What you need to know about Electroplay

Electroplay is something that we enjoy and through chats on the topic, we have managed to pique the interest of some of the other members who have also now tried it and enjoyed it. I thought it might be an idea to write a post outlining what we see as being the key things to know about electroplay. As always, I don’t claim any sort of expertise in the subject but I do write from my own experience. It is always great to have the thoughts and experience of others too so if there is anything you want to add or to ask then please feel free to do so in the comments section.

What is Electroplay?

Electrical play or electroplay as we call it, is play where electricity is used on the body to create different sensations. There are two main types of ‘toy’ used for electroplay: A violet wand or an E-stim unit. Violet wands use static electricity to administer a ‘shock’ to the skin, whereas E-stim uses a TENS system to cause involuntary muscular contractions. An E-stim unit operates in the low voltage, low current range, where violet wands are very high voltage and very low current.

More about Violet Wands

A violet wand tends to be very visual form of play and so it can be quite mesmerising to watch. The charge lets off a violet or neon glow, hence the name. The current can also crackle, especially on contact with the skin, so there is quite a dramatic sensory aspect to this type of toy. A violet wand feels a bit like static electricity and although it is described as being like a light shock, it can have a tingly or stingy sensation depending on the voltage. The sensation is caused by the spark touching the skin. Sometimes it can also give off a smell too.

While we were intrigued by the thought and the look of the violet wand, our own experience wasn’t quite as dramatic as we has thought it would be. Clearly a lot depends on the quality of the set that you get and this could have been part of the issue. The response was a little underwhelming for us and definitely not versatile for play at home as it was rather noisy to use. If you enjoy stingy, intermittent sensations rather than a more regular, rhythmic sensation then it could be that the violet wand would be something you might enjoy.

More about E-Stim Units

In contrast, E-stim works on muscle contraction. There are various different options but the most common sets use electrodes which are placed on the skin. You also get other accessories such as butt plugs, probes or cock rings. Unlike a violet wand, the sensation from an E-stim is felt as the involuntary contracting of muscles, rather than as a shock. This can start very lightly so it can hardly be felt at all, and then progress through tingling to pinching, to involuntary spasms of the muscles.

While E-stim uses the same sort of sensation as a TENS machine, they are not the same. TENS machines are designed for pain relief and not for sexual stimulation or pleasure. TENS machines are usually less powerful and won’t have the same sort of accessories as an E-stim unit. That said, if you have used a TENS unit before then the sensation will be similar. E-stim units are pretty versatile because of the range and intensity of the settings. If you are into more intense ‘pain play’ then you may want to use it at high-power, but for those who are into something more gentle, a low to moderate setting can be used.

Advantages of E-stim

We like the E-stim because it is silent so can be used at any point; we don’t need to wait for a hotel date or an evening alone. It can deliver the rhythmic, pulsing feeling of impact play such as spanking, for example, without the volume to go with it. Some of the units, like ours, have a flick sensation and even a paddle which means that you can simulate something more akin to impact. We tend to use ours on a constant as that is what works for us and I have linked some posts at the bottom which explain the ways that we use it.

Play can also be improved by using a conductive gel on the externally used electrodes as this spreads the stimulation out more evenly. Attaching a dildo or probe means that you can experience internal stimulation. When used vaginally or anally this can be really intense and feel sort of fizzy and orgasmic due to the deep muscle contractions. If you are playing with a partner then their bodies can also become conductors meaning that any movement will increase the stimulation from the electric current.

Final thoughts

While electroplay is pretty safe and the units are easy to use, it should not be used above the waist. You should not use it if you have a heart problem, a pacemaker, or are pregnant. Using electro sex kits on broken or irritated skin can be painful. We tried to use it after spanking once and learnt the hard way. When playing together you need to make sure that you set the unit up properly or you may experience some arcing.

We really like our E-stim kit and would recommend this sort of play. However, kits are expensive so it is a large outlay if you have not tried it before. We were able to try it out at an event to get an idea of the sensation which was helpful. We also realised that HL experiences the sensation on a different level to me, so we opted for a dual control kit so that we could both have a sensation which was right for us.

Hopefully this post will be a helpful introduction to those of you who are interested in trying electroplay. I have tried to keep it informative and factual but have linked some other posts which detail more about how it feels to be on the receiving end, and the ways that we play with it. Electroplay is also the prompt for Tell Me About this time so for more information, you might want to click on the badge to hop over there and check out who else is sharing their thoughts on the topic.

• Electro-play Our first attempt with a violet wand type kit
• New Year Fireworks – Our first time with the E-stim kit
• Electrical Connection and Electro-Play Master’s Touch explain the way that we play with the kit and more about how it feels.
• A Tens Tutorial is an account of using E-stim with the probe attachment. It is written as fiction but is based on personal experience.

Please note that this is NOT a sponsored post but we are part of the ElectraStim affiliate programme. This is because we love their products and would recommend them to you. The kit we have is the Flick Duo but you can check out their full range by clicking on this link. If you make a purchase using the link then we will receive a small percentage of the sale as a way of a thank you.

For more about other types of play, please check out our Play, Scenes and Kink posts.