Hypodermic needles by Intropin
Would you like to try some needle play? How do you feel about play piercing? Wanna use my sharps later? Can I poke you!? These are all questions you might hear if you’re interested (or you partner is) in having holes put temporarily in your body. Play piercing is a type of activity some people consider edge play, though I find it remains a pretty common and enjoyable pastime for sadists, masochists, body modifiers, and the simply curious alike. People who play with needles get a lot of different things out of the activity, let’s explore a little further…
Why needles? People who talk about why they like play piercing often talk about endorphins. It’s an activity that tends to release endorphins pretty quickly without a lot of time or focus needed to get things going that way. Many who are into play piercing also mention how much they value the connection, energy play, or emotional attachments they might experience. It can be a profound and intense type of play to undergo, a spiritual one, calming, centering, grounding, exciting, orgasmic, frightening, overwhelming, bonding, unexpected, the list goes on. If you’ve had a part of your body pierced before you have a little idea of what play piercing might be like, if not the concept may seem bizarre or scary. Regardless, if you’re interested in the experience, I highly recommend trying it out with a trustworthy and experienced partner.
Prep ideas: You might have already guessed this is an activity that requires a higher degree of safety considerations than some other kink activities. Among these you will want to consider hygiene, skin prep, needle gauge, number of needles and amount of time it will take to complete the planned task, needle placement according to anatomy and presentation, the sterility of your environment and tools, health risks, appropriate used needle disposal, pain processing techniques, and clear ongoing communication. Before sticking someone (and possibly yourself) with a sharp object TAKE A CLASS IN THE SUBJECT. That is the clearest advice I can offer.
Negotiation points to hit: As you can imagine, negotiation when you are about to be a pin cushion/make someone a pin cushion is import and thoughtfulness, thoroughness, and really great communication are key. Aftercare is an important point to hit, as are a lot of the general negotiation basics, but there are some points that are specific to needles and blood play that you want to make sure you cover. Both the poker and pokee should talk about their situations concerning many of these: know if your partner has any blood borne diseases – what were the last dates and results of any testing they’ve had done, what risk factors apply to their lives? Ask about other health issues too: diabetes, asthma, hemophilia, medications they may be on like blood thinners, know whether your partner is sober! This is not a mode of play for the even slightly inebriated for reasons of good judgement, because of a need for clear feedback on sensation, and the higher than average risk of bleeding heavily. Know if the person has any idea about how they’ll react to being pierced psychologically, emotionally, and physically. Be able to guide the bottom in breathing techniques and pace play for adequate pain processing. Make sure that the bottom knows that if they call safe word in the middle of a piercing session that it will still take a little while to undo all the work that’s been done – the situation of the scene will not magically just evaporate in a second, and though the undoing can be done quickly, efficiently, and with regard to a lack of further agony being inflicted, it will still take some time and attention before being fully released. Make sure you talk about the lasting marks that needles leave. They will probably not be permanent scars, though there will be marks visible for a few days after play. These are just some considerations. I encourage you to do your research and think about more.
My first endorphin button! A lot of fun.
The holes in my body: Well, I have a few of them. Some are designed by nature, others self-imposed. My first experience with needles was at an event years ago where a local performance artist was pierced with a number of needles on stage during a show I was also performing in. I was mesmerized and drawn to the piece, and figured right there that I wanted to experience that some day. I got my chance almost exactly a year ago during my first ever kink scene. The person I was playing with and I had been playing for about 5 hours that evening and we ended the night with play piercing as our final stop. I loved it. You can imagine at that point I was pretty exhausted, but I was also very relaxed. There was no resistance to the activity and I found myself not only calm, but loving the sensations, surprised that it was as easy as it seemed to be, and definitely struck by endorphins. One of the things I like most about play piercing is that it is so connected to breath. To pain process, to fear process, and to pierce evenly and confidently the piercer and the piercee will use breath to guide when to push a needle in or pull one out. It makes the rhythm of what’s happening a beautiful and connected experience as well as one that leaves you with a feeling of accomplishment… Before the evening ended I had 13 needles in my right breast arranged into an “endorphin button” – meaning laid over one another so that when it was pushed on it would cause a certain amount of pain which released endorphins. I had another few sharps piercing my outer labia, a couple laced multiple times through my left breast, and one stuck extremely painfully, half-jokingly, and very briefly into the arch of my foot. It was a blast and I would repeat the experience without hesitation. After that session I was absolutely afloat with beautiful fuzzy warm endorphin laced feelings (though after 5 hours of play I don’t know what else I might have been feeling?). I have a special place in my heart for the activity to say the least.
Where can I learn more? Good for you!!! This is definitely a game in kink that you want an experienced and well informed top performing. It helps to have a well informed bottom in this activity too – don’t shy away from speaking out if you see something play out in an unsafe manner in your scene. By agreeing to do activities many consider edge play, you should also be agreeing to be more stringent in your technique, communication, and expectations. I definitely recommend Kink Academy for further education in this subject. There are a bunch of videos up about safety, negotiation, and what to be thinking about when playing with sharps, as well as videos on how to do it and more on what people feel. Fetlife is also a great way to find classes on the subject, learn more, and get support from the community of people who love it. You can’t do enough reading, writing, and sticking oranges in your pursuit of the perfect prick… and at some point getting really great about your negotiation methods and jumping in is the only way to get the experience and confidence you need to be a great play piercer/needle aficionado/sharps wielder! Good luck sticking it to the bottom; I hope everyone gets what they came in for.
To Breath and Being,
~ Karin
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~Thank you.
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