How do you choose a cage?

A cage is the one piece of BDSM furniture whose shape decides almost everything about how it's used. A bed works for most ways of lying down. A cross works for standing. A cage holds a person in a particular kind of space: tall or low, wide or narrow, open-sided or enclosed. Choose the wrong form and the scenes you had in mind won't fit inside it.

Choosing a BDSM cage starts with how the two of you plan to use it, moves on to the person who'll be inside it and the person who'll be outside, and only then turns to the form, the room and the finish.

Start with the use

Our guide to what a BDSM cage is used for describes the broad ways a cage can be part of a dynamic: waiting and anticipation, ritual and protocol, display and presence, and retreat. Each points towards a different kind of cage.

• For waiting, comfort comes first. The person inside will be still for a while, sitting or kneeling, so fit and what's inside the cage matter more than looks.
• For ritual, the door matters. Entering and leaving mark the start and end of something, so know how the door opens and keep the floor in front of it clear.
• For display, form and colour matter most. The cage is seen, and so is the person in it, so the way it looks from where the partner outside will be sitting or standing is the deciding factor.
• For retreat, closeness matters. A cage used as a place to settle should sit near where the partner outside will be, with a clear view between them.

If you're drawn to pet play, a cage may become a den within the role. Our guide to what pet play is covers where a cage fits in.

If you can't yet say which of these you want, wait. A cage is far easier to choose once you know how you'll use it, and exploring the dynamic in other ways first is a perfectly good path.

Think about the person inside

A cage has to suit a particular body in particular positions, so the person who'll be inside has the strongest say.

Fit

The person inside will spend the whole scene in this space, so the fit comes before anything else. They should be able to settle into each of the positions you've agreed without pressing against the bars, and to shift their weight. Before you choose, ask us for the internal sizes of the cage you're considering, and compare them with the person who'll use it, sitting and kneeling as you've discussed. If the fit is close, choose differently.

How enclosure feels

How enclosure feels is hard to predict until you try it. Talk about how each form feels before you choose: a tall, narrow space, a low one, a rounded one. If either of you is uneasy about any of them, leave that form out.

What goes inside

Plan what the person inside will sit or kneel on, chosen for the positions you've agreed: a firm mat, a folded blanket or a cushion. Think about warmth, too: keep the room warm and a blanket within reach.

Think about the person outside

The partner outside is responsible for the room, the door and the person inside for as long as the scene lasts. The cage should make that easy.

• They need a clear view into the cage from where they'll sit or stand, so they can see the person inside and any non-verbal signal.
• They need to reach the door easily, without stretching or moving furniture.
• They need somewhere comfortable to be, close by, because they stay in the room throughout.

Never leave anyone caged and unattended, for any length of time. If something calls the person outside away, the person inside comes out first.

Compare the forms

With the use and the two of you in mind, compare the forms. Each of our cages is S235 steel, and each has a different character.

Cage	Form	Suits
Tower	Tall and narrow, with clean lines and a door that sits flush within the frame	Display and agreed waiting, where the cage is part of the room's architecture
Kennel	Low and compact, with evenly spaced vertical bars and a front door that closes flush against the frame	Waiting, retreat and pet play
Chamber	A rounded top over an octagonal base, with an open bar layout and a hinged front door	Display and ritual, in a room where the cage is seen

For the internal sizes of any cage, and for how its door opens, ask us before you order. The full range is on our BDSM cages page.

Think about the door

The door is the most important part of any cage, because the way a scene ends depends on it. Before you choose, ask us exactly how the door opens, and leave clear floor in front of it.

Before every scene, agree how the door will be opened and by whom. If anything is used to fasten it, agree where that's kept: in the room, within reach of the person outside, every time. Our guide to what to agree before cage play sets this out in full.

Choose the place

Decide where the cage will live before you order it. The person outside should be able to move around it and see into it easily, and the door should open onto clear floor. Keep it away from radiators, heaters and lamps. Our guide to where a cage should sit in a room goes through the options.

Choose the colour last

Colour decides whether the cage blends in or stands out. A finish close to the wall colour lets it settle into a room. A strong contrast makes it a centrepiece. Every cage comes in Obsidian, Oxblood, Gilt, Chalk or Forge Clear, a clear coat over the steel, or any RAL colour you choose.

Living with a cage

A cage is with you every day, so think about the routine before you buy one.

Wipe the bars and the door after each use, paying attention to where hands rest most. Mats and cushions used inside should be washable, and kept clean and dry between uses. Check the frame, its fixings and the door before every scene, and if anything has moved or loosened, stop and contact us before it's used again. Our guide to cleaning and caring for steel restraint furniture covers the finish in full.

Between scenes, keep anything used in or with the cage in closed storage nearby, so the cage itself stays empty and ready.

Is a cage the right first piece?

A cage is one of the more specialised pieces of BDSM furniture. It suits couples who already know that enclosure, waiting or presence is part of their dynamic, and who have a room where a cage can live. If you're still finding out what you enjoy, a restraint bed can be an easier first piece, because it works as an everyday bed too. Our Readiness quiz can help you think about where you are, and our comparison of a bed and a cross as a first piece covers the other two main options.

Questions to ask any maker

• What are the internal sizes, and how do they compare with the positions we've agreed?
• How does the door open?
• What is the finish, and how should it be cleaned?
• How is the cage delivered, and will it get through our narrowest door, stair and turn?
• What should we check before each use, and who do we contact if something looks wrong?

For our cages: S235 steel, finished in the colour you choose, made to order with a current lead time of 8–14 weeks, and shipped flat-packed with printed assembly instructions. Send us your narrowest door, stair and turn and we'll check the route before you order. We deliver to the UK, US and EU, in discreet packaging, and your card statement shows SanDom.

If none of them fits

If the use you have in mind, the person who'll be inside or the room itself needs something none of our cages offers, our bespoke service starts from your brief and measurements. You review scaled drawings, and nothing is made until you've approved the drawings and quote in writing.

Before the cage is used

Give the conversation before the first scene plenty of time. Consent is a yes that's freely given, informed, specific, ongoing and withdrawable at any moment. Have the conversation sober, and keep the scene sober too. Agree a safeword and a non-verbal signal that can be seen or heard through the bars, such as dropping a held object or knocking on the frame. Either one ends the scene immediately and is never discussed or overridden in the moment.

Check the cage before every use: if anything has moved or loosened, stop and contact us before it's used again.