Sensation play

What sensation play is

Sensation play is the deliberate use of touch, texture, temperature and other stimuli to create experience in the body. It covers a huge range: a feather trailed down a spine, ice on the inner wrist, fingernails along the ribs, a Wartenberg pinwheel, a blindfold that makes every touch a surprise. It can be entirely gentle or it can shade into pain, and it is often the first kink couples try because it is so easy to begin.

Heightening the senses

Much of sensation play works by removing one sense to sharpen the others.

A blindfold is the simplest and most effective tool in kink. Without sight, the person being touched cannot anticipate, and even familiar touch becomes intense. Earplugs or headphones add another layer. Restraint removes the ability to move toward or away from sensation, which many people find focuses them completely. Together these form sensory deprivation, which can be deeply relaxing or deeply intense depending on how it is used.

Go slowly with deprivation. For some people the loss of sight and sound is calming; for others it triggers anxiety. Agree a verbal check-in rhythm and keep physical contact so the person always knows where you are.

Tools and textures

Almost anything can be a sensation tool. Common choices include:

• Soft: feathers, fur, silk, a soft paintbrush, fingertips.
• Textured: a rough towel, a loofah, a hairbrush, velvet against the grain.
• Sharp (without breaking skin): fingernails, a Wartenberg pinwheel, a claw glove, the edge of a credit card.
• Pressure: pinching, clothespins, nipple clamps, gripping, a firm massage.
• Temperature: ice, a warm cloth, chilled or warmed glass toys, wax (see the wax play guide).
• Vibration: a vibrator used anywhere on the body, including places it is not usually aimed.
• Wet: water, oil, a cold drink trickled slowly.

Contrast is the engine of a sensation scene. Soft after sharp, cold after warm, stillness after movement. Alternate, surprise, and return to something familiar before the next unexpected thing.

Building a scene

Start with a comfortable, warm room and a person who can relax. Negotiate anything to avoid: ticklish spots that are unpleasant rather than fun, areas that are off limits, any items that cause anxiety. Pinching and clamps should be discussed in advance.

Begin with sight removed and touch that is purely pleasant. Add textures and build toward whatever intensity you have agreed, with pauses that let the body settle and anticipation grow. End gently, remove the blindfold slowly in dim light, and allow time to come back.