Question 1

What is Shibari Study?

Accepted Answer

Shibari Study is an online learning platform that offers hundreds of harnesses, beginner classes, self ties, and suspension tutorials taught by the world’s most recognized and respected names in rope bondage education.

Question 2

Who is Shibari Study for?

Accepted Answer

Everyone curious about rope. Riggers, rope bottoms, self-tyers and couples all learn here, from complete beginners to seasoned practitioners. Our catalog is taught by a diverse, international roster of instructors and covers technique, safety, communication and creativity for every role and experience level.

Question 3

I’ve never touched rope before. Is this for me?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. Our learning experiences are designed for complete beginners & advanced students alike. When you join, we’ll ask you a few questions to recommend the best starting place for your current learning goals. You’ll receive personalized recommendations on where to start. If you’re curious for more, check out our Curriculum Level 1.1.

Question 4

Do I need partner?

Accepted Answer

No. Plenty of members learn solo: our Self-Tying category is dedicated to tying on your own body, and many partnered patterns can be practiced on yourself while you build muscle memory. When you’re ready to tie with someone, the skills transfer directly.

Question 5

Where can I watch Shibari Study?

Accepted Answer

You can use Shibari Study on your computer, tablet, smartphone and Android TV. The Shibari Study app also allows you to download your classes and access them offline, so you can watch them anywhere and anytime. The Shibari Study app for Apple iOS can be downloaded here and the Android-compatible app here.

Question 6

Does Shibari Study offer a shibari certificate or diploma?

Accepted Answer

While interest in shibari has grown exponentially in the last few years, there is no current standard regulation in terms of measuring competency. Additionally, as an online education platform, we cannot reliably measure learners’ proficiency or verify that they have achieved certain skills. As such, we consider it irresponsible to offer any type of certification and advise extreme discretion when considering any online platform that does.

Question 7

Is Shibari Study affiliated with any rope studios or dojos?

Accepted Answer

No, we are not. In the interests of making a more comprehensive rope education accessible to all, we are always open to sharing promotional codes with rope spaces that reach out to us. However, at present we do not have any official partnerships or affiliations and, as such, can only speak to the standard of instruction offered on our own platform.

Question 8

What’s included in membership?

Accepted Answer

A membership includes access to a catalog of 800+ tutorials, lectures and performances by the world’s best shibari instructors. Additionally, members get access to regular live classes and our exclusive Members-only Discord community: an online space where the rope community can connect, talk to instructors and share their thoughts, questions and progress.

Question 9

How much does Shibari Study cost?

Accepted Answer

After selecting a membership plan the first 7 days are always free of charge. Only after your free trial has run out will you be billed for the first time. 17.90$ per month (Annual subscription billed annually) 21.66$ per month (Quarterly subscription billed quarterly) 25.00$ per month (Monthly subscription billed monthly)

Question 10

How can I apply for the Shibari Study Scholarship Program?

Accepted Answer

As part of our goal to make a world-class Shibari education more accessible for all, every quarter we award 20 full scholarships, granting access to all of the content on our site for free for the duration of those three months. At the end of those three months, recipients will be offered a monthly subscription at 50% of the standard monthly rate for the next 12 months. Awards are granted via a lottery system, with priority given to applicants who experience systemic/institutional oppression and who haven’t been the recipients of a scholarship before. The application form can be found here.

Question 11

What payment methods does Shibari Study accept?

Accepted Answer

We currently accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, JCB, Diners Club, China UnionPay, debit cards and PayPal. Please note that all Shibari Study membership prices are billed in USD (United States Dollars) and international prices may be subject to exchange rate fluctuations.

Question 12

Can I purchase a gift card for someone else?

Accepted Answer

Yes! After choosing a membership plan, you will see the option to ‘Buy as a gift’ instead of creating an account for yourself. To redeem a gift card, select ‘Have a gift card?’ below all membership plan options.

Question 13

Can I pause my subscription?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Because life doesn’t always leave time for ropes, Members on Monthly or Quarterly Plans can pause and resume membership as needed once every 12 months. To do this, log in to your account and go to the Dashboard. Click on ‘Billing/Purchases’, find your active plan and select ‘Manage’. Click ‘End Membership’. At this point, you’ll have the option to pause your membership instead. Choose the duration – 1, 2, or 3 months – and click ‘Pause’ to finalize. The pause will begin at the end of your current billing cycle, not immediately. You’ll receive a confirmation email once your pause takes effect and your plan will automatically resume once the pause ends.

Question 14

How do I cancel my subscription?

Accepted Answer

You can cancel or change your membership at any time in your Profile Settings’ ‘Purchases’ section when clicking on ‘Cancel Plan’. Your credit card will not be charged from the next billing cycle. After canceling your account, you’ll be able to access Shibari Study until the last day of your billing cycle. We cannot offer refunds for partially unused membership periods, so please be mindful of canceling your plan before your next billing date. If you bought an in-app subscription with Apple, you can manage it in your device/account settings. (Here’s more information about viewing or canceling in-app subscriptions on iPhones.)

