Know the Ropes: The Best Ropes for Bondage

I never knew getting tied up could feel so good until I tried it. As my then-boyfriend slowly pulled strands of rope over my shoulders, across my chest and around each arm, I felt a quiet calm come over me. It felt akin to lounging under a weighted blanket, or being hugged by the strongest, cuddliest person you know: safe, compressed, grounded. And since I’m hella kinky, it was also really, really hot.

Rope bondage — a form of restraint that hails from Japan and is also known as shibari or kinbaku — is one of those kinks that can be intimidating to get into. The technical skills involved are more complex than, say, hitting someone’s ass with a paddle or pulling someone’s hair. This type of bondage also comes with lots of risks, from skin abrasions to permanent nerve damage.

But if you find it appealing on a sexual, sensual and/or aesthetic level, rope bondage is worth putting some time into and getting good at. Each tie feels like an accomplishment, whether it’s on someone else’s body or your own, and the intimacy and trust involved in rope bondage are profound and exhilarating. Push through the initial learning curve and you might just discover your new fave kink.

What Type of Rope Is Best for Bondage?

When it comes to bondage, there are a few major types of rope to choose from:

1) Cotton rope is one of the more beginner-friendly options, and is affordable as far as bondage rope goes. It has good “tooth” or “grip,” meaning that a decent amount of friction is created when you pull this rope against itself, so your ties will be more secure and won’t require as many knots to keep in place — but they may be harder to undo. It’s light, and often considered too weak to do rope suspension with, though it works just fine for “floor work” (rope bondage without suspension). You can wash it by hand or in a delicates/lingerie cycle.

2) Jute rope tends to be weak, so it’s best not to use it for suspension. It has good enough friction to hold ties well, with minimal (if any) knots required. It’s one of the more expensive types of rope on this list. It’s harder to care for than some other types, because it has to be washed by hand and stretched out while it dries; it can also weaken when washed. People with grass allergies may have reactions to jute rope as well.

3) Hemp rope is durable, long-lasting and doesn’t require much upkeep or maintenance. It’s medium-strength and barely stretches, so it can be used for rope suspension. It’s heavy compared to some others on this list, and won’t move as quickly through your hands as you pull it. You can wash it on a delicates cycle or by hand; it’s somewhat annoying to clean, though, as it has to be stretched out while it dries to hold its shape. And it’s also potentially not great for people with grass allergies.

4) Nylon rope is one of the more affordable types. It comes in lots of fun colors. It tends to have a fair bit of stretch, but is very strong. It has very little “tooth” so you’ll need to use more knots to keep your ties in place, and its softness and slipperiness might make things tricky for beginners. But other than that, it’s a newbie-friendly type of rope because of how strong and cheap it is. You can machine-wash it on a delicates cycle.

5) Coconut rope is the scratchiest type of rope and runs the highest risk of creating a “rug burn” feeling against the skin, or even leaving marks. For this reason, it’s usually used by people who enjoy incorporating sadomasochism into their bondage. Coconut rope breaks easily, so it’s not something you’d want to use for much else. Who knew an ingredient that shows up in fruity beach drinks could hurt so much?

Other Things to Look for in Bondage Rope

1) Width. The thicker a piece of rope is, the stronger it’ll be. But thicker rope can also be heavier, slower-moving and less supple. Five to six millimeters is a fairly standard rope thickness and should serve most users well.

2) Length. The length(s) of rope you need will depend on what you want to do with them, as well as the body size of the person or people you plan on tying. On their website, rope makers Twisted Monk lists some length guidelines for a few different ties. Bondage rope is most commonly sold in lengths of around 25 to 32 feet, and that amount should work well for most beginners.

3) Aesthetic. Rope bondage isn’t just a kink, it’s an art. And for many people, the appearance of a length of rope matters just as much as its more practical qualities. If rainbow-striped rope or sparkly purple rope is gonna thrill you more than a plainer kind, more power to you — so long as the type of rope you choose is also well-suited to whatever you plan on doing with it.

How Can I Learn to Do Rope Bondage?

There are some kink skills you can pick up just from reading about them, but rope bondage — for many people, anyway — isn’t really one of those. It’s hard to envision what particular ties and knots look like just from reading words on a page; learning these techniques is easier if you can see what each one looks like, and then try it out for yourself.

For this reason, my number one recommendation for those curious is to take a rope bondage class locally if any are offered. Check out the events calendar of your local sex shop or kink venue to see if they’ve got anything coming up, whether in-person or online. If you’re apprehensive about going alone, you could always rope in (so to speak) a partner or friend.

Another option would be to watch instructional videos. The rope company Twisted Monk offers a slew of great clips that explain rope-bondage basics and demonstrate some useful, beginner-friendly ties, for example, and the tutorials on KinkAcademy.com are thorough and wide-ranging. I’ve found it’s easier to retain this info if I actually practice what I’m learning while I’m learning it, whether on another person or on myself. Videos can be helpful for beginners because you can rewind and re-watch any part you didn’t quite understand, which isn’t exactly an option in a real-time class taught by an instructor. If you’re nervous about tying your partner up, you can always ask them to wear a blindfold so they can’t see you struggling to figure out which strand goes where, or scrolling back to that one tricky section in the video for the fifth time.

There are also plenty of rope bondage books out there, and some people find their illustrations and explanations easier to follow than a video or class. A few recommendations:

• The Seductive Art of Japanese Bondage by Midori
• Essence of Shibari by Shin Nawakari
• Two Knotty Boys Showing You the Ropes by the Knotty Boys
• Better Bondage for Every Body by Evie Vane
• The Ultimate Guide to Bondage by Mistress Couple

While text-only articles and web pages might not be the best medium for learning actual ties and knots, many of them do have important safety info that’s worth knowing. The website Remedial Ropes, for example, has tons of practical advice for avoiding nerve damage, communicating during a bondage session, health considerations to be aware of and more. 

