Intro to Violet Wand Sensation Play

Up for a shocking good time in bed? In the realm of sex toys, electro-play often gets viewed as hardcore, fringe, dangerous, extreme—something that people outside the kink world rarely do. There are some forms of electricity play that are edgy, but if you’re even a little bit curious about it, the violet wand is a delightful way to spark your desire! It’s one of my favorite toys, and one I love talking to people about.

A violet wand—a term you might have heard tossed around without ever seeing one—is an electric device consisting of a corded handle with glass attachments plugged into one end. The glass parts are clear tubes in various shapes and sizes that are filled with gas. When the wand is turned on, the gas is excited (aren’t we all?) and glows in a bright color, usually purple—hence the “violet”— also making a buzzing or humming sound. When the glass gets near skin or another conductive surface, tiny lightning bolts of static electricity jump between them and create a sensation anywhere between a gentle tickle and a sharp shock. It’s quite possibly the most mad-scientist your sex play will ever get.

A little history

The violet wand started out being called a “violet ray”, and its earliest ancestor was unveiled by none other than Nikola Tesla in 1893. By the turn of the century, the medical establishment had adopted it to manufacture as a therapeutic device supposedly good for everything from dandruff to pimples to “female complaints”. Although it wasn’t intended as a sex device, a browse through instruction booklets for them shows some really strong “if you know what I mean” types of hints at it.

Apparently all sex devices are marketed for "massage". This woman knows what's up.

They were wildly popular—if in no way medically effective—through about 1951, when a lawsuit brought against the last US manufacturer, Master Electric, for deceptive advertising resulted in their manufacture being outlawed.

Fast forward a bit to the rise of pan-gender BDSM culture in the 80’s. Kinksters with a taste for novelty loved getting their hands on antique wands, which were rather hard to find, and having one in a dungeon was a sure-fire attention-getter.

*puts on old-timer hat* When I came up in the scene back in the 90’s, eBay was slowly becoming a thing, and after seeing a violet wand demo at a queer leather conference, a kink elder advised me to get on there and search for “violet ray quack medical device”. There were always at least a dozen listings, and you had to camp the ones you liked, or you’d be outbid at the last second—especially if the kit had multiple attachments. It took me a few months to actually win one, but I got a working kit that I tentatively date from the nineteen-teens that still functions today, a good hundred years later!

Around the time I was doing that, Donnie Rice of Erotec developed and manufactured the first violet wand for the BDSM market, and since then there’s been a small explosion of wands, kits, and accessories available for sale. The tech hasn’t changed much, but the creativity of their toys and uses sure has.

Types of wands—how to pick your toy

Real talk: A violet wand is an investment. The cheapest ones like the Twilight Zeus go for about $150, and a customized, high-powered kit with a number of attachments can go for as much as $500. If you see something cheaper than that, chances are good you’re looking at a high-frequency device made for estheticians. They come from the same parent, but they’re not really the same thing. However, considering that my antique one still works after a century, you can see how it’s worth the money in the long run.

There are two major types of wands, based on the motors that power them. A solid state wand is a more modern development. It’s lighter-weight, cheaper, and offers milder sensations. Its major advantage is that its intensity is consistent no matter what angle you’re holding your hand when you use it. It’s a great “gateway” toy for someone just starting out, especially because it’s cheaper.

An electromagnet wand is drawing on the same tech used for the past century. Whereas a solid state wand might have its motor within the handle, an electromagnet wand usually comes with the handle’s cord running into its storage box, which also houses the (bigger and louder) motor. Electromagnet wands are bulkier, a good bit more expensive, and the intensity of their output can vary depending on the angle of your hand. On the other hand, they pack a bigger punch, have a wider range of sensation, and are preferred by experienced fans for whom solid state doesn’t offer enough oomph.

You should try to experience a violet wand or a couple, if you can, before you choose one, and always buy from a reputable adult store or a specialty manufacturer. If you’re lucky enough to come across a working one from an antique store or estate sale, it makes a great conversation piece, but be very careful about using it. There are pros out there who specialize in refurbishing antique wands to ensure they’re safe to use—aging wiring and plugs can cause electrical fires, and that is definitely not body-safe! Even I finally picked up a new wand to ensure safe play.

That is absolutely the face of a person who's learned to use a violet wand for sex.

On the subject of safety…

As electro-play goes, the violet wand is probably the safest toy you can use. It’s basically static electricity, which stays at a fairly surface level on the human body. Unlike other toys, it can be used above the waist, even on the chest or breasts, without harm. But electricity of any kind requires some precautions, so here’s a few things to keep in mind:

• Always check your wand for any signs of damage—cracked glass, frayed wires, etc.
• You and your bottom should remove all jewelry, especially anything electronic like watches or FitBits which can malfunction or break. Metal jewelry won’t harm you, but it can make the sensation very intense.
• If you or your bottom are pregnant or have a heart condition, steer clear of any electro-play.
• Don’t insert glass attachments into the body unless you have one that specifically states that it’s safe for internal use. This goes double for antique wands! The glass used for the tubes is often too delicate to stand up to a really strong muscle contraction.
• Obviously, never submerge your wand in liquid, and also remember that the sparks from a wand can ignite flammable liquids.
• Don’t use it on anyone’s eyes.
• Turn the unit off before switching between electrodes (attachments).
• Establish a safeword (like “yellow” to slow down or “red” to stop) and check in at regular intervals to make sure your bottom feels safe and is having fun.
• Keep your electrodes clean with rubbing alcohol or a toy cleaner like Mighty Tidy. NEVER put your electrodes in the dishwasher or submerge them in boiling water!

