Getting Hooked on the Weird and Wonderful World of Body Suspension

Devotees of this peculiar pastime insist there’s nothing more blissful than hanging from hooks laced through your skin. But did I have the guts to try it myself?

Photos by Joe Carrotta

“Take a deep breath. On your exhale, I’m going to push the needle through.”

Cere Coichetti keeps his word, and Christina Barbato keeps her eyes shut. Next he attaches the shackles to the hooks in her back. Barbato glances up at Coichetti, and he smiles reassuringly. After she displays a clear sense of comfort, he pulls on the rope, and she rises into the air, held up only by the hooks in her back.