When you’re shopping for bondage rope, don’t forget to also throw a pair of safety shears into your cart. It’s unlikely you’ll need to cut someone out of the rope you tie them with, but you just never know what’ll happen — they could have an asthma attack, a panic attack or some other medical emergency. Or the fire alarm in your building could go off, or your mom could drop by unexpectedly. Keep safety shears near the bed (or wherever you tend to do bondage), and you’ll have peace of mind knowing you can end your session fast, should you need to.

Now that we’ve tied up those loose ends, let’s look at some of the best rope for beginners and bondage buffs alike…

Best Cotton Rope

Blush Novelties Temptasia Bondage Rope. Experienced rope kinksters tend to frown upon mass-market bondage rope produced by sex toy companies, because it’s not usually as well-crafted and thought-out as rope made by specialty creators like Twisted Monk and Agreeable Agony. That said, this 32-foot length of 100-percent cotton rope is perfectly serviceable for its price point, despite being made by a company that’s better known for their dildos and vibrators.

This rope is soft enough to be comfortable but still has a lot of tooth, so it’ll hold knots and friction-based ties without hassle. But for the same reason, it might take longer to undo your work once you’re done.

Twisted Monk Curiosity Cotton Kit. This kit contains one 30-foot length of high-quality cotton rope — about the right length to do a standard chest harness tie, among others — and two 15-foot lengths, which are ideal for wrist or ankle ties. It also comes with a pair of safety shears. On that note, Twisted Monk has a “cut rope policy”: If you have to cut your rope due to some kind of emergency, they’ll replace it for free — so you don’t have to feel tied up in knots about ruining your gorgeous rope.

Optionally, you can also add a rope bondage book and/or a rope storage case to the kit for an extra fee. All in all, this kit would be the perfect gift for someone who’s curious about rope bondage but has no clue where to start.

Doc Johnson Japanese-Style Bondage Wrist or Ankle Cuffs. Like the look of rope bondage but don’t have the time or inclination to learn the skills involved? These cuffs are made of cotton rope, so they give you that classically kinky aesthetic, no knot knowledge required. You can use them on either wrists or ankles, which opens up a lot of options.

If you decide you like rope enough to take things to the next level, you can always get some later. But if cuffing someone is all you really want to do with rope anyway, these are a fine (and fun) option. They’re not as solidly constructed as cuffs hand-tied with proper bondage rope, though, and might not stand up to extreme yanking.

Best Hemp Rope

Twisted Monk Hemp Rope. Twisted Monk’s hand-finished hemp rope comes in a variety of pretty colors, and you can pick your desired width as well as length. It’s softer than many other kinds of rope and less likely to cause “rope burn.” 

Some hemp ropes are produced using a conditioning oil that some people have sensitivities to; for theirs, Twisted Monk instead uses an allergen-free oil that’s also vegan. They make an effort to get their hemp from fair-trade suppliers, and their production process is intentionally way more eco-friendly than that of their more mainstream competitors. If you want beautiful hemp rope that’s ethically made, definitely check them out.

Shibari 100% Natural Hemp Bondage Rope. Secure metal tips ensure this hemp rope won’t fray at the ends. It has an 8-millimeter diameter, so it’s thicker — and therefore stronger — than standard rope, and will work for suspension as well as for floor work.Many Amazon reviewers have noted that this rope has excellent tooth and holds friction-based ties exceptionally well. You can get it in 10-meter and 5-meter lengths, both at super reasonable prices. As long as you don’t mind the mild, grassy scent of hemp, this basic rope would be great for beginners or anyone who wants a more heavy-duty rope in their collection.

Best Synthetic-Fiber Rope

Master Series Premium Nylon Bondage Rope. This soft, slinky rope feels sensual to the touch, and would be a smart pick for anyone with sensitive skin, because it lacks the potential allergens of hemp rope and doesn’t cause as much rope burn as some other kinds. It doesn’t produce as much friction, though, so be prepared to tie a few extra knots during your bondage session if you want to keep things secure.

This beautifully braided rope is available in 25-foot or 50-foot lengths, so whether you want to do a simple wrist tie or something more complex like a body harness, it’s got you covered.

Agreeable Agony Beginners’ Rope Bondage MFP Kit. Multifilament polypropylene (MFP) is a synthetic material that’s very strong and pleasantly soft. It’s less stretchy than nylon, but like nylon, it comes in many fun colors and is machine-washable. It’s considered a newbie-friendly rope material because it performs dependably and is easy to use and to care for.

This beginners’ kit contains three 30-foot lengths of rope in your choice of colors, plus a pair of safety shears and (optionally) an instructional rope bondage book. The possibilities are endless when you’ve got that much rope, especially when it’s as good-quality as this rope is.

Agreeable Agony Rainbow Bondage Rope. For something a bit more whimsical, try this rainbow rope. It’s made of MFP, so it’s got all the same benefits as the rope in the kit above: It’s strong, soft, easy to take care of and not too stretchy. It’ll serve you well for floor work as well as suspension.

One of my favorite things about rope bondage is posing for photos once I’m all tied up, and looking back at them later. It’s always astonishing to see how a length of rope, and a skilled person tying it, can turn my regular ol’ human body into a work of art. If that visual aspect of bondage appeals to you as well, you might as well get rope in a colorway that makes your kinky heart sing.