Escapism Room Escape Games — Attraction in Saint George

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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Let me take you on a journey. Me and 11 other travelers came to Saint Jorge for a work retreat. After hours of work related deliberations, we made our way to the fabled Red Cliffs Mall where among classic establishments such as Skechers and Papa’s Got Jerk lies an oasis for the mind and body called Escapism. We were then instantly transported to the Wild West where we followed in the footsteps of a gang of hoodlums who stole treasure from an innocent town in Ol’ Senora. We were tasked with helping those poor people by finding treasures and returning them to those impoverished Americans. Puzzled with the puzzles and tested with the tests, our team of Sherlocks quickly debunked the riddles laid by the nefarious team of gangsters. Pushed by the desire to help the innocent Westerners deprived of their riches, we persevered through the rooms until we blasted our way through to end. Riches recovered, we were met by the enigmatic KiKi with a “mission accomplished.” With the satisfaction of an injustice righted burning in our bosoms, we exited the Weld West and returned to reality. Transported back to the present, we had to take some Dramamine to reorient ourselves due to the hyper real situation in which we thought we had been placed. We left with our heads held high knowing that America is safer with us as its citizens. We will definitely be returning when the call of escapism comes. We have been infected by the sleuthing bug, and we are ready to infect others by any means necessary to let you know that this place will...

We did the Christmas Jumble room and it was a lot of fun! We loved how there was plenty to do for everyone and not everything was sequential. Creative puzzles and the theming was sooo adorable! Very clever! Ayden was a great games master. We are super experienced and solved it in about a half hour so it was a little too easy for our family. For beginners it’s a great room to start out with a little challenging and for intermediate game roomers it’s probably perfect. What we loved the most besides the theming was how much there was to do that we could all be working on something. Something’s were easy that’s perfect for young kids even to do. A great family activity of all ages. Not too easy that experienced gamers won’t have fun but not hard so that no matter the level of your experience you can do it! The fun is in the creativity of the puzzles. I can really see kids loving this matching the gifts to the right children’s gift box. Well done!...