Bondage is a kink as old as time, but before you break out the rack and re-enact the Spanish Inquisition, there are a few things that you should know about the practice. You don’t want to be bound and gagged when you realize that you don’t like a certain position or restraint! Here are just a few bondage tips for exploring your fantasies in a safe and sensual way.

1. Experiment With Different Restraints

There are many ways to tie someone up or be tied up. Handcuffs are the most common, but you can also play around with ropes, scarves, manacles, zip ties and bondage tape. You can also have fun with different angles and access points. Are you interested in the eagle spread, or would you be more attracted to the hog tie? Do you want to get elaborate or decorative with the ancient art of shibari, or would you prefer something quick and dirty with a spreader bar?

2. Establish Trust With Your Partner

This is especially important if you’ll be playing with an escort. Bondage involves a lot of trust on both sides, and if either of you are anxious or nervous about what’s happening, the experience won’t be as fulfilling as it could be. You’ll need to work out a way to trust each other before any of the cuffs come out. Some people do this by creating safewords; others might make a checklist of “do”s and “don’t”s. Any method is fine as long as both parties are satisfied with it.

3. Take Away One of Your Senses

This is a tip that can elevate regular bondage into mind-blowing bondage. By putting on a blindfold or sliding some noise-cancelling headphones over your ears, all of your other senses will heighten, and every touch will feel a thousand times more electric. Add in the fact that you won’t be able to escape it since you’re restrained, and you have the recipe for an incredible experience with your escort.

4. Decide Where the Control Lies

A lot of bondage revolves around power play; one person takes all of the control while the other person gives it up. If this is what gets your motor running, go for it! However, if you’re unable or unwilling to play traditional bondage games, you can also work out ways for both of you to be in charge. For example, the person being restrained might have the freedom to give orders or direct actions.

5. Open the Toy Box

Once you start playing around with bondage, you’ve officially crossed the boundary between vanilla sex and kinky sex, so you might as well have fun with it. Have you always wanted to try anal beads? Does your escort moonlight as a dominatrix with whips and chains? Embrace this newer, kinkier version of yourself, and accessorize it to match your desires.