Safety
I think it is first important to talk about safety when it comes to erotic electrical stimulation (commonly referred to as electrosex). When using an electrical current for pleasure, there are certain dangers. The first danger involves causing burns. Electricity is a form of energy, and, just like heat, it can cause damage to tissue if it's used improperly. To mitigate this, you can use an electrosex lubrication. This lubrication will conduct the electricity, causing it to spread evenly across an area on your body. You want to ensure that the electricity spreads out evenly, and is not in one concentrated spot. You also always want to make sure that the pads are nicely attached to the person.

The second danger is to the heart. Your heart uses electrical conduction to keep pumping. A signal travels from the pacemaker, to your atria, then to your ventricle, which causes a rhythmic contraction. Basically, this all causes your heart to beat nicely. When you have an electrical impulse traveling through your body, you could go into cardiac arrest (your heart stops) if the electricity goes deep enough into your chest cavity. This risk is highest for people who have underlying heart issues; for instance, those who have a pacemaker, congestive heart failure, or any other damage to the heart are most at risk.

So, just be careful with this type of play. You can cause electrical stimulation on the chest (such as the breasts), but it is riskier. Also, if you do this, you should do more research than this article is going to provide you with. This article is going to focus on electrodes below the waist, as that is easier and safer, and therefore requires less knowledge than electrodes above the waist.

What is electrosex?
So, as mentioned, electrosex uses electrical current for erotic stimulation. The electrical impulses stimulate the nerves, which then cause a sensation. Electrosex fits both into the BDSM category and outside of it. Within the BDSM category it is typically associated with more intense stimulation that can end up being painful and more sadistic. On the other hand, others use it for massage, relaxation, and erotic stimulation, only using it up to an intensity of being erotic and orgasmic. Just to be aware that electrosex fits into BDSM, but is not exclusively BDSM related.

How do you go about electrostimulation?
The primary component of any electrostimulation play session is having a “box." A box is an electrical unit that either runs on a battery or off of a cord. This box is the basic unit of electrosex. A box basically is your control unit, as it controls the amount of electricity, the form the electricity is in, and lets you plug electrosex toys into it. There are TENS boxes, EMS boxes (both of these were originally used for other purposes, such as therapeutic massage and muscle relaxation), and then there are specific boxes that were made for kinky play. There is no difference between them, really, but certain boxes have more controls and allow you to plug more toys into them. Certain toys only work with certain boxes, or require an adapter to use it with a different box. Other boxes have specific settings and patterns programmed into them. So, there are certain differences between them, but their basic function and the way they work is the same.

Now, an electrode plugs into a box. An electrode is the unit that actually delivers the electricity to the person. There are lots and lots of different types of electrodes that can be used.

Lubrication
As I mentioned earlier, lubrication is an important part of electrosex. If the electricity concentrates in one spot, it can cause damage to the tissue and cause an electrical burn. However, if you spread it out over a larger distance, there will be less concentrated energy and the skin will not burn.

Water-based lubricant is typically used because it conducts well. It does have a tendency to dry up, though, so sometimes people use olive oil. Olive oil does not dry up as quickly, and it still works well. Just as a note though, some pads come with an electroconductive gel on them, so you do not need to use lubricant with them. Other toys should be used with lubricant, though. Lubricants that have silicone in them should be avoided; this is because silicone is an insulator, so it reduces conductivity.

This is just a basic explanation of what electrosex is. In part two of this article, I will talk about all the specific toys that are used for electrosex. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments.