Bondage is the practice of consensually restricting a partner's movement, usually with rope, cuffs, straps, or similar restraints, as part of a kink or BDSM scene. It can range from light wrist ties to full-body rope work and is often valued for the physical sensation, the power exchange, or the trust it requires.
People are drawn to bondage for very different reasons: some love the feeling of being held or the rush of surrendering control, while others enjoy the focus and craft of tying, the aesthetic of rope, or the intimacy that comes from trusting someone with your body. For many, the restraint itself is less the point than the heightened connection and vulnerability it creates.
Worth knowing: Always agree on a safeword and check in during the scene, since restricted movement makes it hard to signal distress, and never leave a bound person alone.
Also called: rope bondage, shibari, kinbaku, cuffing, restraint play, suspension bondage, self-bondage, mummification, spreader bars, bed restraints
