We've all been tickled before. Some people love being tickled, and some people hate being tickled. And most of us love tickling someone else. So tickling is this thing that we're all familiar with. 

So naturally, as this blog series loves to do, we were wondering: "Could that be a fetish?" 

And lo and behold, we just typed 'tickle' on ManyVids and there it was, a world of tickling fetish. Tickling fetish, also known as knismophilia, is defined as a fetish "in which individuals derive sexual pleasure and arousal from tickling or being tickled". It has been said that tickling may be something that simply overlaps with other fetishes because of the body parts involved, such as feet and armpits. Like many fetishes, it can simply be a fixation on the tickling itself. 

It is also common among the BDSM community, particularly because many tickle fetish sessions involve restraints. And there is a certain aspect of 'torture' with tickling. 

In any case, once we get curious about a fetish, we want to dig. So we'll let the expert take the reins from here. Here's, Bunnie Hughes. 

How did you discover tickle fetish?

Tickling has always turned me on, but I met this guy on FetLife several years ago who was into tickling people as a full-blown fetish and I decided to try it out. After the first tickle session, I was hooked! Something about being captive and helpless, giggling and squirming (even screaming sometimes!) with his hands all over me was just so arousing. Ever since then, even the anticipation of being tickled can make me unbearably horny.

In tickle fetish, is the pleasure mainly from tickling someone or getting tickled, or is it both? 

I would say the pleasure is definitely derived from both tickling and being tickled. 

The exciting aspect about tickling someone is the fact that they’re helpless and you’re in complete control, and the things you’re doing to them are both torturous and fun. You also get to figure them out, learn what buttons to push to get the best reactions. And of course the reactions are definitely part of the appeal. There is just something about a person squirming and writhing at your touch! I think it also touches on a whole host of different kinks, from laughing fetish to foot fetish, to armpit fetish, and of course erotic bondage.

For the “ticklee” (the person being tickled), the pleasure comes from all the things I mentioned before, like knowing you’re helpless, loving and hating what is happening to you, the cathartic aspect of laughing, the anticipation of different implements that might be used, and the overall high a scene like this can give you as a bottom.

How do you establish the boundaries of when is too much for the recipient of the tickling? 

Establishing boundaries for a tickle scene is very similar to what you should do for other BDSM scenes. You should always talk about limits (what areas are okay to touch, what areas aren’t, how you prefer to be bound, whether or not a blindfold should be used, and of course whether or not sex should happen during or after the scene), and then go over the stoplight system (or safety words). When it comes to safety words for tickling, I use a modified version of the stoplight system with Yellow meaning to move to a different spot on my body and Red meaning to stop for 30 seconds to catch my breath. If I call Red three times, the session is over. In my tickle sessions the words “stop,” “no,” “please,” and “don’t,” are all a part of the play. I like to be forced to the point where I beg and plead, even though I know my tickler won’t stop unless I use the safety words. Also remember to discuss aftercare!

What details must one pay attention to when doing tickle fetish?

When tickling you should always be aware of your partner’s physical condition. Laughing is a form of hyperventilation and can cause the inability to breathe normally (or at all). It also causes a lot of phlegm to come up from the throat and lungs, so you should stop tickling periodically to allow your partner to cough or catch their breath. I also recommend holding your sessions to a time limit. Most beginner ticklees can survive about 10 minutes of non-stop tickling before it’s time to call it quits and head to aftercare. Regular sessions can allow the ticklee to build up their stamina, which is a cool and exciting thing to work toward for subs who want to please their Master. I also recommend not using any hard restraints for tickling because a ticklee will often thrash and kick, which can cause the restraints to hurt, bruise, or sprain their wrists and ankles. I do not suggest choking or using a gag while tickling.

As for the actual tickling part, it’s important for the tickler to focus on the ticklee’s most sensitive spots (mine are armpits, neck, feet, and hip bones) but also hit those low-key spots and start out slow to build up the anticipation of an unbearable climax of tickling! For the ticklee, it’s important to be genuine and let your tickler know what works and doesn’t work for you. Also, there are different positions the ticklee can be bound in to maximize vulnerability and ticklishness!

So is it just tickling in general, or are there different categories within tickle fetish?

As with most porn there are different categories within the tickle fetish, such as girl on girl, guy on guy, tickling hand jobs, feet-specific, underarm-specific, bbw, petite, public tickling, and so on. I’m sure there are ticklers out there that have specific positions they prefer to see someone tied down in as well!

Why do you think some people are sexually aroused by tickling?

I’m sure it’s different for everyone, but I know that most fetishes and kinks develop within our subconscious at an early age. It could be something as simple as chasing and tickling a girl you like that starts it for you. For me it was something very similar, I would tickle guys and girls I liked and they would tickle me back! In high school I had a boyfriend pin me down and tickle me until I peed, and that’s kind of when I knew I was into it. Even now I can feel the “phantom tickles” of his fingers on my ribs!

What goes into making a good tickle fetish vid?

A good tickle fetish video focuses on two things. The first thing is the reactions of the ticklee. Do they thrash? Do they squirm? Do they scream? Let’s see that helpless look on their face! The second thing is the angles. You want to be able to see the parts of the body that are being tickled. You want to see the armpits, tummy, and feet completely exposed. That’s the good stuff right there!

Thank you so much Bunnie for answering those questions. 

Now, we turn to you, the readers. Have you had any experiences with tickling fetish? What is it like for you? Let us know in the comments below! 

MV Team