Anal play

What is it?
All things ass-tastic: anal fingering, analingus, anal sex, anal toys, pegging, barebacking, coprophilia (ugh) and enemas.

How do I get started?
Babeland and TES routinely host anal-play workshops, but NYC’s queen of ass is indubitably Tristan Taormino (of puckerup.com). Buy some Anal Eaze numbing gel and do some stretches with a slim butt plug. For inspiration, check out Belladonna (enterbelladonna.com) or anything hosted by Nina Hartley (nina.com).

What are the risks?
Bacteria loves the bum. Contact with a dirty hole can lead to STDs, UTIs, HPV and HIV/AIDS. Rough sex can cause tearing or rectal prolapse.

Insider tip
“Look, you wanna fuck your girlfriend in the ass? Stick your tongue in there and make her scream,” says anal enthusiast and Penthouse Forum columnist Selina Fire. “Let her play with your butt, too. It ain’t holy ground.”

Bondage

What is it?
Bondage is being bound—it implies being under the control of another person. It can be as mild as tied hands, or as harsh as being hog-tied.

How do I get started?
“The first time I was tied up, it was with old neckties!” says Lolita Wolf, who teaches the art of restraint at bondage mecca the Eulenspiegel Society (TES). Restraints (ropes, chains, harnesses) can be found at Purple Passion in Chelsea, and you can bond with like-minded enthusiasts at DomSubFriends (domsubfriends.com).

What are the risks?
Besides causing welts and bruises, Wolf says tying too tightly can lead to nerve damage and cut off circulation.

Insider tip
“I love blindfolds,” says Wolf. “They create vulnerability and surrender—and no one will see if you’re fumbling with the ropes!”

Breath Control

What is it?
Intentional reduction of oxygen during sex, achieved through smothering, rebreathing or queening (suffocation by face-sitting)

How do I get started?
Rent Nagisa Oshima’s 1976 film, In the Realm of the Senses. If you’re still turned on, watch the Paddles (paddlesnyc.com) schedule for breath-play instruction sessions. Gas masks cost about $30 at a military surplus store; total-sensory-deprivation hoods cost $300 and up. Hands are free—and the safest.

What are the risks?
Loss of consciousness, brain damage or death. One false move with a garbage bag and you may as well use it to dump the body.

Insider tip
“Repeat hypoxia leads to death of neurons in the brain—and we have a finite supply of them,” says Victoria Zdrok, a former Playmate and Ph.D. in clinical psychology. “Breath-restriction play must be rationed!”

Electric play

What is it?
Using a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) machine or violet wand on the skin makes for shocking sensations.

How do I get started?
TES spark specialist Boymeat suggests you read Juiced by Uncle Abdul, then take a class (at tes.org). At the very least, talk with the electric-smart salesclerks at Purple Passion. Violet wands are great for starters; use them anywhere except the eyes. TENS is strictly for parts below the belly button (it can interfere with the heart’s circuitry).

What are the risks?
Um, death, heart attacks, seizures…and using wands in the same place too long can cause severe burns. Be careful!

Insider tip
Don’t scour eBay for used electricity sets. “God only knows if the circuits are still in order!” Boymeat warns. Oh, and you can buy expensive gel conductors, but saltwater works just as well.