Most of us all have the five basic senses of touch, sight, hearing, smell and taste but have you ever taken them on a challenge? At SENSAS you can do just that.
Before I tell you more about SENSAS the most unique ultimate experience you can ever enjoy within London I will explain a little about how our senses work.
Touch – this is thought to be the first sense that us humans develop. Touch is communicated to the brain through specialized neurons in the skin. Pressure, light touch, vibration, temperature, pain and other sensations are all part of our touch sense. However did you know that touch can also influence how us humans make decisions. Texture can be associated with abstract concepts and touching something with a texture can influence the decision we make.
Sight – looking through our eyes is a complex process. The cornea bends light which passes through the hole of the pupil. The iris works like a shutter of a camera, retracting to shut out light or opening wider to let in more light in. The lens of the eye then bends the light and focuses it on the retina, which is full of nerve cells. All information is then translated from the light and sent as an electrical impulse to the brain through the optic nerve.
Hearing – sound is funnelled through our external ear and sent to our external auditory canal. The sound waves then reach the tympanic membrane. This is a thin sheet of connective tissue that vibrates when sound waves strike it. The vibrations then travels to the middle ear which events the auditory ossicles which there are three tiny bones. They are called the malleus, incus and stapes and this is where all the sounds waves and vibrations are put together helping us hear sound.
Smell – we have over 1 trillion scents which is found on the roof of our nasal cavity, which is next to the smelling part of our brain, the olfactory bulb and fossa. Nerve endings in the olfactory cleft transmit smells to the brain. Plus we have 400 smelling receptors. Getting older can also lessen the ability to smell properly.
Taste – gustatory sense is usually broken down into the perception of different tastes of salt, sweet, sour, bitter and savory. Spice though is not a taste it is actually a pain signal. Taste is sensed via our taste buds. Adults in fact have between 2,000 to 4,000 taste buds. Most of them are on the tongue, but they also line the back of the throat, the epiglottis, the nasal cavity and the esophagus. They work like funnels in which the tiny taste hairs bind chemicals to the cells for tasting. Did you know that smell of food greatly affects how our brain perceives taste plus texture.
I and a bunch of community members of Love Pop Ups London Club took our senses on an adventure together as we tackled a variety of sensory challenges.
SENSAS
The first SENSAS opened up back in 2015 within Marseille, France. Since then 15 other venues have opened with more still to pop up over several countries.
Embark on a unique multi sensory experience with SENSAS which is a one of a kind entertainment activity providing an innovative and fun concept which takes your senses on a challenge as you touch, watch, listen, smell and taste.
For 2 hours in your own private group (4 to 15 people) throughout SENSAS you will get to explore your senses and experience a loss of control like never before.
By surpassing yourself and overcoming challenges, along the way you will collect a number of tokens which will be converted into a donation to that particular SENSAS partnered charity.
SENSAS is proud to combine such an interactive and fun activity with real actions through donations.
Taking my senses on a journey
SENSAS is a very popular craze in France and now it has landed here in London, UK. The question though is how good are your senses and are you brave enough to take on the challenges?
Like me you might sometimes take your senses for granted and not really think about your senses and how lucky we are to have all five. SENSAS made me rethink about my senses and how lucky I am to still have all five. As during the 2 hour experience throughout SENSAS it really opened up my senses. Plus I was surprised to discover which of my senses were stronger and those that are not as good along my journey.
Upon arriving and greeted by game host Dan we were given a locker each to store our belongings and shoes, so be sure to wear thick socks as the floor is quite cold. After a quick introduction we then went on a journey where we discovered our senses in a different way.
Each room brings a unique challenge.
- Taste – are you brave enough to eat something whilst blinded? will you end up eating a spider or a piece of chocolate
- Smell – enter a darkened room and sniff away but what will you be sniffing let’s hope it’s not Stinking Bishop cheese
- Touch – enter a dark room and stick your hand in the box and learn braille, but what else might be lurking around
- See – are you great at seeking, dig your way to victory
Plus
- Hear – put your communication to the test as you work as a team and listen to what others have to say
Each room provides a different experience be it facing your fears or having fun within each room requires not just individual work but also team work, as communication is vital. So be warned it can get quite loud when you all are screaming out what you think something is. How Dan the game master coped I don’t know as in particular within the dark rooms where it came to taste or smell we all were screaming out different things at the same time. We even repeated a number of items over and over. To prevent this from happening I think a flag system or light system should be put in place so with each thing we get right we can flick up a flag or light so we don’t repeat.
