Zurich

The Zurich scene

Zurich’s rope scene has deep roots in the Osada-ryū system of Osada Steve. The Seilschaften, a rope jam and bondage get-together, has met since July 2007. According to Secret56’s own history, Ibinuphis has been drawn to rope since a first workshop in 2003, was among the founders of the Seilschaften and was part of the team that created Secret56 in 2010. Workshops with Osada Steve in 2011 and with Vinciens in 2012 turned him toward Osada-ryū and Yukimura-ryū.

An Osada-ryū dojo

In 2018 the Secret56 team and the rigger Harukumo organized Osada Steve’s first visit to Switzerland. Ibinuphis received permission to teach Osada-ryū officially in 2019, and since January 2022 he has been an official instructor entitled to hold kyū exams and train new teachers. German Wikipedia adds that Osada’s 600th Kinbaku Live show took place in Switzerland in 2019, during one of his workshop series, and was the first show of its kind held outside Japan. Secret56 now describes itself as an official Osada-ryū dojo and offers kyū training next to open labs, workshops, private lessons and jams, while stressing that structure is an offer rather than an obligation. It is run by Ibinuphis and RedRopeTiger, who holds sixth kyū in Osada-ryū and ties on both sides of the rope. Its events are now held at the Alpha Lounge in Dietlikon. In March 2026 the dojo published a post on what several teachers leaving Secret56 would do next, including new projects for Osada-ryū teaching and for rope jams.

The Seilschaften still need no registration. The jam calls itself a safer space for people of all genders, identities and orientations and particularly encourages FLINTA* people to come. Anyone unsure about a technique can be paired with an experienced co-pilot, and a beginners’ Starter Lab runs alongside it. Its house rules keep rope at the center, ask for underwear to stay on and exclude direct genital stimulation.

A studio in the city

In the city itself, the Serrat(u)s Bodywork studio, between Helvetiaplatz and Europaallee, has opened its doors to rope since 2016. Its rope jam, run on Sundays by Matís d’Arc of luhmen d’arc, is described as working a little like a tango milonga: people come to tie, talk or simply watch, with no fixed structure. About every second jam opens with a short introduction for first-timers that covers basics, safety and consent, and tickets are priced on a sliding scale with lower-income options. Matís found rope in Berlin’s fetish and queer kink scene and at Felix Ruckert’s Schwelle7, a thread that links Zurich to the Berlin scene. luhmen d’arc also runs workshops, play spaces and performances on sexuality in Zurich and Berlin.

Other teachers

Bina Taverna teaches shibari and tantra workshops and retreats, and her approach puts weight on consent, trauma-sensitivity and personal development. Among luhmen d’arc’s team, the Basel rigger RopuNawa writes that he built his foundation on Osada Steve’s style as it was taught in Switzerland.

What the city offers now

A newcomer can take a first look at a Sunday jam in the city, follow a structured kyū path at Secret56, or book workshops and private lessons. Serrat(u)s publishes its jam pages in English and German, while Secret56 and luhmen d’arc publish mainly in German. For what to expect at a first session, see What happens at a first shibari class.