The Basement A Live Escape Room Experience
The Basement A Live Escape Room Experience
The Basement A Live Escape Room Experience
5
5:30 PM - 12:00 AM
Monday
5:30 PM - 12:00 AM
Tuesday
5:30 PM - 12:00 AM
Wednesday
5:30 PM - 12:00 AM
Thursday
5:30 PM - 12:00 AM
Friday
5:30 PM - 12:00 AM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 12:00 AM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 12:00 AM
About
The Basement is the number one Escape Game center in the US, with one continuous story line and 4 seperate experiences/chapters to choose from. We offer an immersive experience where you will be locked in a room. You will then have a set amount of time to find your way out using the hidden clues, key, trap doors, and items within the space. Various events will "distract" you throughout your journey and make the task of escaping slightly more difficult. Can You Escape? HISTORY: Established in 2014. The Basement: A Live Escape Room Experience opened for business with its flagship room "The Basement" in October 2014 and has since opened two more experiences: The Boiler Room and The Study. Dark House Entertainment is currently in the process of opening 3 more locations throughout the United States.
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
Full view
Top ways to experience nearby attractions
The area
Address
Best nearby
Restaurants
173 within 3 miles
Attractions
22 within 6 miles
Contribute
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
585 reviews
Excellent
516
Very good
30
Average
16
Poor
9
Terrible
14
ddrfire
Los Angeles, CA11 contributions
Sep 2022
Game was a good intro to the story. The game moves fast due to it being 45 min. I did like the actor that was in it, he made the experience more fun and interesting. It was not as scary as I thought it would be. The puzzles were not as difficult but were a lot to do in such little time. If we had one more person, maybe it would have gone more quickly. All in all It was a good and exciting experience. The Gamemasters were cute in trying to do a cute new introduction for us. We appreciated it and they were also very nice. I am excited to try the last two rooms.
Written October 2, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
vincentrodriguez
Porterville, CA1 contribution
Feb 2020
I took my girlfriend here for a surprise date, she has been wanting to go to an escape room forever but there are none near where we live, and we both loved this room so much. Phenomenal design, friendly staff, and superb acting. This escape room had it all, it was very fun and not too complicated. This room is a bit scary at times, but it’s all in good fun, don’t let that shy you away from this amazing experience! Unfortunately we fell just short of making it out, but it was still a blast! I do recommend trying to book with other people, or with at least a party of 4 because you’ll find yourself discovering clues that your teammates might’ve missed. Other than that I highly recommend this room to anyone!
Written February 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
eatsoutwithfamily
Huntington Beach, CA3 contributions
Mar 2020 • Family
We have been to about 20 escape rooms, and these were hands down the best. After reading about them, we came with the plan to do 2; ended up doing four and had no regrets. The time and effort that went into doing these rooms far surpasses anything else we have seen, and the actors who participate in them add about 100% to the experience. These are a must do.
Written March 14, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
RoomEscapist
16 contributions
Sep 2021
Very disappointing experience in the Courtyard. Although private bookings are great (when I beat the elevator shaft room they lumped us with a pair of strangers that were clearly high/intoxicated… not great), they shouldn't let groups of 2 people book rooms when they (1) needlessly give only 45 minutes instead of customary 60, (2) offer no hint system on request (their policy is to only provide hints when they feel like it--and it is not often enough when groups are obviously struggling on one step, (3) refuse to go over puzzles that were missed (instead asking you to pay again at a 20% discount) and (4) charge 50% more than better rooms in the region (Questroom, Hatch Escapes, etc). I've done 50+ escape rooms and I cannot for the life of me justify this place's absurd practices.
As for the room itself: The Courtyard is terribly overrated in my experienced opinion. It's a cool set, but the story makes zero sense, there are very illogical puzzles, the actor was pretty pointless apart from one task (that, again, doesn’t make any sense). The Elevator Shaft room is much better (and could reasonably be completed by 2 people). Also, don't come here with a group of tall people - the crawl spaces are not big enough for people over 6 ft tall.
All of this is a terrible shame: the Basement clearly has the budget and creativity to make cool games like the Elevator shaft. But I've never been to an escape room venue that so clearly WANTS people to fail and then pay again to try once more. Overall, these are scammy business practices that are very consumer unfriendly.
