Imagine it’s a Friday night in London, Ontario, and you’re looking for a new way to entertain yourself. You have a plethora of options at your fingertips to make the most of your evening.
You could go watch the London knights play. You could go see a movie.
Or, you could trap yourself in a room for 60 minutes, with your only hope of escape lying in clues scattered throughout the room.
Escape rooms have been popping up in cities all over the world, and the trend has hit Canada in recent years.
There are a variety of options here in London, including Escape Canada on York street.
For manager Ashley Sherry, the appeal of an escape room is not only in its entertainment value, but in its challenging nature.
“You’re actually doing something productive with your brain,” said Sherry.
“It’s challenging you in ways you probably haven’t been challenged in a while, especially if you spend all your time on your phone or watching movies.”
At Escape Canada, which also has a location in Hamilton, there are a variety of rooms to choose from, with themes that include Indiana Jones, The Walking Dead, and soon to be Harry Potter.
“The owners here were backpacking through Europe, did an escape room in Budapest, and absolutely loved the idea of it,” explained Sherry.
“They decided to open up their own business when they got back to London.”
As technology has advanced, Escape Canada has made major improvements to their rooms.
Cue Sherry: “We can do some really cool stuff with electronics; you push a button over here, and something over there unlocks.”
“Seeing the evolution of the escape rooms and kind of going from just boxes with locks on them to all of the things we can do with electronics, it’s been really cool to see. “
With more and more escape rooms popping up in Canada and beyond, it’s becoming a recreational trend that isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Here in London, you can use an escape room for entertainment and mental stimulation all in one.
