Half-Mermaid

In this shibari class, Lief and Icky teach their version of the Half-Mermaid harness, as well as demonstrating how to suspend it.

Binding the legs together from the waist to just above the knees, the Half-Mermaid harness is a great alternative to a booty basket or hip harness: suspendable, supportive and ultra-snug. Lief and Icky’s take on the tie builds in additional lower back support as well as extra cinches to prevent the rope from traveling into the nervy knee pit area. As Lief explains, no band is purely decorative – every rope is placed intentionally and to offer support.

In the first part of the class, they teach the step-by-step Half-Mermaid pattern, detailing important safety tips, including how best to keep the bottom stable as you tie and how to avoid impinging on the nerves and tendons in the back of the knees. They also offer guidelines for how to ensure the correct tension before attempting to suspend the tie.

In the second part of the class, you’ll learn where and how to load the Half-Mermaid tie, and from there, how to suspend it.

This course is great if you’re looking to level up your lower body harnesses and learn some new leg tie variants. However, please keep your skill set in mind when applying techniques from these classes and only use this harness in suspension if that is already a part of your rope practice.

* Captions available for this series: English