Great—so how do I use this thing?

The most straightforward way to play with a violet wand is also extremely simple and beginner-friendly. The top plugs in an electrode, turns the unit on, adjusts the setting to the desired intensity, and lightly runs the electrode over the bottom’s skin. The sensations range from a gentle buzzing or tickling feel—not too different from a buzzy vibrator—all the way up to very sharp, intense, stinging sensations depending how high you set the motor. Some bottoms love the feeling of it on their nipples or genitals, but it can be too much for others. It’s a wonderful way to explore erotic sensation on areas of the body that are often overlooked.

Once you’ve tried out all the areas of your bodies, all the electrodes, and all the intensities, you can explore a whole other world of violet wand play:

Solo Play: I want to point out that if you like the feel of a violet wand, it’s a great toy for solo play. You can use it anywhere on your body that you can reach! Combine it with a vibrator, butt plug, dildo, or nipple clamps for a delicious date with yourself.

Accessories: Anything that conducts electricity can be used with a violet wand, so gather all your metal toys! Thanks to a dedicated community of violet wand lovers, you can find the following types of add-ons to your kit:

• Specialty electrodes like a silicone flogger attachment, insertable-safe glass, or ones in whimsical shapes or filled with different gases to create different colors;
• Many violet wands can use ordinary light bulbs as electrodes with a special adapter attachment;
• Metal canes or paddles get an extra zap with their thud or sting from a wand;

• Pinwheels (also called Wartenberg wheels) are medical nerve-testing devices that are beloved by violet wand users for their sharp sensations and medical-play vibe—you can even get multiple-wheel ones, sets, and finger-mounted ones (note: these can all leave temporary but visible trails of dots on the skin!);
• Floggers or ticklers with wire-wrapped handles and mylar falls give a diffuse tingle and can create beautiful sparkling light showers;
• Bondage rope braided with conductive material, like Twisted Monk’s E-Stim rope, or a length of metal chain makes bondage shockingly good;
• Finger armor or vampire gloves are another option for prickly fun.

The #1 accessory for your violet wand kit, however, should be a conduction pad. This is a small metal plate that tucks into your clothing or into bondage to hold it against your skin, connected to a ball chain or cord that plugs into your wand. When you turn the unit on again, you’ll conduct the charge through your own body—so you can also feel the sparks and tingles and shocks when you caress your bottom with your bare hand (or give them an electric kiss!) This is a must-have to use most of the accessories I listed above, which work when you hold them while conducting the charge through your body. You can achieve the same thing by holding a plugged-in glass electrode while the unit is on, but a pad makes it hands-free. And this leads us to two more kinds of play:

Indirect Play: When you hold an electrode or use a conduction pad to send the charge through your body (using an electrode on your bottom is also called “direct play”), as I described above. Keep in mind that whatever part of you comes in close contact to your bottom first will conduct the sensation, so tie your long hair back and watch how you position yourself.

Reverse Play: When you use the conduction pad against your bottom’s body so that they conduct the charge. This is a fun use of e-stim rope and chain, and also leaves the top free and unencumbered to move around and discharge sparks with any touch—so, for example, you could use a regular flogger, crop, tickler, paddle, or anything else to supercharge your play. It could even provide a shocking thrill if you’re penetrating them and pulling out in between thrusts.

Advanced Play: There are some wonderful forms of very intense play to explore once you’ve really mastered the wand, including temporary branding (using a pinwheel or other toy with a very focused contact area) and fire play (using violet wand sparks to ignite an alcohol dilution on the skin). These, however, are not even a little bit for beginners and should only be attempted if you’re personally taught by a safe, experienced player.

Plays well with others

One of the wonderful things about the violet wand is that it works so well with so many other kinds of erotic play. It goes very naturally with bondage—and a violet wand/Shibari combo, especially with e-stim rope—is absolutely stunning. It turns impact play up to 11, is a perfect addition to a buffet of sensation play, and is great for roleplay or erotic interrogation scenes. If you’re an exhibitionist who goes to clubs or parties, a dimly-lit room with a great violet wand scene is quite a crowd-pleaser!

I challenge you not to bust out your inner mad scientist or wizard when wielding one of these, but be careful—a partner of mine once, carried away with his Dr. Frankenstein attitude, held a live electrode and thrust his other hand out dramatically in the direction of a digital alarm clock. It was a couple of feet away, but even so, the alarm went off, the radio turned on (to Cher’s “Do You Believe in Love”), the time flashed 12:00, and we couldn’t stop the damn thing until we unplugged and re-plugged it.

Ready for one of the most versatile sensory experiences of your life? Pick up a violet wand and before you know it, you’ll be cackling wildly and screaming into the stormy night, “My libido, IT IS ALIVE!”