A mathematician turned performance artist discovered rope in Berlin and found a life's work. Saara Rei teaches Kinbaku and kink with an emphasis on presence and connection rather than technique. She believes that exploring shame, submission, and intentional suffering within a framework of consent and communication can unlock deeper self-awareness and transformation. Her approach bridges creative expression and intellectual rigour, informed by a decade of performing and teaching across Europe.
Saara Rei brings an uncommon combination to her work: a Ph.D. in mathematics alongside a background in dance and music, rigorous intellectual training wedded to creative expression.
Based in Berlin, she is a performance artist, Kinbaku practitioner, and kink educator who insists that rope is not a technique to master but a language of intimacy and presence.
In this interview, she discusses how she moved from watching power dynamics on film as a child in San Francisco to becoming one of Europe’s most sought-after rope educators, and why she believes that suffering, shame, and submission, when approached with awareness, are pathways to transformation rather than harm.
How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Present, intense, playful.
Tell us more about yourself…
I’m a performance artist, Kinbaku practitioner, and kink educator based in Berlin.
I grew up in San Francisco with subtle clues about my sexuality long before I had the language for them.
An unusual fascination with certain film scenes, a particular pull whenever power dynamics surfaced in relationships. I didn’t analyse it back then; I simply followed what felt good.
It was moving to Berlin in 2013 that brought everything into focus. Almost immediately I found my way to Schwelle7, and my very first rope workshop swept me away. What began as curiosity revealed itself as something much deeper: rope as a language of intimacy, vulnerability, and expression.
I come to this work with a background in dance, music, education, and public speaking, and a Ph.D. in mathematics, so I bring both creative expression and intellectual rigour to what I do.
I co-founded Embodied in Rope, an educational project for rope bottoms, and I co-host the podcast Model Behaviour, which offers the perspective from the model’s side.
What services do you offer on Sensuali?
Performances, group workshops, private lessons, and one-on-one coaching. My teaching tends to centre on Shibari, shame and humiliation, non-verbal communication, pain and impact play, group play, and fire play, always with an emphasis on presence, communication, and transformation.
Where are you based?
Berlin is home. I also travel regularly across Europe to teach in studios run by like-minded professionals; I’ve always been a traveller at heart, which is perhaps why a city of travellers feels so much like home.
What price do your experiences start from?
Every private lesson, session, or coaching begins with a consultation call so we can clarify intentions and find out whether we’re a good match; pricing depends on the format and scope, and we settle it together there.
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A grounded guide into rope, intensity, vulnerability, and self-discovery.
What turns you on?
Submission, suffering, and surrender, honestly. Over the years I’ve discovered a genuine love of suffering, both physical and mental, and of objectification.
I’m a fairly intense and extreme person, and my athletic background means I’m drawn to experiences that push my body to its trained limits.
More than any particular style or technique, though, what truly moves me is connection with a specific person. Bondage isn’t about styles or collecting experiences; it’s about people.
What was your journey into this world?
A friend invited me to a beginner’s rope course in Berlin not long after I arrived. I went in expecting to enjoy being tied, which I did, but I was surprised by how much I also loved tying. Those two days were full of playfulness and intimacy, and they were transformative.
From there I dove fully into exploring myself through rope and kink, discovering parts of me I hadn’t known existed, all within a supportive, like-minded community. I consider myself a student of Felix Ruckert and the Schwelle7 community, and I try to carry that spirit forward.
What do the first 60 minutes of your day look like?
Quietly, and very much undisturbed. I’m not a morning person, so that first hour is sacred alone time: a cup of coffee while I slowly process the fact of being awake. I use it to organise myself and set up the day ahead, gently, at my own pace, without anyone or anything demanding my attention just yet. Presence is the foundation of everything I teach, and I’ve learned I can’t offer it to others until I’ve given myself this quiet window to actually arrive in the day first.
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Why do you do what you do?
Because when I was a child and someone asked what I wanted to be, I always answered “a teacher!” As my knowledge of rope and kink deepened, stepping into an educational role felt completely natural. I believe everybody should be able to explore freely for themselves who they are and what they like, without fear and without shame. There is so much power in exploring what feels most vulnerable together, and I get to hold space for that.
What is an unexpected pleasure you discovered in your work?
Tying.
I came to rope certain I wanted to be the one bound, and I was genuinely surprised to find how much I love being the rigger too.
More broadly, I didn’t expect to fall in love with suffering the way I have, or to find such beauty in it; there’s a kind of romantic, honest suffering that becomes a doorway to presence rather than something to escape.
What should more people know about your work?
That it takes two to tango. Rope, and kink more generally, is not something done to a passive recipient; it’s co-created, and everyone in the room carries responsibility for the experience.
I’d also love people to know that the dark, extreme, and uncomfortable themes I work with, shame, fear, humiliation, intentional suffering, aren’t about harm. They’re pathways to presence and transformation, and there’s real liberation in turning towards what we’d normally avoid.
What’s your superpower?
Presence.
Even in the depths of challenge or suffering, presence can transform the experience, revealing honesty, vulnerability, and ultimately a deeper sense of self.
Being fully there with another person, without flinching, is the thing I do best.
We love vices. What’s yours?
Intensity. I’m drawn to the extreme, the absurd, and the unsettling, the experiences that push right to the edge of what the body and mind can hold. If that counts as a vice, it’s the one I have no intention of giving up.
Who are your sensual inspirations?
So many.
Akira Naka has been a long-standing inspiration for his portrayal of beautiful, romantic suffering.
I’m shaped by riggers like Nicolas Yoroï and Kristina Marlen for their focus on body, movement, and suffering, and by Anna Noctuelle and Natasha Nawataneko, who both embody the honesty and presence I value so deeply. And of course Felix Ruckert and the whole Schwelle7 community, who gave me my foundation.
Closing thoughts?
Only this: pay attention to yourself first. Before any rope, any scene, any workshop, the most valuable preparation is simply presence and self-awareness, tuning in, noticing what arises, allowing space for honesty.
Everything meaningful grows from there. And if you ever find yourself in Berlin, the best thing about this city is that nobody cares about anything, which means there’s a place here for absolutely everyone.
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- "Even in the depths of challenge or suffering, presence can transform the experience."
- "Rope, and kink more generally, is not something done to a passive recipient; it's co-created, and everyone in the room carries responsibility for the experience."
- "Bondage isn't about styles or collecting experiences; it's about people."
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