Let’s go through some of the most important pros and cons.

Escape room adventures have become a popular activity for families, friends groups, coworkers’ outings, and so on.

They’re an incredible opportunity for various people to bond with one another and have fun together.

Now, there are escape rooms that take bookings for couples/date night bookings.

We certainly do!

Which begs the question – is taking part in an escape room as a couple a good idea for your first date?

Having your first date in an escape room

Certainly sounds like a unique and exciting idea, doesn’t it?

Much better than the boilerplate “dinner and a movie”.

Here’s the thing, though – you need to consider a few things before you finalise your plans.

And that’s what we will discuss in this blog – the pros and cons of taking part in an escape room on your first date.

We’ll also go through some tips on how to make the most of the experience if you do decide to give it a try.

Is the thought of escape rooms scaring you? Here is a guide addressing escape room fears.

The main pros of having your first date in an escape room

There certainly are some great advantages to going on an escape room adventure on your first date.

From being a completely unique experience that’s hard to replicate in more traditional first date settings to being a great way to gauge your compatibility as a couple, here are some of the main pros.

It makes for one heck of an icebreaker

We both know this ain’t the “ice breaking” I’m referring to!

We all know how nerve-wracking a first date can be.

You think you have what it takes to skip the boring chit-chat and make some interesting conversation.

But when you actually are sitting with the other person and looking right at them, perhaps across a table…

Your mind turns to mush.

Either all those one-liners convo starters you’d planned out slip your mind, or they seem foolish on second thought.

And as seconds tick by, you feel more and more under pressure to blurt out something, even if it’s the most mundane or bizarre thing ever.

Not exactly an experience worth looking forward to, right?

Now consider this.

You and your date are thrown into a situation where you both know the stakes are high.

With 60/75 minutes on the clock, you’ve got to uncover all the clues and escape the room.

Suddenly, you don’t need clever one-liners to spark the conversation.

You say whatever the situation demands.

It could be something as simple as “You start on this side of the room, while I go look over there. And give us a holler if you find something.”

And with every puzzle that needs to be solved and every code that needs to be broken, the conversation just keeps going.

No more awkward silences.

Isn’t that something to look forward to?

Also looking for some friends’ outing ideas? Here are some of the best (and affordable) things to do with friends in Perth.

It’ll leave a lasting impression

Like we said…the dinner and date thing – and most other traditional date ideas – are done and dusted.

Most of us have probably discussed them with friends that went on such dates, read about them on blogs, and ruminated on how good (or otherwise) they are.

It’s like an oversqueezed lemon – there may be precious little left to actually challenge you.

On the other hand, escape room missions are all unique.

Taking part in one is an experience that’ll give you plenty to discuss.

It’ll be one that stands out.

You’ll both have memories that’ll last you a lifetime.

You know how long it’ll last

Depending on the length of your chosen adventure, your date is going to last for 60/75 minutes.

So you know how much time you’re going to spend with each other, and how long you have to figure out if she/he is the one.

Studies show that the first – and most important – impression of someone is cemented within the first few seconds of meeting them, so you certainly have more than enough time to understand whether you’ve met Ms./Mr. Right.

On the other hand, if you aren’t feeling the spark, you know how much time remains before you can call it quits.

So you don’t have to worry about pretending to receive a call about someone dying as an excuse to break off the date.

Now, if you do decide that you’ve met the right person…

An escape room is a great springboard to extend the date

With all the thrill and excitement of an escape room, taking things forward by visiting a nearby cafe/restaurant is a natural follow-through.

Which is why you’ll see so many escape rooms located near cafes and restaurants.

Take us, for example.

Within walking distance from our escape room in Perth you’ll find Box 1 Bar & Restaurant (known for their seafood), Café 63 (continental cuisine), Cedar Cafe (Lebanese menu), Little Bangkok (Asian food), and Cafe Rasa Sayang (Indian cuisine)…and more.

Speaking of thrilling activities, here are Perth’s top adrenaline-pumping activities.

The main cons of having your first date in an escape room

As we’ve just seen, there are various juicy upsides to an escape room being your first date.

However, there ARE a few downsides as well, which we should take into account.

From being a potentially stressful environment to requiring a constant problem-solving and quick-thinking attitude for the entire duration, which many folks may not like, here are the main drawbacks of having your first date in an escape room.

Many missions are built for teams with more than 2 people

The 2-person team can turn out less effective than you’ve been led to believe by buddy cop movies.

An escape room mission can have many parts moving simultaneously. They may require more than 2 people in the team for a successful adventure.

This is not to say that you can’t have a great time as a 2-person escape room team.

However, you might find some parts of the game more challenging to solve.

Having a larger group can increase the chances of a successful escape, which is the main objective of the game.

Of course, you can always ask the game master for help.

As a top Perth escape room, we can attest that the game masters are trained to understand team dynamics and will be eager to help you out if they feel your being only 2 people is hampering the experience.

Not everyone likes this kind of an activity

Escape rooms have no doubt proven a hit with a lot of people, but you should remember that an escape room is a specific type of experience.

Players choose a mission, they enter a themed room where they have to solve puzzles and spot clues to accomplish their mission – all before their time runs out.

Many people deeply enjoy such an experience; however, some do not – and that could spoil the entire date for them.

A high-pressure and stressful situation

Like you no doubt know, in an escape room adventure you have to solve puzzles, decipher codes, open secret panels, spot clues…and keep going till you accomplish your mission.

And there’s a literal ticking clock – you have 60/75 minutes within which to escape the room.

As you can well understand, this can create a stressful environment, with pressure on you and your date to perform to the fullest of your abilities.

The entire experience is geared towards bringing out killer instincts.

This may not be what you’re looking for on the very first date.

Escape rooms require communication, coordination and trust between players

While struggling to find words throughout a first date can indeed be awkward, a few moments of small talk and stealing glances at each other during complete silence are very much a part of the first date experience.

However, given the nature of an escape room, you need a certain level of communication, coordination and trust between yourselves, which may just not be there in a first date.

And that could lead to missed opportunities in terms of clues overlooked and puzzle solutions not considered – all of which can end up frustrating your attempts at beating the room.

If you’d like some other kinds of meetups, here are some of Perth’s best winter date options.

So…should you book an escape room for your first date?

This is something you’ll have to figure out for yourself.

We should mention that we do host date nights in Perth, and we will do whatever we can to make your first date a success.

However, whether you want to give it a shot or not depends entirely on you.

Some tips for a successful first date in an escape room