Cats Downstairs (貓樓上)
Rope salon founded in 2018 that moved from Ximen to Wanhua in 2021 and in 2024 opened a studio with several suspension points and a rooftop near MRT Yuanshan, shared with The Suspended Canvas.
Cats Downstairs (貓樓上, styled on its site as a “rope salon”) has been a space for rope practice since 2018. Its about page traces three locations: it began in Ximen, moved to Wanhua in 2021, and in 2024 took a lease on a new studio near MRT Yuanshan together with The Suspended Canvas. The salon says it set out in 2023 to promote rope culture more actively, through an all-women rope salon, figure drawing with rope, rope experiences at markets and visits by international guest artists. It describes the current studio as multicultural, gender-friendly and centered on feminine energy, with several suspension points, a large indoor room and a rooftop.
The team page lists four people. ArTong (阿通), a co-founder and the current host, started rope in 2017 and describes a gentle, relaxation-oriented way of tying. Noir_fix, also a co-founder, hosts the women’s salon and runs the studio’s private teaching. Alex (韓子), who started rope in 2018, hosts the men-only salon. The self-suspender and figure model Yisi co-founded The Suspended Canvas.
The gatherings page lists five recurring formats: a weeknight rope jam of about three and a half hours, a Sunday salon, an all-women salon, a men-only salon called Men in Ropes and a drills session. In November 2026 the page gave entry prices from NT$300 (jam and drills) to NT$600 (women’s salon).
Group courses at the studio are taught by Soa, who presents a self-developed system of ties. A six-session basic course on Wednesday evenings starts from rope safety and the single-column tie and moves on to Soa’s versions of the back-arm, thigh and hip ties. A monthly advanced class, open only to people who finished the basic course, covers suspension basics, partial suspension, transitions and planning a session. These classes are taught in Mandarin only; English teaching is offered as private lessons. Classes use 6 mm jute, and loaner rope is available.
Noir_fix’s page lists private classes for one or two students (2.5 hours for NT$4,800 in November 2026, with a surcharge for English or bilingual teaching), self-suspension classes and strictly non-sexual private rope experiences. The same page lists performances in Taipei, Taichung, Bangkok and Shanghai from 2023 to 2026, and touring self-tying and one-rope workshops in Taichung, Tainan, Shanghai and Hong Kong. The site is in Traditional Chinese and English.