Always Hire a Professional

And then she came back. I knew she would. I could see in her eyes that Shibari truly intrigued her. It didn’t surprise me. Many mature women, recently divorced, reignite an intimate life that had fallen into routine and boredom practicing Shibari. Now that I think about it, I must be one of the few specialists in Shibari for mature women. And that’s fine by me, they are some of the most generous bottoms I’ve ever worked with. We were about to learn that you should always hire a professional.

And Helen was no exception. When she came to the studio, I saw she was in great shape, for a forty-something woman. And she still had a very pretty face. We talked about what she expected from a Shibari scene, and it was all fine. However, when we came to the actual cost of the session, she began to complain of how expensive it was. I sadly discovered that she had the nasty habit of bargaining to the point of being cheap. It was a shame, for I would really have loved to work with her. Anyway, when I got tired of her complaints, I told her that it made no sense to keep arguing, since I was not going to lower my price.

—No professional will agree to do the scene for the money you’re offering, was the last thing I said.

Two weeks later, Helen came back to the studio with a very humble attitude. She told me what happened, and I sincerely felt sorry for her.

—That’s why you should always hire a professional, I told her.

It turned out that, against my advice, she had looked for someone less expensive. She had found this “master”, who announced himself as a famous Japanese kinbakushi (he was actually Vietnamese, as she later found out). He said he would do the scene for the money she was offering, and at her place. That should have turned on the alarms, but Helen was so happy for the low price, that she didn’t take a moment to think about it.

It was a disaster! The guy wrapped her up using duct tape (!) and emptied her house in front of her eyes. Not only was she robbed, but she was also hurt, and humiliated. 

I offered her a free Shibari session once she had recovered. I also emphasized that Shibari is not something any jerk can do at any price. You need a professional.

This is my Shibari story.