A: First of all, BDSM is an umbrella term that covers an extremely broad spectrum of kinks. Even as an acronym, it can have different interpretations on what the individual letters stand for, including Bondage and Discipline, Sadism and Machoism, Dominance and Submission. Thanks for popular media, often when people think BDSM, they think whips and floggers, bondage and latex and leather. Yes, that’s definitely part of the BDSM spectrum but there’s no need to jump right into the deep(er) end when starting out.

Open communication and continuous dialogue are always important, but sometimes it’s hard to know where to start, especially if your partner is not very aware of their own sexuality in the first place, which is common amongst people that have been raised conservatively. Many of them may not even be aware of what they like or don’t like. After all, you don’t know what you don’t know.

Okay, so you’ve agreed to start exploring? What’s next? Start slowly introducing toys like cuffs and rope with your partner. But what kind of toys? Take a trip with your partner to a sex store and note what they gravitate towards. It’s often an enlightening process and you may be surprised at what will draw the curiosity.

If your conservative partner is against a public place, find a very tame BDSM video and ask to watch it in the privacy of your own space. It’ll allow for a chance to see they’d like to try something similar.

One recommendation on a “starter” toy the blindfold. Everyone has one somewhere around, whether it’s a scarf, eye mask, a tie etc. Many people think spanking is a good introduction to BDSM since it can be done with just the palm. However, spanking can be a very hard thing to introduce as a beginner. The reason is twofold: people associating spanking as something they did wrong as a kid and it takes a lot of awareness to recognize it as a kink and not as a demeaning punishment; there is some techniques and learning required to spank properly such as where best to spank and how best to hold your hand to what shape.

Once the door is open, enough that your partner is also comfortable exploring their own sexuality and reading on their own, things like kink quizzes online can then help narrow down on the types of play and help you and your partner find common ground.