Escape rooms unlock new trend in Colorado Springs
Imagine being locked in a small room with your co-workers and given only one hour to escape.
Does the thought of that make your heart race?
The only way out of the locked room, is by solving dozens of challenging puzzles and riddles.
KRDO joined a group of co-workers from American Burglary Protection to see what the new trend is about.
The team went to Escape the Place, a business in Colorado Springs, to work on their team-building.
Members of the group told KRDO they had no idea what they were getting themselves into.
“A lot of the time, out in the field we’re by ourselves, but today, we’re here to work together and see what we can do to escape this place,” Blake Boswell said.
Once a team is inside the “black site” room, the door is locked. The team then has one hour to escape.
“You start locked in the interrogation room. You’re physically handcuffed to the desk, and then the goal is to escape the restraints and utilize the items in the room to escape,” said the CEO of Escape the Place, C.J. Thompson.
Employees say there are a total of 36 surprising riddles inside the room for the team to sort through.
“It’s all about working with your teammates,” Boswell said.
The chances of escaping are low.
Only 24 percent of the groups who try it- manage to get out within one hour.
“There’s excitement in the fact that you’re doing something not many succeed in. It never ceases to amaze us what types of things we see these people do,” Thompson said.
“The different qualities, different skill sets that people have, it all definitely comes to light in this room,” said another customer trying to escape, Brad Woolbert.
Despite the odds, the team from American Burglary Protection successfully escaped the room, with 15 minutes to spare.
“There are definitely some weird emotions that you wouldn’t expect when you come in here with a group of co-workers,” Woolbert said.
“It’s effective in team-building, definitely cool. It’s unique, like nothing I’ve ever done before,” Boswell said.
The entire team agrees- it’s a new twist in team-building.
Escape the Place is the first business to bring the idea to Colorado Springs.
Since it opened, at least two similar businesses have moved to the area.
