If you’ve ever fallen down a BDSM rabbit hole on Pornhub, you've probably come across standard BDSM gear, like nipple clamps, butt plugs, dildos, and ropes.

If you’ve ever fallen really deep down that rabbit hole, you may have seen a video that used a different, “more advanced” BDSM sex toy: an anal hook. If you're not 100% sure whether you've encountered one or not, an anal hook is a hook you insert into your anus for pleasure and is often using by kinksters in bondage, submission, and dominance play.

Typically, anal hooks are made of steel, but they can be made of other metals, too. One end—the part that goes in your anus—often has a ball on it. However, there are anal hooks with attachable heads, so that you can put different-sized balls or tear-shaped butt plugs at the end, explains Kenneth Play, sex educator and creator of the Sex Hacker Pro Series. “Then there are hooks without any balls on the end; some just have twisted ends,” he says.

At the other end of the hook, there’s a little circular hoop. While you can put your finger through the hoop while inserting it into your partner, the hoops are more commonly used to slide rope through.

Anal hooks are often used in tandem with Shibari, a contemporary form of rope bondage that originated in Japan. (Sometimes, it’s also called Kinbaku or Japanese bondage.)

Typically, when you have an anal hook inside of you, you’re in a hogtie position with rope that connects the anal hook to another part of your body. (This can include your tied-up hands behind your back, your ankles... I've seen anal hooks roped to ponytails and nose rings.)

How can you use anal hooks in your BDSM practices?

When you are tied up with an anal hook inside of you, you are locked in. “Anal hooks do not allow you to move around like a butt plug or dildo,” explains Taylor Sparks, erotic educator and founder of sex toy retailer Organic Loven. “This is one of those times where you will ‘stay put.’ And when using an anal hook, the bottom is giving up complete control to their top.”

So if you are someone who enjoys elements of submission when having sex, and likes relinquishing control, then anal hooks might be something worth trying out.

What does an anal hook feel like?

“There’s a lot of pleasurable nerve endings in the anus that respond to pressure, so people who like anal play might really like the intense sensation an anal hook provides,” Play says.

Sparks adds, “Unlike anal plugs or dildos, an anal hook will not give you the feeling of being ‘full.’ But one thing folks like is the feeling of cold, hard steel in their ass.”

How do you use an anal hook safely?

“As with all anal play, you need a proper warm-up and good hygiene practices,” Play says. “Like with anal sex, it shouldn’t be painful. It might be slightly challenging or something to get used to, but not overtly painful.” You may notice that if you move in certain ways, it does pinch, but that’s kind of the point—to keep you stuck in that one position.

Then, of course, you need to use lube. “Apply a generous amount of lube on the hook and in the anus,” Spark says. You can also use a lube launcher, “to get a good deal of lube high up into the anus,” she adds.

We recommend using a long-lasting silicone lube or even an oil-based lube because these lubes don’t dry up nearly as quickly as water-based lubes. (A reminder: Oil-based lubes degrade latex condoms making them more likely to tear, so if you plan to have anal sex with a condom at any point in the encounter, use a silicone-based lube.)

“Never use a lube that has a numbing agent in the anus,” Sparks warns. “This is the one place you want to feel pain at the time that you feel it, not after the numbing agent has worn off.” (If you can’t feel any pain, you may end up with anal fissures.)

How do you properly insert an anal hook?

The easiest way to get an anal hook inside you (or your partner) is to lie down flat on your stomach on the bed, table, or floor. From there, the person bottoming with the anal hook should “spread their legs, and using one hand, spread their cheeks apart. With the other hand, they should put in the anal hook gently," Sparks says. If it’s easier, you can have the top put in the anal hook, but since it is your body, it’s typically easier for you to put the anal hook in yourself. “Whether you are topping or bottoming, check in with your partner,” Sparks adds.

What are the best anal hooks to buy?

If you’re new to anal hooks, Play recommends “one you can switch out with different sizes of plugs on the end to get different sizes.” Start with the smallest plug on the end, and work your way up from there.

This actually works if you’re a pro, too. You can just add a large ball/butt plug at the end, “or you can buy an anal hook that has multiple balls on the end,” Sparks says.

For specific anal hook recommendations, Sparks recommends XR Brand Stainless Steel Anal Hook (the larger orb can be purchased separately) and the XR Brand Beaded Anal Hook.