We all know what it's like to get caught up in the rat race. So we're shaking up our routine (and inspiring you to as well) by sending our journalists out to try some of Melbourne's weird and wonderful experiences. Follow us as we try something new, from rope bondage to roller derby.
Leave your spiky, black-leather preconceptions about BDSM at the door because, as I learned, there’s no right or wrong way to practise bondage (so long as it’s safe and consensual).
My rope bondage class is already full when I enter the Swanston Street classroom. Even pearl-clutching nannas would feel at ease here as our teacher shows us the ropes – literally and figuratively – of bondage. Don’t expect to be hogtied immediately, though: this is a PG, fully clothed class where the emphasis is on teaching would-be riggers how to tie safely, as well as teaching us the basic knots to get started.
"There’s nothing like a little bondage to break the ice and make new friends."
Unless you enjoy tying up people you’ve met 30 seconds prior, I recommend bringing a partner or friend. Having said that, there’s nothing like a little bondage to break the ice and make new friends. Over the hour-long class I learned two different types of knot, as well as a few tips and tricks. Like how if you tie around the armpit you’re going to have a bad time.
There’s a certain satisfaction in tying a sturdy knot – it’s the same sort of feeling you get from changing a tyre by yourself. And the more our I listened to our teacher and watched her effortlessly truss up her partner the more I respected the art: it’s a bit like macrame, but sexier. Want to find out more? Blue Velvet Arts runs several rope bondage courses for beginners through to advanced.