PLEASURE IN THE PAIN: The ABC of BDSM

Google search results for BDSM display more than 520 million results – more than your average DIY how-tos, although these two really are intertwined – give or take a few loose screws, untidy knots and different, innovative utilisations of a ladder. In a 2016 study published in The Journal of Sex Research, findings show that nearly half of all participating women and 60 percent of men fantasise about dominating someone sexually. On the flip side, more women and fewer men are turned on by the idea of being submissive or dominated. Also, 47 percent of adults were found to be keen on participating in non-traditional sexual activities. “Non-traditional?” you might wonder. Anything that’s not so-called vanilla – like the missionary position in a dark bedroom with one partner.

If we really allow ourselves to express our free will and to give in to our: artificial or man-made) is the sexual gratification stemming from an erotic desire for a certain object, item or body part – from feet to fruit. Fortunately, with the plethora of clubs, festivals, conventions and dark rooms available today, you can embody your wild side and find a place or person that caters for your unique kinks faster than you can say your safe word.