Iridescent Amsterdam
Presents itself as Amsterdam’s first independent queer- and BIPOC-led studio for shibari, intimacy and body practices. Its 2026 calendar combined beginner and self-tying workshops, biweekly ‘Level Up’ sessions, social Rope Salon evenings, rope life-drawing nights and weekends with visiting teachers.
Iridescent was founded by Papilicious, a queer rigger in Amsterdam. According to the studio’s profile page, Papilicious came to rope through the wider BDSM scene and set up the studio as a safe place to explore, connect and learn about intimacy and body awareness. Iridescent calls itself the first independent BIPOC- and queer-led studio in Amsterdam focused on shibari, intimacy and body practices. Besides its own events it rents out the space and hosts performances and art exhibitions. Teaching and communication are in English.
The 2026 program followed a clear ladder. “Ropes for Beginners” is a couples-only floor workshop in which one partner ties throughout. It covers basic knots and frictions, tension and rope handling, body awareness, and how to negotiate, set boundaries and communicate before and during a scene (see negotiation). Separate self-tying workshops serve people who want to tie themselves (see self-tie). The fortnightly “Level Up” evenings are for anyone who can tie a single column. They combine solo and partner exercises with soft skills such as pacing and reading a partner, and close with a short rope salon. Monthly Rope Salons, including a FLINTA edition in March 2026, mix socializing with free tying. In June 2026 the studio added suspension workshops, among them a suspension basics day.
Art is a strong thread. The studio holds life-drawing nights where artists sketch rope scenes from floor work to suspension. In July 2026 it partnered with the NDSM shipyard foundation on an observational drawing evening that fed into Ivan Morison’s public artwork The Argonauts. Visiting teachers in 2026 included Tamandua, who led an intensive weekend in February. Recording devices are not allowed at events, and the studio states that it does not tolerate racism, sexism, homophobia or transphobia.
The studio’s public calendar, checked in November 2026, showed no events after 10 July 2026. Private sessions and one-to-one lessons with Papilicious can be requested.