Suspension play is a form of bondage that involves one partner – usually the submissive – being tied up and suspended, or hung, from the ceiling. A person can be suspended perpendicular to the floor or parallel to it, and they may be suspended upside down by their ankles as well. Being unable to move increases the feeling of helplessness and vulnerability that a submissive feels. Usually, a person is suspended with their genitals exposed, making sexual stimulation, teasing and erotic torture easy.
Suspension play is also often combined with Japanese rope bondage, which is both a form of bondage and an art.