Question 15

I’m a total beginner, where do I start?

Accepted Answer

If you’re brand new to tying or being tied, we strongly recommend working through our Getting Started category in the order you see it on our site, spending ample time practicing your single column tie and basic knots. Take your time, repeat these classes regularly and, once you’re comfortable with the basics, you can begin to explore Floor Play and Non-Suspendable Harnesses. We advocate for a ‘low and slow’ integration method when learning shibari – make consent, risk-awareness and safety non-negotiables in your practice, take your time mastering the basics and watch classes in full before attempting them yourself. It’s essential to always keep your personal skill set in mind when trying something new.

Question 16

I already know the basics, where should I start?

Accepted Answer

For riggers looking to develop their ability to really play with rope, focusing on floor-based predicament bondage, exploring our Extra Spice category, and even repeating Floor Play content with an emphasis on finding an energetic exchange between yourself and your bottom are all great ways to learn. For suspension-motivated intermediate riggers, our Suspendable Harnesses category is a great thing to check out. For rope bottoms who know the basics, we recommend exploring the Body Awareness course and our Understanding Rope course. All riggers and bottoms who are moving beyond the basics would benefit from getting familiar with our Nerve Safety course.

Question 17

I’m experienced. What’s in it for me?

Accepted Answer

For our more advanced practitioners, we have a variety of trajectories you can explore! If you’re suspension-oriented in your goals, pick a few harnesses that interest you and get to know them really well, before diving into all of our partial and full suspension content. Advanced doesn’t have to mean suspension-oriented though! More experienced riggers will still find lots of exciting, connection-driven content in our Floor Play and Predicament categories, too.

Question 18

What happens after my 7-day free trial?

Accepted Answer

After your free 7 days, your membership begins automatically and your chosen plan is billed for the first time. You can cancel at any point during the trial and you won’t be charged anything.

Question 19

How often is new content released?

Accepted Answer

New classes are released regularly throughout the year: tutorials, lectures and performances from instructors around the world. Members get early notice of upcoming releases in our Members-only Discord community.

Question 20

Can I save my favorite classes?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can save any class to your favorites and build your own practice queue, so the classes you want to repeat are always one click away in your account.

Question 21

Can I watch offline?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The Shibari Study app lets you download your classes and watch them offline, anywhere and anytime. The app for Apple iOS can be downloaded here and the Android-compatible app here.

Question 22

How do you vet spaces listed in your Studios?

Accepted Answer

Every space submitted to Studios is reviewed by our team before it is published. We look at how a studio approaches consent, safety and inclusivity, and we rely on the community to help keep listings honest. If a listed space doesn’t match your experience, please tell us at contact@shibaristudy.com.

Question 23

How I list my space in Studios?

Accepted Answer

Head to Studios and apply to list your space. Tell us about your studio and our team will review your application and get in touch. Once approved, you manage your listing, photos and team from your own partner portal.

Question 24

How do I turn-on subtitles?

Accepted Answer

We have English subtitles available on all tutorials taught in English, Japanese and French. Please activate them by clicking on the ‘Subtitles’ button located on the bottom right corner of the video player for desktop and on the upper right corner for the app. If the video player doesn’t switch automatically between languages, try refreshing the page after selecting the language you want for the subtitles and it should work.

Question 25

I have an accessibility concern.

Accepted Answer

Accessibility matters to us. If anything on Shibari Study is hard for you to use, whether subtitles, playback, navigation or something else, email us at support@shibaristudy.com and we’ll do our best to help, and to improve the experience for everyone.

Question 26

Help, I’m experiencing technical difficulties!

Accepted Answer

If you’re experiencing any technical difficulties with our website and service, please contact us at support@shibaristudy.com.

Question 27

I want to make a complaint about a Shibari Study instructor, affiliate or team member.

Accepted Answer

We take any concerns regarding Shibari Study instructors, affiliates and staff very seriously and although there is a system in place to help us identify potential educators and affiliates who do (or don’t) align with important values around community, consent, safety and responsibility, no process is exhaustive or perfect. For this reason, if you are aware of any complaints, issues or allegations concerning anyone at or associated with Shibari Study, please help us create a safer platform and community by reaching out. We have an internal response group that will assess and respond to any complaints as responsibly and meaningfully as possible. To bring any pertinent matter to our attention, please email Fuoco (Director of Education) at fuoco@shibaristudy.com with the subject line ‘Community Safety Report’. If you feel there is a conflict of interest in managing this via Fuoco, you can email us on safety@shibaristudy.com. We assure you that anything shared with us here will be treated with the utmost sensitivity and discretion.

Question 28

There’s something else I’d like to ask.

Accepted Answer

Message us with your rope-related questions, collaborations, and other requests at contact@shibaristudy.com and we’ll do our best to answer quickly.

On the floor

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Expert

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Troubleshooting