Never, EVER drink the KOOL-AID™!! – Room: Insane Asylum II – Saturday, March 25 – FAILED!

ESCAPE ROOM REVIEW – THE QUICK AND DIRTY

Play if… you’ve ever wanted to experience being in a padded cell (without being actually committed).

Avoid if… you are all thumbs.


THE BASICS

PanIQ Escape Room Washington DC:

Address: 3283 M St NW, Washington, DC 20007 (click address for Google Map)

Contact and Website: (202) 735-0485
https://paniqescaperoom.com/washington-dc/escape-rooms/insane-asylum-2
dc@paniqroom.com

The Room – Insane Asylum 2:

Description (from the company website): The year is 1956. You have been kidnapped by the CIA and are being used as a guinea-pig for their mind control program known as MK-ULTRA. Doctors have held you inside a padded room for weeks now.
There was an emergency at the other side of the institution, so the staff is gone for a while. Probably this is your last chance to escape before they completely brainwash you.

Difficulty (1-10)4.5 of 5

Time Limit: 60 minutes

Cost: $24-36 (+ tax per person) (varies based on number of players)

Identifier: R2 (Note: this says Insane Asylum II, so we’re giving this room the revamped room identifier, even though we did not do Insane Asylum I)

Party Size: 2-7

Staging Area: First, ring doorbell to gain entry. Rooms are on the 3rd floor of the building. Small waiting area with couches and water cooler. Enough space for one team to hang out while they wait, but additional seating in stairwell area.

Metro Access/Parking: Rosslyn metro and then a .9 mile walk across the Key Bridge. It’s Georgetown, so parking can be difficult (so definitely carpool and use the parking garage for Georgetown Mall (it’s open 24 hours) at Wisconsin and M, head down the hill towards K Street). We suggest Uber or Lyft.


OUR EXPERIENCE

Logistics:

This is the video we took before we entered the room:

This is the video we took just after we completed the room:

Note: The ERG were given the opportunity to try out this room for free, with the understanding that we would continue to provide an honest review and follow the same process we’ve used on all of our other ratings.

Description of the room: You enter a padded cell. Clearly the person who inhabited the room has gone a little loco.

Understanding of the Mission: Solve the clues and figure out how to escape the cell before the asylum’s staff returns. You are close to being brainwashed and this is your last chance to escape before they succeed and you become a mindless drone in their spy program.

Did We Escape: NO! [Insert word cloud of expletives here]

Time Remaining: Less than 0.

Our Suggested Party Size: We had 6 and that worked well. We could have added a seventh and it would have been fine. We don’t suggest any less than 4 because there is a lot to do.

Did the room challenge the entire team? Yes

Members of our team (other than the ERG): Eric, Alphonso, Liz and Jill

Team Disturbed Friends (Eric, Jason, Mike, Liz, Jill and Alphonzo) ended up being committed to the Asylum after failing to escape! Photo courtesy of PanIQ Escape Room DC.

Worth the time and money? Hell yes, even though we failed.

Where to Eat/Drink Before/After: It’s Georgetown, so there are tons of places to have dinner or grab a drink.

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The Doctor Will See You Now – Room: Dr. Panic’s Asylum – December 11, 2016

ESCAPE ROOM REVIEW – THE QUICK AND DIRTY

Play if… you have good health insurance.

Avoid if… you are even just a wee bit mentally unstable.


THE BASICS

Room Escape DC

Address: 3949A University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030 (click address for Google Map)

Contact and Website: 703-865-4178
info@roomescapedc.com
http://roomescapedc.com/dr-panic

The Room – Dr. Panic’s Asylum: RETIRED

Description (from the company website): You and your fellow patients have been wrongfully detained in this disturbing asylum. No matter how desperately you plead, there’s been no hope for release. Suddenly, in a stroke of luck, the supervising doctor has been called away for a single hour. Finally: a chance to escape. Except, you are not alone…

To claw your way to freedom, you must conquer the frightening Professor’s Room, the menacing Doctor’s Room, and the treacherous Mudroom. Wit and sense alone will save you now. Can you make it out without losing your sanity? Or will this sinister asylum claim you forever?

Difficulty (1-10)2 of 3

Time Limit: 60 minutes

Cost: $27 + tax per person

Identifier: R1

Party Size: 2-8 people

Staging Area: Decently sized lobby with plenty of seating and a sign-in station. Two separate restrooms located off the main lobby.

Metro Access/Parking: Parking garage around the corner, but no metro.


OUR EXPERIENCE

Logistics:

Description of the room: You start off in a small, sparsely decorated office in an insane asylum; you then move into two additional rooms.

Understanding of the Mission: Solve the puzzles as you progress through three rooms and find your way to escape the asylum before the Dr. comes back!

Did We Escape: Yes

Time Remaining: 13 minutes?

Our Suggested Party Size: 4-6

Did the room challenge the entire team? Unfortunately, no. See our scoring below.

Members of our team (other than the ERG): Eric, Mark, Katheryn, Sibel, and Cat.

Team Disturbed Friends (Mike, Eric, Mark, Katheryn, Sibel, Jason and Cat) escaped being eternally committed to the asylum by Dr. Panic! Photo courtesy of Room Escape DC's Facebook page.
Team Disturbed Friends (Mike, Eric, Mark, Katheryn, Sibel, Jason and Cat) escaped being eternally committed to the asylum by Dr. Panic!
Photo courtesy of Room Escape DC’s Facebook page.

Worth the time and money? Yes

Where to Eat/Drink Before/After:

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