from the Violet Wand. In fact TENS is an acronym for Trans-cutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation, meaning it travels through the skin. The TENS unit is designed to cause muscle contraction and is actively used in the medical field today. The upside to TENS units is that they are relatively cheap and can be found on Amazon for around $20. The traditional configuration uses disposable electrodes that adhere to the skin.

These electrodes can be placed in a variety of places on the body to cause different effects and sensations. However care should be taken that electrodes are not placed on opposite sides of the heart! See the Safety section above. There are however other devices that operate in a similar fashion to TENS units such as butt plugs, or vaginal penetrators. For these the receiver does not feel a sense of shock but rather a muscle contraction which can cause extremely pleasurable effects to the receiver.

Pain Inducing

I created this category in this writing as there are many implements that are simply designed to inflict pain, whether this be mild or extreme. Some that most would be familiar with is the Taser. While primarily used for self-defense this can also be incorporated into a BDSM scene for added effect. This can be used on the bottom to inflict pain, and/or to intimidate. Something such as a Cattle Prod can be used for similar effects.

Of course there are also kink specific toys such as the Tazapper that creates an intimidating sound and spark with moderate to mild pain. However this one is primarily used due to it’s intimidation factor.

Insertables

Over the years many companies have developed various types of insertables that can be used with electroplay. As I stated above, ensure that these are made to be inserted and are rated to be inside the human body. Items such as butt plugs, probes and other types can provide a wide range of sensations and sexual outcomes.

Others

As you can tell there are many different types of electrical implements. I have only chosen to cover some of the main ones, as covering them all would take writing a book. Just know there are many that can be used, but do NOT use anything other than specific kink toys unless you’re an electrical engineer or have similar knowledge and experience, even then it’s iffy.

Aftercare

Ensure that the bottom’s specific aftercare needs are discussed prior to starting any event with electricity. During aftercare it’s important to ensure that any burns that may have occurred are carefully examined and if the bottom is showing increased signs of irritation it may be a good idea to have them checked by a medical professional.

Remember that electricity can cause “invisible burns” or burns to underlying tissue that may not be readily apparent immediate after a scene. If there is a visible burn it will typically be worse than it actually appears. Due to this it is important that you follow up with anyone that may have bottomed for you here continually in the days following to ensure nothing appears later.

If you are ever in doubt, seek medical attention.

Final Thoughts

As with all of my instructional writings, I don’t claim to be an expert at everything…or anything! If you believe some part of this is incorrect, or needs to be adjusted, or something just needs to be added to it. Then comment it below, or send me a message and I’ll be glad to make any necessary corrections.