BDSM is more mainstream today than it has ever been. That said, theres still a lot of misinformation out there and a lot of people who may be interested in exploring it but arent sure where to begin.

For starters, BDSM is an acronym that stands for bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, and sadism and masochism basically an umbrella term for different kinds of play that often (but not always) involves established power dynamics. Its also become a catch-all term for many kink communities and activities beyond the vanilla. It may include spanking , caning , role-playing , cuckolding , watersports and sissification . Note that BDSM play or scenes , as theyre called may or may not include actual sexual activity .

Whether youre single and looking to spice things up or have a partner who is ready to experiment, weve got you covered. Below, sex workers, sex therapists and other sex experts share what you need to know before you get started.

First, do your research.

Dont rush into anything. Do some research first in order to learn whats out there, whats of interest to you and how to engage safely in that kind of play.

Easing into it is definitely the approach to take, said escort and professional dominant Oz Bigdownunder . (In a dominant/submissive relationship, the dominant (or Dom) is the person who is wielding the power in a scene, while the submissive (or sub) is the one who is willingly relinquishing control.)

You can check out social media sites like FetLife , known as Facebook for kinksters, to find information about different types of meetups or other social events in your area.

Munches are meetups for kinky people to meet at a non-kinky venue, Bigdownunder said. Theres no play at a munch but you can always make new friends there and get together in private or in public at a kinkier venue.