LELO boa pleasure ties - restraints discontinued by LELO - review by Owl Identified

The Boa Pleasure Ties from luxury company LELO are a beautiful and unique addition to a toy box for any level of BDSM experience. Made from feathery light silk but fitted with sturdy chrome closures and durable stitching, these restraints manage to achieve elegance and beauty while being incredibly tough. This balance between aesthetics and function make these accessible to couples looking to venture into the world of bondage for the very first; the soft, sleek material will not chafe at unconditioned wrists, and the colors and textures maintain a certain air of romance. However, choosy bondage experts will be just as blown away here.

These restraints are not meant for suspension or seriously heavy play, but they are strong enough to withstand mild to medium levels of stress. Seasoned players should not lump these seemingly prissy pieces in with cheapy, fuzzy cuffs! They are every bit as functional as they are heavenly to look at.

I was a little surprised when I pulled these cuffs out of their box just because of how long they are! Each set comes with two 42" inch long cuffs, and each sash is about two inches in width. All together, that's about seven feet of silk sash to work with, so these restraints are certain to fit any and all users. Each cuff is fitted with a lovely chrome ring that can be "fastened" by threading the sash through the ring and knotting. It works exactly the same way that an O ring belt does, except that most belts you do not want to tie after threading. And while many people (myself included, until now) probably think of silk as a fragile, ornamental textile, these are really anything but.

Okay, so I wouldn't recommend you dangle from the rafters in them. However, you can lasso your sweetie to the bedposts with the Boa ties and tug and they might, they're not going anywhere. To me, this is enough reason in and of itself to love these. Typically "elegant" is not a word I find myself using to describe my restraints, because sturdy things tend to be...well...less than elegant. LELO is really on to something here because these pretty little ditties are made to last.

And the silk? Can I wax poetic about the silk for a moment? It's beautiful. No, I take it back. Not beautiful, but sumptuous, or maybe even decadent. Decadent, crimson lengths of silk, accented on one side with a meandering pattern of crawling flower vines. Perhaps the only shortcoming of these cuffs is that they may spoil a submissive partner just a little too much; they are incredibly soft and snuggly, not even the littlest bit uncomfortable to wear for extended periods of time. To top the whole thing off, the end of each tie is anchored with a small, hidden trove of pearls. The tie is stitched across to create a little "pouch" for the pearls to hang out in without them escaping to the far ends of your restraints. In doing so, LELO has give these ends a little extra weight to help them to stay where you put them, which is useful because these are very long.

As I've said, the Boa Pleasure Ties are highly functional, but they're also very flexible in their use. This is great news, since you wouldn't want to get bored of something that's certain to last so long. The length of these makes it possible to bind two limbs at once (both wrists, for example) in a variety of positions, or to tie each limb separately. One of my favorite uses for these was to bind the ankles with one tie, and the wrists behind the back with the other tie. I was then able to connect the two chrome closures with an extra large carabiner, creating a slightly more sophisticated looking rendition of a classic hog tie. With a little creativity you can make these ties as high-tech and complicated as you like, combining them with other BDSM tools and devices. You can also use them for very simple, no-fuss bondage that can be whipped up in just a couple of moments. They're great for quickie bondage, beginners, or those (like myself) that want elegant ties without all the work that it takes to make beautiful rope restraints.

Silk can be a very temperamental fabric, so the safest way to care for your silk ties is by running them through the drier with a home dry clean kit (or going to the cleaners). This way you can guarantee that your ties stay in the best shape possible. Those that wish to clean spots out on their own run the risk of tearing, bleeding or causing the fabric to lose its luster. If you wish to do this, perform a spot test first to ensure that the fabric won't bleed or lose shine. Dot the tie with some cold water, allow to sit for a moment, then blot with a dry paper towel. If your paper towel does not pick up any dye, then you may wish to proceed cleaning. You can gently clean these ties in a bowl of cold water, using a touch of very mild soap (not detergent,) for a few moments. Remove all soap by rinsing the ties in several more changes of cold water, then roll the silk ties in a dry towel to remove most of the moisture. Allow the rest of the moisture to air dry out.

The Boa Pleasure Ties should be stored in a dark, dry and cool place out of the sunlight to prevent bleaching. You may want to store them in a plastic bag or a small pouch as an extra precaution. I keep mine in a toy box along with several bottles of lube, so I keep them in a big Ziploc bag just to be on the safe side.