The art of bondage: play for women in BDSM
Bondage for women: my honest examples, games, and tips for playing safely with rope, trust, and surrender.
Glossary
Bondage mat
The least exciting piece of bondage gear, and the first one you miss once you work on the floor a lot.
What is a bondage mat?
Bondage mat (Dutch: bondagemat) is a mat or rug you lay on the floor during floorwork, to protect the floor and keep your rope clean. It catches dust and moisture off the floor, and gives your knees, hips, and back something soft to work on. You roll it out before you start and roll it up when you’re done.
| Dutch term | bondagemat, one word. Also called a play mat, or a rug for rope work. |
| What it is | a roll-out mat or thick rug that goes on the floor |
| What it’s for | floorwork: bondage where you work on the floor instead of hanging |
| Why people use one | a clean floor, clean rope, and something soft under knees and hips |
| Not to be confused with | a crash pad, which is there to break a fall; a bondage mat is there to keep the floor clean |
What do you use a bondage mat for?
You use a bondage mat for floorwork, rope work where one person lies or sits on the floor and the other works around them. Rope that drags across a bare floor picks up dust, hair, and moisture, and that gets pulled back over the skin on the next wrap. A mat keeps the rope off the floor, so it stays clean between one session and the next. Meanwhile it spares the knees of whoever spends hours down there.
Why buy a bondage mat?
People buy a bondage mat once floorwork stops being occasional. The gain is small and real at once. You don’t have to stop halfway because your asanawa has gone gray with dust, and you’re not stuck kneeling on a hard floor when you’d rather keep your head somewhere else.
For anyone who works on the floor now and then, a duvet or a yoga mat does the job. Do it often, though, and a real mat is the difference between sitting a session out and staying in it. On a BDSM date I work on the floor myself, and then a mat like that isn’t decoration. It keeps the rope clean.
Related terms
- Bondage. The overarching practice, with the risks and the rules of thumb a mat belongs to.
- Floorwork. Bondage on the floor, exactly what a mat is meant for.
- Asanawa. The hemp rope a mat helps keep clean.
- Bondage tape. The other low-threshold tool to start with.
- Restraints. Gear that needs no mat, as a contrast to work on the floor.
Frequently asked questions
What people still ask about the bondage mat.
What is a bondage mat?
A bondage mat is a mat or rug you lay on the floor during floorwork, to protect the floor and keep your rope clean. It catches dust and moisture, and gives your knees and hips something soft to work on.
What do you use a bondage mat for?
You use a bondage mat for floorwork, rope work on the floor. The mat keeps your rope off the bare floor, so no dust or hair comes along, and it spares the knees of whoever sits on it for a long stretch. Anyone who rarely works on the floor gets by with a duvet or a yoga mat.
Who can you turn to with questions about the bondage mat?
Victor, a gigolo with twenty-five years of experience in BDSM and a background as a psychotherapist. Bondage is on his yes list, light or firm, and he does floorwork with real hemp rope. You can ask him a question with no obligation through the contact form or chat for free first.
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Still have questions about the bondage mat?
I'm Victor. A mat is the most boring piece of gear and still the first thing people ask about the moment they want to work on the floor. Go ahead and ask about yours. No obligation, I'll message you back whenever it suits you.