The Escape Room Experience You Can't Miss

How much thrill is too much when it comes to an escape room? What if the room starts filling up with water when you are locked inside? What if you have to cover your head with a black cloth sack before you can go in the room? What about knowing that an actor is waiting for you locked up in part of the escape room. I know when I heard these things…I said NO WAY! 

I am not a thrill seeker by any measure. I don’t do scary movies, theme park horror mazes or ghost tours, but when Johnathan asked to go with friends to the Basement Escape Rooms in Sylmar as a way to celebrate his birthday, no matter how badly I wanted to, I couldn’t say no. Yes, peer pressure as an adult is still a thing. 

I have been to two different escape rooms in the Santa Clarita Valley, but from the website, I could tell that the Basement was going to be a different experience. While I had every reservation before we went, I can now say without hesitation that this escape room is one of the most entertaining, fun, exciting and unforgettable experiences I have ever had. 

What is so Great about the Basement Escape Room?

There's something special about the Basement Escape Room that sets it apart from the rest. Here are some are some of the reasons why we highly recommend it as a for a fun-filled outing with your friends:

1. Unparalleled Immersion: Before even stepping through the front doors, you'll be forced to put those puzzle solving skills to use. The attention to detail for each of the four experiences/escape rooms they offer is next to none. Without giving away too much, the creators have gone to great lengths to ensure a truly immersive experience that keeps you engaged from start to finish. While there is the thrill and scare aspect of it, when we were in the experience, we always felt safe, and you could tell the employee’s and actors loved their jobs. Any scary moments we experienced in the escape room we laugh about with our friends today. 

2. Challenging Themes: The Basement Escape Room Experience offers four different escape rooms. While they are meant to tell a story, they can be played in any order. The Elevator Shaft is meant for smaller groups (up to 4 players) ; the other three rooms can take up to 8 players each. All of the 8 player rooms also have a live performer in the room with you. While the thought of another person in the room with you sounds wild, it ended up enriching the whole experience. 

3. Teamwork and Communication: We have all had those friends who love to solve puzzles and somehow find a way to take over the whole problem solving process in the escape room leaving the rest of us as observers. We loved that one person taking control was not possible with these rooms. Each escape room at this venue is designed to promote teamwork and communication among participants. Each room presents a series of intricate puzzles and challenges that require collaboration to overcome. It's a fantastic opportunity to strengthen bonds and enhance group dynamics. Every one of our friends felt part of the process.

4. Thrilling Time Pressure: With a ticking clock, you and your friends must work against the clock to solve the puzzles and escape the room in the allotted time. The adrenaline rush and excitement of beating the clock are unmatched, making it an exhilarating experience that keeps you on your toes. If you make it out or not, the staff will share with you the escape rate, so you can feel either overly excited and proud when you make it out, or not so bad when you don’t. 

A couple side notes before you decided to book your experience online! 

• This experience is not kid friendly, I would absolutely recommend 13+ and maybe older depending on how well your kids do with scary stuff.

• If you decide to do one of the rooms with the live actors, bring a few dollars to tip them with. You will be so impressed with how well they stay in character and in some rooms they even become part of the team. 

• The puzzles in these rooms are challenging! If you have never seen this video from Mark Rober on how to beat any escape room on YouTube, it is worth your time. You should forward it to your friends too! 

• Lastly, make sure you don’t wear anything too nice. Especially in the rooms where you could get wet. There are places you have to lay on your back, or crawl on your knees (I sent the boys to do those jobs!). Coming in clothes that could get a little dirty may help motivate you to get things done a little faster so you can beat the room before time runs out! 

You can find out more information about the Basement including hours, making reservations and more frequently asked questions at https://basementescaperoom.com/los-angeles/. Now, we just need to go back and experience all the other rooms they offer! We hope you enjoy it as much as we did! 

by:

Jessica Frank