Erotic spanking

Erotic spanking is consensual striking of the buttocks or other body areas for sexual pleasure or stimulation. It may occur alone or within BDSM practices.

Impact play: A BDSM practice involving consensual striking or impact for sensation, emotion, or erotic pleasure. Erotic spanking is one form of consensual impact play.
BDSM: An umbrella term for bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, and sadism and masochism. Erotic spanking is commonly practiced within this broader set of consensual activities.
Domestic violence: A pattern of abuse or coercive control by an intimate partner or family member. Unlike erotic spanking, domestic violence involves abuse or coercion rather than freely negotiated play.
Bruise: A discoloration caused when small blood vessels leak beneath the skin after impact or pressure. Bruising is a possible consequence of spanking and can signal that impact exceeded intended intensity.
Safe, sane, and consensual: An early BDSM guideline emphasizing safety, informed judgment, and agreement among participants. It offers a framework for discussing risks and boundaries before spanking.
Erotic humiliation: Consensual use of humiliation or degradation as a source of erotic or emotional intensity. Spanking may be paired with consensual humiliation, though neither practice requires the other.
Corporal punishment: Punishment that deliberately inflicts physical pain, commonly as a response to perceived wrongdoing. It may resemble spanking physically, but its purpose and consent framework differ from erotic play.
Hematoma: A collection of blood outside blood vessels, often forming a painful swelling after injury. A large or painful swelling after impact may indicate a hematoma requiring medical assessment.
Risk-aware consensual kink: A BDSM approach that combines informed consent with explicit attention to risks and harm reduction. Its emphasis on risk assessment fits impact practices better than treating consent alone as sufficient.
Dominance and submission: A consensual relationship or scene organized around an exchange of control. A spanking scene may express an agreed power exchange between participants.