Rope jams, munches and salons
A rope jam is open practice time with little or no teaching, a munch is a social meetup in a public place without rope, and a salon can mean anything from a rope party to an evening of talks and performances. Here is how they differ and what organizers ask of guests.
Classes are only one part of rope life. A lot of community happens at three kinds of gatherings: rope jams, munches and salons. The names are used loosely, and every organizer sets their own rules, so the event page always has the final word. Upcoming gatherings are listed in the events calendar.
Rope jams: open practice
A rope jam is time and space to tie, not a lesson. Melbourne Community Rope describes its jams as a chance to tie, be tied, watch or meet other people from the community, and states plainly that they are not a class; someone may show a tie informally, but nothing is structured. House of Play in Copenhagen opens its Monday jam with a short facilitated exercise and keeps a facilitator available for questions, while stressing that this is help to get started rather than formal teaching. Shibari Study notes that some jams include a beginner class or peer-learning section and others do not, and it recommends that complete beginners pick one that does for their first rope experience.
Jams are generally open to all levels. Both Melbourne Community Rope and House of Play welcome people with no rope experience at all, and both say you can arrive alone, with a partner or with friends, or come only to watch. House of Play adds honestly that it cannot guarantee you a tying partner for the evening. The range of what happens can be wide: Shibari Study points out that one jam may hold everything from relaxed floor ties to suspensions, so it suggests checking with the organizer beforehand about the rules and the usual atmosphere if that matters to you. House rules differ too; Melbourne Community Rope’s jams, for example, are for adults only and are free of alcohol and drugs.
Studios that host jams are listed under rope jams.
Munches: meeting people, no rope
A munch is a relaxed social meetup for people involved in or curious about kink. According to Wikipedia, the word is derived from “meeting over lunch,” and the format goes back to a regular gathering in San Francisco. Munches usually meet in public places such as restaurants, cafés or bars, where the organizers book a large table, a separate corner or a room of their own. Most involve no kink activity whatsoever, and fetish clothing is discouraged beyond small, discreet items. Their purpose is social: curious people can meet others, ask questions and get more comfortable before going anywhere else. Some munches are aimed at particular communities, for example LGBTIQA+ or BIPOC people, and a less common variant, the play munch, adds a party where play does take place.
Salons: one word, several formats
“Salon” has no single meaning in the rope world. At the Toronto Kinbaku Salon, open salons are regular rope parties: people come to tie, be tied or simply socialize with other rope people, every level of experience is welcome, and the organizers present them as a good place to meet a rope partner or make rope friends. The Kinbaku Salon run by the Berlin-based Discover Kinbaku team is something else entirely: a curated cultural evening that mixes talks by artists, conversations, films, performances, book launches and exhibitions, and asks for no prior knowledge of kinbaku. It started in Berlin and has since traveled to cities such as Lisbon, Copenhagen, London and New York.
So a salon may be a practice party, an evening of talks and performances, or a mix of both. The event description tells you which.
How they compare
- Rope jam — tying, being tied and watching, with little or no formal teaching. Usually at a studio or rope space; alone, in pairs or in groups.
- Munch — conversation only, in a public venue. No rope and usually no fetish wear.
- Salon — depends on the organizer: a rope party with open practice, or a program of talks, screenings and performances.
Etiquette organizers ask for
Read the house rules first. Shibari Study advises checking each event’s published rules, which often cover nudity, photography and consent, and warns that breaking them can get you banned for good. House of Play asks every guest to read its code of conduct before arriving.
Ask before you approach. Rope Tales, which runs events at Yugen Studio in Milan, asks guests to get permission before approaching anyone. Its rules also ask people not to engage with someone in the middle of a session or just coming out of the rope, and not to interrupt two people who are negotiating a scene, since even a greeting can distract. Shibari Study calls this private focus the “scene bubble” and suggests taking any concern to staff instead of breaking into it.
Photos only with permission. Rope Tales allows a photo only when the person in it has clearly agreed and no one else appears in the background. Shibari Study makes the same point about bystanders in the frame and advises that if you are unsure, you simply don’t take the picture.
Leave other people’s things alone. Shibari Study asks guests not to touch anyone else’s rope or belongings without asking, to keep conversations quiet near people who are tying, and not to occupy space longer than they need, especially when the room is busy.
Give people time afterward. Shibari Study reminds guests that people often need a little time to settle once the rope comes off, so it is kind not to rush them, or the teachers, straight after a scene.
Where to go from here
If you are new, a first shibari class or a jam with a beginner section is a gentle start, and ways into shibari lays out all the formats side by side. For the public ways people meet partners at these events, see finding people to tie with, and for risks in general, safety.