Staying safe

Last updated 28 October 2026

On Rituals you meet people in a small group, at a session a host leads, in a place you can see before you book. That is safer than meeting a stranger alone, but it is still meeting people you do not know yet. A few habits help.

Before a session

• Look at the host. The session page shows who leads it, how many sessions they have run and whether they are verified. Business hosts show their studio or club.
• Check the level and the conditions. Book what you can do. For surf, kite and other water and wind sports, the host confirms before each date that the conditions are right; do not go in the water when they call it off.
• Prefer verified people. A verified badge means the person passed our selfie check against their photos. If you want, choose women-only or verified-women sessions.
• Keep the chat in the app. The crew chat is there for meeting points and questions. You do not need to give anyone your number, Instagram or address.
• Tell someone where you are going, especially for outdoor sessions away from the city, and get there and back on your own.

At the session

• Follow the host's safety briefing and tell them about any health condition that matters for the activity.
• Stay with the group. If someone tries to take you away from it, you can say no.
• Watch your drink if the crew goes for one afterwards, and leave whenever you want.
• If something feels wrong, it is enough. Tell the host, leave, and report it later. You do not have to explain.

After a session

• Picks are private. Nobody sees who picked them, or how, unless the choice was mutual. You never have to explain why you did or did not pick someone.
• Take it slowly. A good next step is another session together, with a group, before meeting one-to-one. When you do meet alone, choose a busy public place and your own transport.
• Never send money to someone you met through Rituals, whatever the story. Pay for sessions only in the app or to the host at the venue. Asking for money is a reason to report.
• Watch for pressure: someone who pushes to move to another app, asks for intimate photos, or will not take no for an answer. Stop replying, block and report.

Report and block

• Report a person from their profile, a message by long-pressing it in a chat, someone after a session, or a crew photo. Reports are confidential: the person does not learn who reported them. We look at reports within 24 hours, sooner when someone's safety is at risk.
• Block anyone from their profile. Blocking is silent: you stop seeing each other, and the app keeps you out of the same sessions from then on.
• For anything else, or if you would rather write: hello@rituals.team, with or without an account.

For hosts

• Give a short safety briefing, know the nearest help, and carry a first-aid kit and a charged phone.
• Check guests in, so you know who is there, and count heads at the end of outdoor and water sessions.
• Call off a session when the weather or the conditions make it unsafe; guests get a full refund.
• Report any accident or incident to us without delay, after calling 112 if needed. See the Host Terms.

Help in Portugal

• Emergency: 112.
• APAV, support for victims of crime: 116 006 (free, working days 8:00–23:00), apav.pt.
• Domestic and dating violence, information and support: 800 202 148 (free, 24 hours), or a text to 3060.

Outside Portugal, call 112 or your local emergency number.