Picture the scene. You are thinking of asking your perfect man / woman out on your very first ever date. You realise that your whole future life together – house, marriage, kids etc rests on this first romantic encounter. You then realise “maybe I’m getting a bit ahead of myself here”, but anyway you want to get it just right.
So the million-dollar question is – what to do? The easy option is a drink or a meal or a film. But you think to yourself who wants to be boring? Surely everyone does that. There must be a better way of putting down a first marker for the rest of your life together. One day, you will both look back on it and agree “that was it! that was the very moment our extraordinary life of blissful happiness began!”
An escape room experience is the PERFECT first date for the following reasons;
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It is fun!
It is no coincidence that lots of very good escape rooms, quickly become the “most fun thing to do” in the area. Our business for example Exciting Escapes within 2 months of opening has over 120 reviews on TripAdvisor and is now rated as the number 1 fun thing to do in Southampton. The reason, it is terrific fun!
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It will help you to decide if they really are “the one”!
As the clock ticks down the pressure builds and you get to see your potential future other half in a challenging environment – if they start screaming to hurry up and look like they might actually punch you in the face, you might re-think those future plans together!
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It is a chance to get to get to really know each other
How well do you communicate with each other? Who leads? Who thinks laterally, creatively? Who has tenacity? Who gives up easily? Who has a short fuse? Easy rapport or tense exchanges? To succeed in an escape room you need to be able to work very well as a team – clear communication is key!
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You will never forget it!
My experience of the best escape room games are ones where you feel that you are immersed in something. You feel as though you are part of a story and you play an active role in the outcome of the story. It is a bit like playing Indiana Jones in a film! How could you forget that as a first date!
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There will be no embarrassing or awkward silences
You only have 60 minutes and you have a lot to do. UK escape rooms are typically designed for up to 6 or 7 players per team. This means that if there are only 2 players there is a lot to do! The best thought out experiences allow for this. For example, at Exciting Escapes, we give couples a very brief report, just to give them a helping hand at the start.
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You get to dress up at the end and have a photo taken!
This is not true of all escape rooms, but in my view the best ones always allow a bit of dressing up at the end! My experience of running an escape room business is I have never seen a single player not smile when I have asked them if they want to dress up as a spy! I think it is because it appeals to the inner child in all of us.
So the 60 minutes are up and you have escaped the room. You now have the choice of going on for drink together to round off the perfect night. OR if you found out something you didn’t want to about your potential new partner (see point 2!), now is the time to make your excuses and go your separate ways!