How To Find The Right Whip For Your BDSM Play

If you enjoy being spanked and you're ready to add a whip or two to your sex life, selecting the right one to fit your desires can be more complicated than you think. In the BDSM world, the word "whip" can refer to anything from floggers (the tools with a sturdy handle and a bunch of tails) to crops (like the ones used for horses) to single-tail bull whips, which are actually the most dangerous and ill-advised type for newbies, says Galen Fous, a kink-positive sex therapist and fetish sex educator.

All of these whips can be used in what the BDSM community calls "impact play," which can include spanking, whipping, flogging, and caning. Of course, you don't have to be deep in the world of BDSM to add a whip to your sex life. As long as you engage in impact play safely — meaning you communicate before, during, and after with your partner, and you make sure to only hit parts of the body protected by fat or muscle (like the butt or thighs) — then you should feel free to experiment with whips, if that's what turns you on. Fous says it's also good idea to practice with any new whip on a pillow, and start slow when using one on a partner who's new to this kind of play.

Think you're ready to add a whip or two to your sex life? Ahead, we've rounded up some great floggers, paddles, whips, and crops if you want to add some BDSM to your sex life.