Please know, and I assume you do know, since you’ve made it to this article, that shibari does present some dangers. And safety is of utmost importance when playing with rope. Here are some tips on how to stay safe!
When choosing a rope partner, make sure to vet them first. Do you have any mutual friends with this person? If they give you their Fetlife* profile, see if you have any mutual friends. And if not, ask them to provide a reference, or better yet, multiple references. Consider meeting with them at a kink event or a public place for your first meeting. And remember that it never hurts to take it slow. Going slow never hurt anyone! But I wouldn’t recommend meeting someone who you don’t know and have no connection to, and letting them, for instance, suspend you. Warm up to it and build trust and rapport.
Make sure your rope top always has all of the necessary equipment; ask them questions about it; ask any questions that you want to make sure you feel safe. They should know about how long they’ve had their rope and how much they’ve tied with it. For suspension, rope does have an expiration date. Once it’s worn down and been used too many times, it’s no longer safe to use for suspension, and they will need to buy new rope. Any rope top should have safety scissors with them at all times, so that if there is an emergency, a pinched nerve, or something too painful, or another reason where their rope bottom needs to be instantly untied, they can cut the rope and set the rope bottom free and help them get safe.
Another thing to remember is that you are also in charge of your personal safety. Make sure that if you’re getting tied that you have eaten and are well-hydrated, that if you get dizzy, or can’t breathe, or something hurts too much, speak up. Let your rope top know. The most important thing is that you are safe. There’s always time for more rope play later! But if you don’t feel well; take a break. I was once being tied in a rope top’s living room, and suddenly, out of nowhere, I got dizzy and light-headed. It wasn’t a very intense tie, I wasn’t suspended, I was well hydrated and had eaten that day; I had been feeling fine. But suddenly I didn’t feel fine. So I said something and my rope top instantly untied me and had me sit down and drink water until I felt better. It passed, and we continued tying, and everything was fine. But I am so grateful that I said something and that my rope top supported me!
That’s all for now. Stay tuned for more articles. Follow me on my rope journey!
*If you aren’t familiar with Fetlife, you should go check it out! www.fetlife.com and explore! It’s like social media but for kinky people. You can post pics and videos, find events like play parties, workshops and classes, connect with kinksters, etc.)
