Should you tip the escape room staff? (Escape room topic)

I had a thought a while back after going with some friends to an escape room. A friend of mine left a tip to the employee helping us. Now at first I questioned it. Then he explained that if they are providing you with a service then they deserve a tip, such as a hair stylist, waiter, and even tattoo artists. This includes the escape room staff. Now I strongly believe they do deserve the tip. The reason for this would be that they serve you from the moment you walk in to the moment you leave. If they do a great job then why not tip them? So I recently started tipping to all the escape rooms that I attend. I find this to be customary and just the overall right thing to do. But this is my opinion and by no means required. I also don't think it is looked down upon if you don't leave a tip. However, what do you think of this topic? Do you tip when visiting an escape room? Should we be tipping or do you have a different opinion? Let everyone know what you think! And remember... ESCAPE!

Who is "Anonymous?"

Some of you might be asking why I chose to be anonymous. Well its simple, I would like us all to come together as a community and discuss escape rooms and our personal recommendations. I also want all my reviews to be unbiased. Meaning that if the escape room staff knew I was a reviewer, they would make sure I have a better time. I am just an average person. I am no V.I.P. I just want to give honest reviews. I'm just your average player but I support the consumer. I would like to give everyone feedback. Especially those who have never played a room escape game before. So I will continue to be anonymous. If you would like me to come review your escape room just let me know. I will book as a normal consumer, pay out of my pocket, and experience the room just like everyone else would. This way all the reviews on my blog are 100% unbiased. Thanks to all for reading. I encourage you to read my reviews on some escape rooms, with plenty more to come. I will also be writing about a topic I think needs to be addressed in the escape room community. So I will see you all soon and remember... ESCAPE!

D.O.A. Room Escape Review (The Garage)

So what do I have to say after visiting D.O.A.'s The Garage? Well to start I can say that I had a good time as I always do and I enjoyed most of it. They are located in Addison, IL and I gotta say they had some original ideas I have yet to see in any other escape rooms. The staff was friendly and I really enjoyed the look of the lobby area as well as inside the room. An employee will be in the room with you during your game, which can be strange at first but I just try and have fun with it. The only thing that I disliked about The Garage was that some of the clues were too difficult for the average person to figure out. Especially with the lack of clues, it is just too difficult. I believe this has something to do with the fact that you receive shirts for escaping. Although, i would like to see they incorporate some sort of clue system. I would rather escape and experience the full room than get a shirt. So an idea could be to give people the option of asking for clues, but if they do then they don't get a shirt. So D.O.A. I hope you're reading this because I believe that could be a great idea. Other than that the room was great. The use of props added a nice touch to the room as well. This was also one of the escape rooms (such as The Room Lisle) that did not need fancy technology to be a good and fun escape room. I recommend this escape room but NOT if it is your first room escape game. If you have done an escape room before then you definitely want to give this one a try. It has been a few months since I visited D.O.A. but I really hope they will add some sort of clue system. Until then ill give it a 7/10. Go check it out for yourselves and let me know what you think! and remember... ESCAPE!

The Einstein Room Review (The Room Lisle)

The Einstein Room is the first escape room I have done, so it is only right that it is the first I review. This room escape is located at The Room Lisle in Lisle, IL. If you have not read my review of the facility and business itself then I strongly encourage you to do so. It is a brief overview of what you will experience before entering "The Room." Let me just start by clarifying that there are NO SPOILERS here, so onto the review!

The Einstein Room is an overall linear escape room and very challenging. This room is probably one of the more challenging rooms that I have done. You are given 3 clues or hints that you are allowed to ask for and I strongly encourage you to use them if you need them. There is no penalty for using a clue; however, you can not ask for a clue until you have been trapped for 15 minutes. This tends to go by very quickly as well. The downside to the room is that you are left with not story or theme. The Einstein Room does make up for this with some very creative and unique puzzles. What makes this room great in particular is that the room is just the right amount of challenging. It will leave you scratching your head but once solved you get a very rewarding feeling. The room is also difficult due to the potential "Renegade Moves." This is basically skipping to a puzzle you should not be at yet. This really does add onto the challenge as these seem to be quite common. One thing I did find to be an issue was that since the room was so linear you may have people working on a puzzle that only requires one or two people at a time (This leaves you more vulnerable to "renegade moves" as well) This is not a big deal seeing as how those puzzles are usually more like "filler puzzles" that do not take too much time to solve. These are also quite common in most escape rooms so it is not really uncommon. This would be the benefit of having a non-linear escape room, like the D.O.A. Escape Rooms. We will discuss the D.O.A. business and the escape room I entered in the next post, but that is just an example. After exiting the room you will get a photo taken and be sent on your way. I would highly recommend the Einstein Room and would overall give it a rating of 8/10. Thanks to all! Check them out for your next escape room game and remember... ESCAPE!

The Room Lisle Review

The Einstein Room is the first escape room review I have, simply because it was the first escape room I have ever done. However, I must first discuss the business itself. So a brief overview: The Room Lisle is located on Main St. in Lisle, IL. They are a small place but do not underestimate them. They have a great set of escape rooms. The first I have done was The Einstein Room, which I will review in my next post. So your visit begins with you walking down a hall (which really builds up the suspense). Rest assured, there is nothing scary in any of their rooms. Then, you will be greeted by their friendly staff and be asked to sign a digital accident waiver. This is the case with all escape rooms. After everything is locked up and you are ready, the staff goes over a humorous little speech about the room, rules, and tips. This is very helpful to first time escape roomers, so be sure to pay close attention and remember to have fun. After you will then enter the room of your choice, which you choose during the booking process. The initial booking process is simple, book up to six people per room and if you do not book the full room you may end up with strangers. This is the case with all other escape rooms I have visited. As mentioned before, I chose to do The Einstein Room to start. So if you haven't already, be sure to check out The Einstein Room review. Thanks and remember...ESCAPE!