About When In Rope

Person with dark hair bound with green ropes, eyes closed and hands clasped.

When In Rope provides a non-sexual, risk aware, and somatic rope experience tailored to your interests and curiosities. Whether you are looking to strengthen your surrender practice, intimacy, or meditative experience, When In Rope is here to help facilitate you along your journey.

About Shibari rope bondage

Shibari has its roots in the Japanese art form of Kinbaku, or Kinbaku-bi, which literally translates to “the beauty of tight binding.” The art form saw a rise in popularity in 1950s Japan through magazines that began publishing bondage photos.

Kinbaku found its way to the West through soldiers during WWII and eventually began to influence Western-style bondage, where it became known as Shibari, the Japanese word meaning “to tie.”

Today, Shibari is practiced worldwide for a variety of reasons, varying from artistic and aesthetic to sensual and connecting to sadomasochistic, often incorporating all of these aspects at once.

Person lying on a wooden table, partially covered with flowers and intricately tied with rope, with a soft focus ring light in the background.
A man and woman engaged in an intimate activity with rope, sitting on a colorful mat indoors.

Meet your facilitator

Chris has been learning and practicing rope bondage and Shibari practices since 2020. Through curated learning, private study, travel, and personal practice, Chris has acquired a unique style and understanding of Shibari as an art form, connection tool and personal development experience.

About the space

Sessions take place in a private home in Central Austin. When in Rope maintains a dedicated space for Shibari practice, which includes a custom bamboo suspension frame, soft lighting, and comfortable pillows and blankets for aftercare. Outcalls are available for an additional fee.

Wooden chair suspended by ropes against green wall with decorative frames and lighting.

Frequently asked questions

Person practicing Shibari rope bondage on a carpeted floor, secured to a wooden structure.

  • Rope bondage inherently coms with feelings of discomfort. Pain is part of the tying process, but levels of discomfort can be mitigated throughout the session and adjusted is something is feel too painful or uncomfortable.

  • Rope will leave marks on the skin, but they are very rarely permanent or long lasting. Depending on your sensitivity, some bruising may occur, but often the marks we see after a rope session are temporary indentations on the skin where the rope has been applying pressure tot he body. These marks rarely last longer than a few hours, but all bodies are different and knowing your body’s reaction to skin pressure is important.

  • When In Rope was created as a safe, non-sexual space to learn and experiment with rope bondage. Although these techniques are often used in sexual practices, When In Rope focuses on providing a touch therapy environment removed from sexual activity.

  • Not at all! When In Rope is here to walk you through everything you need to know to be comfortable in experiencing shibari. There is a thorough negotiation period between you and your facilitator prior to any session to make sure you know exactly what to expect and that you are prepared and comfortable with your experience.