Play Piercing/Needle Play Guide

Piercing the skin with hypodermic needles in a non-medical capacity is practised for many reasons, such as:

• Body piercing with jewellery (aesthetic)
• Body piercing with jewellery (spiritual/religious/symbolic)
• Hook pulls and suspension (recreational/spiritual)
• Artistic piercing and skin corsets (aesthetic/sensation, temporary)
• BDSM (sensation/sadism/masochism)

Here we're going to talk about needle use in BDSM and for temporary artistic piercings such as skin corsets.

So why do people use needles in BDSM?

The act of piercing the skin with a needle can trigger the body to produce hormones such as endorphins and adrenaline, which may cause desirable feelings in the person being pierced. This is one reason why some find body piercings ‘addictive’ – they find themselves craving the experience of being pierced as much as the final result. In BDSM, we can utilise these feelings to create rewarding experiences without creating a long term body modification.

Piercing can also create interesting physical sensations, including pain. Depending on the dynamic of the people playing, these sensations can be inflicted for the pleasure of the top/dom/sadist or desired by bottom/sub/masochist, or both.

Some also enjoy the atmosphere and the connotations of needle play, such as those with medical fetishes.

What was that about hormones?

When we pierce the skin with a needle, we trigger the nerve endings in the skin to send signals to the brain that the body is being damaged. In response, the brain produces endorphins to help manage pain. This can create endorphin ‘rushes’ or ‘highs’ which can cause a happy, giddy feeling or a floaty, light headed feeling. The body also produces adrenaline in response to perceiving itself as being under attack, and some people enjoy the feeling of an adrenaline rush (similar to why some people enjoy extreme sports such as sky diving).

There are numerous factors that contribute to whether a needle play session is painful or pleasurable, and this guide will help you explore different ways to use needles in your scenes. This guide will also discuss the safety aspects of needle play, the risks and what you need for a hygienic needle play scene.

To read more, check out the full article on our website