St. Andrew's cross

A model attached by bondage cuffs to a wooden Saint Andrew's Cross

A metal St. Andrew's Cross.

The St. Andrew's Cross, Crux decussata, X-cross or saltire cross, is a common sight in BDSM dungeons because of its practicality and ease of manufacture. It typically provides restraining points for ankles, wrists, and waist, and is usually strongly attached to a wall.

Some saltires are attached to a central hinge, allowing the subject to be spun and inverted: see also bondage wheel.

The St. Andrew's Cross and the spanking bench are the most common pieces of BDSM furniture. The submissive may be attached to the cross with either the back or front facing the cross. Being restrained facing the cross is the position often used for whipping. Back to the cross is usually more of a bondage position or for sexual teasing.

The St Andrews cross is one of the most common pieces of bondage equipment and can be found in virtually every dungeon and club. It is simple to construct, relatively cheap, and very effective in securing someone. Crosses can be made from either metal or wood and can be free-standing or fixed to a wall. All crosses will have attachment points at the extremities for wrist and ankle cuffs; the more sophisticated versions will have adjustable foot rests allowing people of different heights to be bound. Waist, arm and thigh straps are sometimes added to further restrict the bound person's movement.

People can be bound either facing the cross, suitable for whipping, or bound facing out, suitable for genital or breast torture.

The St Andrews cross is a very effective piece of kit. Properly bound, the sub will have very little scope for movement. By pulling the arms and legs away from the body the position becomes very open and exposed; they will be unable to protect themselves from whatever the dominant wants to do to them. For this reason, there is a very strong D/s element to any bondage involving a St Andrews cross.

The disadvantage of a St Andrews cross is the tendency of the bound person when tired to hang from their wrists. This makes extended scenes involving a cross problematic. The use of thigh cuffs and crotch ropes can help support the bound person's weight and mitigate this problem to some extent.

If you wonder why it's called that, see Saint Andrew's Cross in Wikipedia for the meaning of this term outside a BDSM context.

The Cross may be purchased from BDSM companies, but many users make their own. Freestanding saltires^{[Note 1]} have a frame that supports the cross. Some homemade freestanding crosses have a tendency to be unstable; a writhing subject can sometimes turn them over, so great caution needs to be exercised in their use. Some freestanding crosses include footrests that greatly improve safety and stability.

The name comes from the Crux decussata (diagonal cross) that Saint Andrew is said to have been martyred on.

Notes

↑ A saltire, also called Saint Andrew's Cross or the crux decussata, is a heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross, like the shape of the letter X in Roman type. The word comes from the Middle French sautoir, Medieval Latin saltatoria ("stirrup").

List of Bondage furniture