Go check out Lab Rat at Hatch Games, Perfumer at QuestRoom, or Galaxy Quest at 60Out instead. Just as high quality and much better experiences (at a better price). And if after all this you still book this place: wear clothes that are old and you won't care to get dirty. Like, possibly really dirty.
As for the room itself: The Courtyard is terribly overrated in my experienced opinion. It's a cool set, but the story makes zero sense, there are very illogical puzzles, the actor was pretty pointless apart from one task (that, again, doesn’t make any sense). The Elevator Shaft room is much better (and could reasonably be completed by 2 people). Also, don't come here with a group of tall people - the crawl spaces are not big enough for people over 6 ft tall.
All of this is a terrible shame: the Basement clearly has the budget and creativity to make cool games like the Elevator shaft. But I've never been to an escape room venue that so clearly WANTS people to fail and then pay again to try once more. Overall, these are scammy business practices that are very consumer unfriendly.
Go check out Lab Rat at Hatch Games, Perfumer at QuestRoom, or Galaxy Quest at 60Out instead. Just as high quality and much better experiences (at a better price). And if after all this you still book this place: wear clothes that are old and you won't care to get dirty. Like, possibly really dirty.
Written September 15, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Experienced Escapee
1 contribution
Jul 2020
Absolutely 100% DO NOT do the online experience. Complete SCAM. Worst escape room experience of my life. The live actor is giving you clues the entire time let alone you have to listen to her, no offense terrible winning the entire game because she's "in distress". We finished the room with 20 minutes left. Mind you 2 people out of the group of 4 did not speak 1 word because there was nothing to figure out or say. I have done over 30 escape rooms, this didn't come close. We were asked to use Google to find combinations. I was able to log into zoom through google chrome per their instructions but was unable to get any video because "its something they are working on". I did get to see the map and clues. I had to log in through the zoom app could only hear. The host was a nice person but led me to no solution and offered the owners number to call for further instruction. At this point I was over it. You're suppose to have 45 min to escape and in 25 min we were given about 8 clues asked to look up google twice and somehow managed to get the person out of the room even though she made it seem like she died. Worst. Experience. Complete joke.
Written July 23, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Gregory H
1 contribution
Dec 2019 • Couples
I've been told by escape room enthusiasts that I absolutely need to go to this room when I visit LA. There was a lot about this room that was cool. There was some good tech, NPCs, theatrics that obviously took a lot of effort. If you're looking to be scared, and feel fairly immersed in the experience, then I'd recommend this room. That said, the puzzles were convoluted and murky. In my opinion, quality rewarding puzzles are one of the main reasons someone does an escape room. The room was also very cluttered, which makes clue gathering very difficult. Even after you've gathered everything, it's not clear what you're trying to solve. It just made for a very clunky puzzle solving experience overall. If you're a true escape room enthusiast, this wouldn't be my top recommendation.
Written January 2, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
jshayla3
Los Angeles, CA1 contribution
Dec 2019 • Couples
On the recommendation of a friend, my husband and I purchased 4 private escape rooms in sequential order for a Christmas gift for his sister and fiance as we often do escape rooms together. It was pricey but we knew it would be worth it. We spent about 7 hours total in a room or waiting between rooms and I just don't think I will ever find another set of escape rooms as highly well done as these. From the live actors to the staff to the puzzles to high quality props and set design, we were honestly amazed at the level of thought taken into account during every aspect.
I would recommend these rooms to anyone.
The only issue we had (after spending a pretty penny on 4 private rooms) was that one of the final props in one of the rooms was not reset and we got stuck there for 20 minutes and did not escape which was really disappointing given that we thought what was done was not only correct but meant to be there. I did feel robbed of the win and wish they had attempted to rectify it in some way for us. Its the only reason there are 4 stars there instead of 5.
Besides that, A+ on the rooms themselves. Great staff, great acting, parking was easy... truly well done.
I would recommend these rooms to anyone.
The only issue we had (after spending a pretty penny on 4 private rooms) was that one of the final props in one of the rooms was not reset and we got stuck there for 20 minutes and did not escape which was really disappointing given that we thought what was done was not only correct but meant to be there. I did feel robbed of the win and wish they had attempted to rectify it in some way for us. Its the only reason there are 4 stars there instead of 5.
