Portland Shibari Salon

Portland Shibari Salon is a private rope studio in Portland’s Southwest Hills directed by Jonathan Ryan, who works as Seattle Shibari, and Sappho. Ryan’s biography describes more than 40 years of study of Japanese arts, including kinbaku, ikebana and classical martial traditions, yearly study trips to Japan, a career in curriculum design, and a high-level teaching license from his mentor Hajime Kinoko. Sappho brings a background in Latin dance and knowledge of neuroanatomy to rope bottoming and has taught and performed in Asia, Europe and the Americas.

The studio

The salon calls itself an inclusive, consent-forward space. It has a hardwood main room, a tatami room that mixes Japanese and Western design, eight suspension points, four suspension bamboos and a hashira. The exact address is shared only after booking, and the studio is reached by a short flight of stairs.

Workshops

The entry class, Shibari 101: Rope for Every Body, is a three-hour beginner workshop on fundamental ties and harnesses, safe rope handling and communication, open to people exploring rope for kink, intimacy or as an art. Its late-2026 dates sold out, and further sessions are scheduled for January 2027. Students then move on to 102 and floor-work workshops and later to partial and full suspension intensives. Classes are small, typically capped at four to six tying pairs; most of the time is spent tying while the teachers circulate, and consent, anatomy and risk-aware play are covered from the first tie. Tickets are sold per pair, so solo learners are directed to private lessons. Past specialist workshops have included a Kinoko-style three-rope gote class (2024) and a session on hojōjutsu, with demonstrations of hayanawa, and its influence on modern kinbaku (2023). The salon also offers rope sessions, photo shoots and performances, and sells jute rope kits to students.