About thirty years ago, our family made our first coast-to-coast road trip and came across a little Utah town called St. George, which had a wonderful museum and Olive Garden, right off the I-15. Well, three decades later, and St. George has certainly come a long way indeed! Also just right off the freeway, and a mere hop, skip and jump from the whimsical treasure that is The Book Bistro (the John Wick Experience with great food and real time with no fear of interruption by knives or bullets to eat it, people!) is Escapism - the escape games business designed to take the fun a whole lot further! Parking in the very popular mall was good when we arrived, but by the time we left two hours later, it was a little tight. The lots are a little close together, and very form-fitting if you drive a vehicle larger than a compact.
For our first escape room with Escapism - and yes, we plan to come back! - we chose to do the Secrets of the Maya Room. It's been a spit since we did an archaeological room, and one set in the Amazon forests and Mayan pyramids, and this Generation-2 room was actually designed for two people, so we were thrilled. Happily, we were able to make our 12pm game, right after brunch, because it was Escapism was a quick stroll on the other end of the shops. There are also nice clean single-gender toilets right between the two series of businesses, and restroom facilities (which we did not check out because we were eager to start our game) inside Escapism itself. Some escape room businesses have really cute toilets, so the plan is to check theirs out next time ...
The lobby of Escapism is huge - very airy and spacious, tastefully decorated with plenty of seating for bigger groups. We were greeted quickly by Davis, who was also our game host, and he was fantastic. After we were given a quick rundown of the usual game rules, and verified ready to start, we were shown into our room. The décor in the very well-lit Secrets of the Maya room was minimalist, but thematically atmospheric, with the appropriate G2 sound effects and targeted lighting. It was easy for us to move around, and the room, perfect for 2-4 people, was comfortable also for larger groups. I was even in a sundress, because I had not expected to be playing a game, but it was a very 'civilised' solve, with no climbing or crawling, this room, and a cool respite from the heat outside. Our favourite puzzles revolved around the creature sounds and head placements, but it was quite hard to choose, because all the puzzles were fun to do. Well, except for the one, but Davis made that one fun! The value of an attentive, enthusiastic game host with a magnetic personality cannot be overstated! This was the first couple game we had played in a while that was the full hour, and we would have had to go overtime for sure, with just one puzzle left, if it wasn't for our gamemaster's help. As it was, rather than having us sweat out (literally, and not just because it was a 100-degree day) our last 15 minutes, he gave us a major hint that had us out in 42:14!
The booking process was smooth, and we appreciated that our official time slotted between 12pm - 1:30pm because they give you time to sort yourselves out instead of penalising you for being late or going over time. The amount we paid was more than we had been spending on the shorter rooms, but of course, that was because we were in the room for longer! Clearly, our views are shared by others, too - as is evidenced by the huge group that came in right on our heels as we left. We loved the Secrets of the Maya, and the photos Davis took, both on our phone, and on theirs, which he made sure to get to us before we even left the parking lot. Suffice it to say, we can't wait to do another room, even though this was the only two-person room listed on their web site. We'll try our luck and smarts in a 3-person room!
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