Upon getting anything correct throughout the experience be it tasting something, sniffing something etc will equate to a number towards a combination code to help us open up safes to gain charm tokens. With each charm token won 10p will be donated to that SENSAS sponsored charity. For the one in London they are helping raise money for Disability Snowsport. Disability Snowsport helps transform a person’s relationship with not just their disability, but with all aspects of their lives. As they believe that all people have the right to access the unique physical, mental, and social benefits of snowsport, regardless of disability, injury or experience.
I absolutely loved exploring and taking my senses on a challenge like no other along with my team. Each room was so unique and really did put all our senses to the test. There is no other experience like this within London and so if you love raising money for charity, playing, discovering and putting yourself through a challenge then SENSAS is the game for you.
After our 2 hour experience as a team we managed to gain 15 charm tokens. Each charm token equals 10p so we raised £1.50 for Disability Snowsport which is great news.
Verdict
SENSAS to me is much better than any escape room as rather than using your mind power to solve complex puzzles or riddles say SENSAS is all about using your senses.
The whole experience provided lots of scares, laughs and fun. I loved all the rooms but my favourite room was the taste room. Plunged into darkness I tasted several things in which I discovered that I actually have quite good taste. I also especially loved the photo opportunity at the end in where you can take photos in this topsy turvey tube scene. Take the photo rotate the image and it will look like you are on a tube with no gravity. Spooky!
Plus with SENSAS unlike escape rooms even though you only have so long in each room you are not time pressured as it does not matter if you don’t complete every task within each room. However each thing you do get right within each room will equal a token which is then converted into money for their partnered charity. So basically you are playing each room to discover your senses, have fun and help raise some funds for their sponsored charity not to escape.
One thing I would note though is don’t go in your best clothes. Plus take off any jewellery you might be wearing as it can easily come off whilst you are sticking your hands in holes within the rooms or even the ball pit, as that is where my husband lost his ring. Thankfully though after much hunting after we left Dan the game master found it.
Plus if you don’t like the dark then this might not be the experience for you.
To sum SENSAS up think escape room with a twist, I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here and Mission Impossible rolled into one.
This has been the best and most unique experience I have ever taken on in my life and one that I would most certainly like to relive. Plus the beauty about this is that you can actually revisit as it can end up being different each time, unlike an escape room.
SENSAS welcomes everyone, family, friends or colleagues question is are you brave enough to take your senses on a challenge?
SENSAS book your 2 hour sensory slot
Embark on a Multi-Sensory Journey with SENSAS
SENSAS London
17 Miles Street
Vauxhall
London
SW8 1RZ
Email: contact-london@sensas.top
Telephone: 0208 117 7189
Open everyday from 9am-11pm
- Choose your date and 2 hour time slot
- Indicate the number of people (4 up to 15)
- Enter your details
Under 18 years of age £28
Students over 18 £30 (ID required)
Adults £34
SAVE 10% use code LOVEPOPUPS10 at checkout
NOTE:
- The activity is experienced wearing socks, no shoes
- Wear light, comfortable and casual clothes
- Surfaces and objects are fully disinfected between session
- Hydro-alcoholic gel is available in all rooms
- Presently wearing a mask remains compulsory, except when tasting or smelling
If you are booking on behalf of your team, we invite you to warn each of the participants that they must bring a mask. Masks are also available on site for £1.
Read more about SENSAS by those community members of Love Pop Ups London who joined me on the day. Click on the link below:
Thanks to SENSAS for a great fun but yet scary sensory experience. All views are my own honest opinion.
“I love going out discovering new and existing restaurants, theatres, immersive experiences and so much more but I also love staying in and discovering new gadgets, gaming and cooking.
