The kinds of activities are up to you! You are empowered to negotiate (and play) with anyone who strikes your fancy. Most commonly, you can expect to see impact play (e.g., flogging, beating), bondage (e.g., self-tying), and sexual play.

While we encourage you to use the skills and tools that you learn at the retreat to make sure things are (and stay) consensual, here’s a few precautions that we take:

• Using RED as a universal safeword. If RED is called during the retreat, all play in that scene stops. If a DM hears someone call RED, they will ensure that play ends.
• Limited kinds of play. Because we are renting the space and have a limited team size, we will NOT allow medical play or fire play at this event, nor will we have the mechanisms to allow suspension. 
• Dungeon Monitor (DMs). We will have at least one DM patrolling the play space at any given time to make sure that everything is going smoothly. Any rough body play, take-down play, or consensual non-consent (CNC) must be approved by a DM in advance.
• First aid kits. We will have a dedicated first aid kit of supplies, including band-aids, gauze, ibuprofen, and other necessary materials. Team members will be able to notify each other if someone needs emergency care.
• Cleaning supplies. To ensure hygiene in the space, we ask that people clean any furniture/equipment used after their scene. Our team will provide the necessary cleaning supplies to ensure things remain hygenic.
• Safer sex supplies. If things are going to get sexy, it’s important that we practice safer sex. We will have condoms, lube, and other safer sex supplies available to ensure that you can get your groove thang on safely during the event. That said, be sure to ask about most recent test results and other partners if you’re playing with someone new.
• Having a debrief window after the party. The first hour after the party ends is a time when members of our team are available for processing, 1-on-1 chats, and other emotional support. It’s there for you for a reason. Take us up on it!

There is always some risk when doing kink/BDSM activities. We strongly encourage you only to do scenes you feel good about (it’s okay if they stretch you a bit). When in doubt, ask a member of our team or a DM for support or assistance.

Most of the educational sessions will cover how to process, heal, and navigate trauma; BDSM soft skills like negotiation; and BDSM techniques like bondage and impact play. Please see the retreat itinerary for a full listing of the workshops and educational sessions we plan to host at the retreat as we are still updating the full list.

Yes! We will have a virtual community that will open up for attendees before the event. That’s a great way to connect with other attendees ahead of time and get to know the people you’ll be interacting with. We’ll be a small group — only 8-10 participants + my small team of 2-3 people — so you’ll get to know everyone pretty well by the end of the event.

The first night of the retreat will also be centered around social and “get-to-know-you” activities. So, even if you don’t join the virtual community ahead of time, the first night of the retreat should ease some of your fears.

Great question! A lot of the educational content is going to be great for beginners, and it’s also key foundational things that seasoned kinksters often need a refresh on. In many of the retreat sessions, we’ll have times for journaling and activities, so you can apply what you’re learning in a way that’s appropriate for you and where you’re at. 

While I’m still confirming all the workshops, I also hope to have more than 1 workshop available during most afternoon time slots so that people can attend whichever session is more in line with their interests and experience. For example, the workshop currently listed for bondage is “Bondage for Beginners & Trauma Survivors,” but I also hope to have a “Practical Rope Lab” session running at the same time so that more practiced riggers & rope bunnies can uplevel their skills.

Last, there’s the two BDSM play parties. You can attend how you want: as an observer, as an active participant, or not at all. These BDSM play parties are a great opportunity for you to apply the skills you’ve learned (or revisited) in a way that feels supportive and meaningful for you.

Oh, I’m so glad you asked! There’s a lot of BDSM play parties out there, but most of them are private parties that require invites, or they’re larger events. They’re also for a single evening (4-6 hours) and typically don’t incorporate any educational elements. It’s a bunch of kinksters getting together and playing.

There’s also a number of hotel takeovers and professional BDSM conferences that exist, which do have educational workshops and dungeons for play in the evening. However, those often bring in 600-1,000+ attendees, so the feeling is very different. There’s also not a huge focus on trauma healing… the most trauma-focused conference I attended still only had two workshops on kink + trauma, which is only 2 hours of trauma education.

In contrast, this event is small and professional, which allows it to be highly personalized and supportive. I expect we’ll have 10-15 attendees, and trauma healing is a huge focus of the event. The BDSM play parties are also shorter so that you don’t feel overwhelmed with all sorts of kinky play happening at all hours. You won’t have to compete for furniture, and you can probably get 2-3 scenes in each night if you do want to play lots.

Another difference is that we’ll offer virtual tickets in case anyone wants to be part of the retreat but can’t come in person (either because we sell out of in-person tickets, or because of cost restrictions). Most events only have in-person tickets available, which limits their capacity.

Seriously, there’s not an event out there like this (at least, that I know of). It’s going to be epic, and you don’t want to miss out.

Great question! A ticket is required for each person who plans to attend the retreat, whether it’s in-person or virtual. If you’re looking to help fund your experience at Bound to Heal, please consider applying to become an affiliate. 

Since the event isn’t until November, virtual tickets for this event will go on sale in September at the ealiest. Standard pricing for virtual tickets will be $197 each. We will livestream most of the retreat sessions, and you will be able to participate in the event in real-time. Additional details about the virtual version of the retreat will be available this fall.

Great! Send me an email at hello@kellynoelzeva.com, and I’ll answer it for you!