When danger becomes desire, trust is everything.

Important note: The examples of knife play in this post were carried out by partners who have known each other for more than two decades and trust one another implicitly. We do not recommend recreating these scenes until you and your partner have an established bond and proper safety protocols in place.

Hello Lovelies and welcome to this tantalising post!

Today, we are going to be stepping into the exhilarating world of knife play. Whether you’re a Dominant or a submissive, knife play comes with incredible thrills for both parties. In this post, I’m going to share with you the what’s, the why’s, and how to have some fun for yourself!

What is knife play?

Knife play is a form of edge play involving knives, either sharp or blunt. It might include psychological threat or simulated threat, sensation play or using a blade to cut clothing (or even the skin!).

It is intensely psychological and requires an intense level of self-control, care, willingness and trust. Whilst types vary as we’ll discuss below, at its core, knife play is about the presence and risk of real danger, and the trust that the submissive shows to their Dominant partner.

Why might someone be into knife play?

For a Dominant partner, there is a rush in doing something taboo — holding a knife to someone — and doing it in a way that is both consensual and carefully controlled. Most Dominants do not want to hurt their submissives, but the thrill of adding danger and power to a BDSM scene can be very heady indeed.

For a submissive, knife play requires a phenomenal amount of trust. Your Dominant partner could hurt you — very seriously — and you’re trusting them not to. You’re also trusting in their skills to use a knife safely to, say, cut off your clothing without cutting you.

For many people, knives also come with a “bad boy” image, which means that they add to the intensity of something like a consensual non-consent scene, such as rape play. By feeling a knife against their skin, even if that knife is blunt, many submissives find it intensifies the scene and forces the compliance they may struggle to surrender willingly.

How did you discover you were into knife play?

It was a kind of stupid scene, in a way. I was visiting Master Levi when he lived with his Dad and he and I were doing the dishes, and after he dried a dinner knife, he ran the blade slowly over my back. I gasped at first and then I moaned; it was new and I loved it.

Since then he loves using a dinner knife to scrape the wax off of my skin after a wax play session, whilst I’m still bound and blindfolded. I love him and hate him for that — it feels like he’s just peeling me like a potato!

Share with us a hot memory featuring knife play.

Some of our BDSM sessions are a bit lacklustre. Perhaps we’re both tired, both cold, both full of food or just otherwise not really in the right headspace. Sometimes though, Master Levi gets totally into his groove!

Master had me bound and blindfolded and covered in melted wax. He stopped and I felt his weight shift, which is always unsettling because I didn’t know what he’d do next. Sometimes Master is nice to me — he might kiss me, stroke my hair or feed me his cock. On other occasions, though, he is positively evil!

So I can’t see him or feel him, and it’s always unnerving to lose track of your sadist like that! Suddenly I felt a blade on my skin and I felt him peel small sheets of wax off, and yes, I totally cussed him out, which made him laugh. It felt like he was peeling me — not painful, but I couldn’t tell skin from wax and that was throwing my brain completely. Having to stay still for him while he “peeled” me was heady too. I hated him at the time, but I love him and some of the ideas he has!

Do you have a favourite toy for knife play?

Believe it or not, we actually use my adapted knife! It has a chunky handle which makes it easier to hold and the curved blade has a point that my beloved sadist loves pressing against my skin! It feels ten times sharper when you’re blindfolded!

What advice would you give to someone getting into knife play?

First of all, always obtain consent first! This is one of those scenes where we don’t mess around, and the difference between having consent and not can be the difference between a kinky sex scene and a traumatized partner and/or a meeting with armed police! “I thought it would be a fun idea” is absolutely not a legal defence. You know who else thinks scaring people with knives is fun? Psychopaths!

Okay so sometimes in BDSM it feels like there’s a very fine line between acting like a psychopath and being a psychopath, but look. The point is, if they don’t know, assume it’s a no. Okay? There!

Secondly, never, ever start out with a sharp blade. You don’t need me to tell you this, but sharp blades are sharp! And we know what sharp things do to the skin? They cut it! A rubber martial arts training knife can be a great prop for your knife play scene if the blade is not the main character (such as a chase through the woods). If you really want something with a metal edge, consider a putty knife or a dinner knife until you’re more familiar with knife play, but always take care with how you use it. No poking or slicing motions!

If you’re cutting through clothing, hold the fabric away from your partner’s body and always cut away from them! If a garment fits too close, tear it or consider using bandage scissors, which are rounded at the tip to avoid injury.

Third, and related to safety, consider safety within the scene. Remember I talked in this post about that game of hide and seek in the woods, “relationship goals” videos you see all over TikTok? Do not be tempted to run through the woods with a knife in your hand! Not only is it a great way to get a huge spike in phonecalls sent to police dispatch very, very quickly, but if you trip and fall, you risk a serious or even fatal injury, and that seems like a rather dumb way to die.

Consider a sheath for your knife. Then at least you can pull it out with a dramatic flourish when you finally catch up with your “victim”.

When using a knife for sensation play or to remove wax, hold the blade flat against your partner’s skin and only ever use a clean, well-maintained blade, never a dirty or rusty one. You want them to feel the cold, steel blade and the roughness of the blade edge, not introduce an infection. Using the blade edge can cut, cause serious pain, injury and bleeding, and whilst some people enjoy it, cutting must only ever be done with expert training. We are not into cutting, so that won’t be something that we’ll be discussing in this post.

Finally, don’t forget to agree a safeword or non-verbal signal if using a gag, and don’t forget to check in with your partner often.

How do you make knife play work, as a disabled person?

Trust is absolutely paramount for me in a BDSM scene, and I will not engage in something that could risk my life (such as knife play or choking) with someone who I do not know and trust very, very well.

Communication is vital in BDSM too, and it is vital that my partners can understand me, both verbally and visually. It is essential that they can distinguish my playful resistance from genuine fear and adjust a scene accordingly. Safewords are important, but sometimes they are not enough. For a Dominant, knowing your partner like the back of your own hand can help keep you both safe and happy, and help keep a fun scene from potentially becoming a relationship-ending one. Being able to read their body language and respond to it can help keep you from unwelcome surprises. If you don’t know one another that well, now is not the time for knife play.

Communication can also play a huge role in agreeing on the kind of knife you use. Some people like the rush of a real blade, but for others, it’s the thrill of being chased, or the cold of the steel blade. For some people a real knife would be too scary, but knowing that it’s a blunt knife (like a dinner knife or a putty knife) would be fine. Both parties should be part of the negotiating process prior to committing to a scene.

Understand what adrenaline does to your partner’s body. If they are prone to fainting, seizures, blackouts, arrhythmias etc, consider carefully before proceeding. Also, if they have mobility issues, please don’t chase them through the park! A Dominant’s priority should always be on the safety of both parties.

Finally, understand any sensitivities. Whether your partner has tender body parts like I do, or can become overwhelmed through neurodivergence, it is important to understand that and adjust accordingly. I say this again — a BDSM scene should be safe and fun. It won’t be fun for either of you if you accidentally cause your poor submissive to have a meltdown!

Are you new to the world of BDSM? Be sure to check out our free Guide to BDSM here!

Until next time.

Stay safe & have fun,

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