Besides that, A+ on the rooms themselves. Great staff, great acting, parking was easy... truly well done.
Written January 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Navigator662649
2 contributions
Jan 2020 • Family
This was a fun event that the staff came up with. I've returned to this escape room multiple times not just because it has multiple rooms that are all challenging and fun but because the imagination and effort that goes into the design is really top notch. I've done rooms around the country and Basement is still my favorite.
Written January 31, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
williamcthill
West Hollywood, CA1 contribution
Feb 2020
I came with a group of six to celebrate a friend's birthday. We are a well-seasoned group of escape room enthusiasts, and were really impressed with the creativity and complexity of the obstacles we had to tackle. "The Basement". also included a live actor who was excellent. I gihly recommend The Basement for a group of about 6 - It requires people to split up, explore, and then collaborate effectively to make it out. And we did! It was one of the best escape rooms I have experienced.
"The Elevator Shaft" was also loads of fun. The six of us had to battle occasional flooding waters, steam blasts, smoke, and get a bit physical to solve this puzzle. I'd recommend 3-4 as an ideal number for this room.
It was a great afternoon of fun, and I hope to come back to try the other two rooms!
"The Elevator Shaft" was also loads of fun. The six of us had to battle occasional flooding waters, steam blasts, smoke, and get a bit physical to solve this puzzle. I'd recommend 3-4 as an ideal number for this room.
It was a great afternoon of fun, and I hope to come back to try the other two rooms!
Written February 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
John G
2 contributions
Jan 2020
I've done two different rooms here and the amount of work they put into the detail is amazing. It's worth the extra money to know you're going to have a good experience.
A couple of tips though... don't drink a lot of fluids before going in. Since there are no bathroom breaks.
I suggest not drinking alcohol or doing any drugs that make you dumber before going in. You might end up being too stupid to solve the puzzle and make it out, which could anger other people doing the room with you.
A couple of tips though... don't drink a lot of fluids before going in. Since there are no bathroom breaks.
I suggest not drinking alcohol or doing any drugs that make you dumber before going in. You might end up being too stupid to solve the puzzle and make it out, which could anger other people doing the room with you.
Written January 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
scarlito5780
Ogden, UT
How many people in a group can go at one time
Dean L
Santa Clarita, CA76 contributions
Depending on the room. There are ones that 3 people “can” manage. They usually say 6. Some larger rooms you’d need 10. Now if you are a small group you can go and are paired up with others to make up the needed numbers. If you want to play the room solely on your own you need to buy out the room which can get pricey if there’s 3 of you in a room that max’s out at 10 persons as you have to make up the cost of the missing 7. Now the catch is they close the room out 1Hr before game time so just prior to that (which is what we did - group of 3) we went in online and you can see how many are booked for a specific time slot and pick one that’s got none and a minute or two before they close it off to bookings you book in. This will maximize the chance you can do it alone without having to make up the difference in cost. Their FAQ’s on the web site are quite good - I got lots of great answers. Also if you call them, their staff were extremely helpful. I hope this answer was helpful as well?
prepper
michigan152 contributions
Is this experience (company) related to The Captured in Tennessee? The banner looks exactly the same
jhintz2010
Rancho Cucamonga, CA2 contributions
No it is not.
The Basement A Live Escape Room Experience (Los Angeles) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
Frequently Asked Questions about The Basement A Live Escape Room Experience
- The Basement A Live Escape Room Experience is open:
- Mon - Fri 5:30 PM - 12:00 AM
- Sat - Sun 10:00 AM - 12:00 AM
- Hotels near The Basement A Live Escape Room Experience:
- (0.42 mi) Value Inn
- (8.51 mi) Hotel Lexen Newhall & Santa Clarita
- (9.06 mi) Lexen Hotel - North Hollywood Universal Studios
- (9.52 mi) Sweet Dreams B&B
- (8.84 mi) Hampton Inn & Suites Los Angeles/Sherman Oaks
- Restaurants near The Basement A Live Escape Room Experience:
- (0.02 mi) Taco Bell
- (0.03 mi) KFC
- (0.05 mi) Yoshinoya
- (0.06 mi) El Pollo Loco
- (0.16 mi) Asia Tasty