Violet Wand Safety Guidelines

Electrical play with a violet wand can be super fun!  It is also a serious undertaking and one that you should research thoroughly before the sparks fly!  Here are the tips we put together for our customers.

Any electrical play has inherent risk, and there’s plenty of information about violet wand safety.  Some of it is correct and some things are myths.  But since you already know enough not to throw electrical devices into the bathtub with you, let’s look at some less basic Dos and Don’ts.*

Do

Don’t

Do start the violet wand on the lowest setting each time and test it on yourself before using it on your partner.

Don’t plug in the violet wand when it’s in the On position.

Do start slowly and build up making sure you and your partner are both still enjoying the sensations.

Don’t use a violet wand on anyone who has heart disease, seizure disorder, epilepsy, nerve damage or who is pregnant.  Use caution on people who have illnesses that affect bruising, electrical impulses, etc.

If you are a beginner, use the violet wand at first below the waist.  It is safe to use the violet wand over the chest and head when you have experience.

Don’t use a violet wand on or near the eyes, which are full of conductive fluid, and be cautious near mucous membranes which also have conductive fluids.

Do use the wand far from electronic devices, and things affected by electromagnetic fields like credit cards, all of which the wand can easily fry.

Don’t use the wand on anyone who has any electronic device or fluid implanted like a pacemaker, insulin pump, cochlear implant, breast augmentation, lap band etc.  Use caution with body additions like dentures, braces, retainers.

Do remove all metal jewelry, clothing with metal threads or underwires, watches, glasses and any electronics that you wear before turning on the violet wand.  Be careful around metal piercings and metal restraints.

Don’t use the wand within a foot of metal implants in a person such as joint replacements, screws, metal plates etc.

Do know that the smaller the contact surface of the wand attachment, the more concentrated the sensation will be.

Don’t use the wand on skin conditions like sunburn, melanoma, open wounds, etc.

Do stop if there’s any concern from anyone or something unusual happens.

Don’t use the violet wand extensively in any one area.

Do know that everyone is different and can tolerate different sensations in different places differently from other people

Don’t use the wand near conductive fluids like drinks, water and urine.

Do clean your electrodes with a cool damp cloth when necessary.

Don’t play with electricity if your judgement might be impaired, by lack of sleep, alcohol or drugs.

Do check for flammable materials before starting your scene.

Don’t use the wand on flammable fabric (some fabrics will also melt when exposed to electricity), liquids (e.g. perfume, hair product, hand cleaners, alcohol, fragrance burners) or gasses (e.g. fumes from any flammable liquids and farts).

Do check your equipment every time for frayed cords, cracked or rough electrodes, and loose connections.

Don’t use an extension cord with the violet wand until you’ve determined that it can handle the power that will go through it (most modern extension cords are fine).

Do know that you are your best safety.  Know your limits and your experience level. Start slowly, work up.

Don’t use the violet wand internally.  There are other electrical toys designed for insertion.

 

Here’s some additional information about violet wands, and some information specific to the Neon Wand.

Violet wands are the safest electrical ‘toy’ in existence, because of the form of their output current.  A violet wand uses an extremely low amperage, but high voltage/high frequency current to produce its sparks.  In comparison, household electrical current is dangerous and can be deadly.  A violet wand transforms household current into a current safe to use for our purposes.   Research, while ongoing and not extensive in this area, suggests that  violet wand current travels near the skin surface where you feel it, and does not penetrate any measurable depth into the body.  It behaves like, and feels like, a static shock from a doorknob.  But you get a continuous stream of the sparks rather than just a single one.

In addition, the Neon Wand that Self Serve sells, has lower maximum settings than other wands.  At its highest setting, the Neon Wand will produce an intense sensation, but it does not quite reach the sometimes painful levels that traditional electric ray wands can. This makes it the perfect choice for intermediate and advanced users who prefer using electric ray wands in a more sensual manner, while it is safer and more accessible for beginners.

The Neon Wand is a solid-state device with no moving parts inside, which makes it possible to move and change the angle of the Neon Wand without distracting interruptions or unexpected variations in the output. Solid-state devices often prove more durable over time as well.

A violet wand produces a very small, almost unable to be measured, amount of UV light as part of a full-spectrum light at the point of spark.  It is so little, that it can not be measured except with highly sensitive scientific equipment.  It is possible to give someone a sunburn if you use the wand extensively in one area.

A violet wand produces some ozone which breaks down rapidly, and the amount produced is under OSHA safety guidelines.  You should not however, run a violet wand for hours at a time in a small (less than 10×10) space without ventilation.

You may experience a smell associated with violet wands.  Ozone does have a smell and also, violet wands can burn body hair, which smells terrible but isn’t especially dangerous.

The danger of violet wands, would be something that causes household current to come through the violet wand, such as getting your violet wand wet causing a short in the wand that would allow household current through.  Or a household electrical line that is not wired properly.  If either of these occur and a ‘ground fault’ does take place, a glass electrode would stop the current before it reached you.  `Gapped’ metal electrodes will also stop household current.  This is why electrodes and direct accessories are glass or ‘safety-gapped’ metal.   It may be possible to get electrodes that do not have these safety measures.  We do not recommend their use.

If you have concerns about the possibility of household current not being stopped by the violet wand, get a portable GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) to use with your wand at all times.  If there are ever any circumstances that would short your wand or cause a dangerous ground fault, a GFCI will instantly trigger, shutting off your power at the wall outlet before it ever reaches the wand.  These are inexpensive and can be purchased at a hardware store.

 

Double check us!

You remember Reading Rainbow?  You don’t have to take our word for it and we encourage you to check on all of our suggestions.  Whenever you do edge play (fun adventures that push your boundaries), look into safety seriously.  That means, make sure that the information you have, a lot of people you trust or researchers agree.  You can do a search on the internet on your own, or here are some links at which you can look that we like.

http://www.fad-nc.org/words-of/70-buzz-buzz-zap-violet-wand-play.html

http://www.violetwands.com/information/80-violet-wand-safety.html

http://home.earthlink.net/~violetwands/safe.html

*At Self Serve we believe in giving you the safest information.  There are people who use violet wands differently, in ways with which they are comfortable.  Those people are assuming more risk than someone following the more strict guidelines we have laid out.  If you wish to move beyond our guidelines, please research the risks and safety concerns first and learn from someone experienced how to proceed.