Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions
What are the age requirements?
People of any age are welcome to participate, however the rooms are designed for people 12 years of age or older to really get the most of the experience. Anyone under 14 years of age must have at least one person that is 18 years or older present as a room participant. 14-16 year-olds must have at least one person 18 years of age or older in the facility but is not required to be a participant in the room. Children under 4 years of age must be held by an adult that is at least 18 years old as some of the rooms contain small parts. You must have a waiver signed by a parent or legal guardian if under the age of 16. You can bring the waiver with you or we can give one to you when you arrive.
Will there by any scary moments during the time in the room?
Our rooms are NOT designed to scare anyone with the exception of Save the Asylum. Some experiences are bright at all times including Sherlock's Mystery and Krocbuster. The Dr. Jones Study Heist and Escape Extinction will contain some artificial noise and may be darker at times, but are not scary in any way. All of our experiences are child-friendly, however Save the Asylum may scare some people as it is our only room that incorporates haunted-house concepts.
Do you allow booking per person, or only per room?
Only per room. The entire room is yours and you are only in the room with people in your group.
Is there anyone else in the room with us?
No. Only the people in your group are in the escape room with you.
Do you win a prize if you escape?
You can win a free day pass to the Salem Kroc Center if you successfully complete rooms located in the Salem Kroc Center. Kroc memberships are NOT required for escape rooms.
Can I see an image of what the rooms look like?
Yes. Most of the images at the top of every page on this site were taken at our facilities and in our rooms including the magnifying glass image above.
Can I change my booking after I make it?
Yes. There is a link in your confirmation email to manage your booking date, time and details.
Do I need to provide the names of every person in a group in order to book a room?
No. This is optional information that simply helps us contact anyone if necessary. It is not required to book a room. You may still book a room now for your group even if you're not sure who all is coming yet so long as the room capacity will not be exceeded when everyone arrives.
What is the typical success rate?
You'll have to come try a room to find out. Each room is unique and not any harder or easier than the others but they each require unique styles of teamwork to maximize your chances. We do maintain leaderboards for our all-time record-holders.
Is there video and audio recording while we are in the room?
Yes.
When are you open?
Escape room bookings are available Tue - Sun and can start anytime between 11am to 7:45pm.
How long does each event last?
Most commonly, your entire experience will last about 80 minutes. 15 minutes to check in, 60 minutes in the room and a 5 minute closing.
Do you have any on-site escape rooms that support more than seven people?
Yes. Escape Extinction and Krocbuster both support up to eight people.
Are waivers required?
Yes. This is a requirement of our insurance provider. You can print them ahead of time from this site or we can give you one when you arrive.
Are Kroc memberships required for escape rooms located in the Salem Kroc Center?
No.
Are the facilities sanitized?
Yes. All major surfaces are disinfected between each group.
How do you accommodate extremely large groups?
Please see this page for a detailed answer.
Can I walk in right now?
In general, you can book a room six hours from now during operating hours. Most experiences require advance reservation to schedule staff for your booking time, a room is available and not currently being serviced. The "Book Now" button on this site will allow you to book what is presently available.
Do you facilitate special requests?
Yes! We have had marriage proposals, baby reveals, custom schedules for larger groups, etc... so please call or email us to discuss.
Is food or alcohol allowed?
No.
What is your cancellation policy?
You may cancel a reservation at any time for any reason for a full refund so long as your booking is scheduled to start at least 48 hours or more from the point at which is refund is requested. Please email us if you need to cancel a reservation and be issued a full refund.
What happens if we are late for our reservation?
We'll try to accommodate you as best we can. Staff will need to be available and other bookings may run up against yours so you'll typically have less time to complete the experience if you are late, so you'll definitely want to arrive 15 min early.
Are the facilities and experiences handicap accessible?
Yes. Our experiences can be enjoyed by those with mobility and hearing limitations.
Why do I need to provide an email and phone number during booking?
The email is where we send a confirmation email with booking details, arrival instructions, terms and a link for you to manage your booking. The email is also where we send the link to the downloads and connection info for our remote virtual rooms. The email is not used for any other purpose unless you explicitly opt-in for our newsletter during the booking process. The phone number is only used in case we need to reach you for an issue directly pertaining to your booking.
Remote / Virtual Experiences
How do virtual escape room experiences work?
Are they really fun?
Yes! We have had countless positive reviews from people and companies all over the world that have been through our virtual rooms. Please see our Google reviews for yourself!
How many people can participate in a remote virtual escape room?
Fifteen (15), however we recommend no more than seven (7) connections. Ideally, you use 3-4 iPads, tablets, or desktop computers with a microphone and camera for the best experience but even phones will work. While you can have more than seven, your experience may be degraded with more than seven connections, as people tend to start talking over each other making it harder for everyone to participate. If you do have more than seven, it may help to establish designated people that speak on behalf of others.
Are remote virtual experiences for extremely large groups available?
Yes! We can help you book multiple room(s) that run back-to-back or concurrently that can effectively serve up to 75 people per hour. Each room is $149 regardless of the number of connections, however see the previous question above for recommended limits. Please call or email us and we'll set this up for you. It involves creating custom booking windows (dates/times) that work for you so you can book from this website. Each room needs 15 minutes between bookings. See the question below for available rooms.
How many remote virtual rooms are available?
All five of our rooms work as both physical and remote virtual rooms.
What happens if everyone or the hosts get disconnected during a remote room?
We will pause the game for up to five minutes as we reestablish the connection. After five minutes, a full refund will be issued if the connection cannot be reestablished for some reason; though this has not happened in the many years we've been operating.
What happens if we have some people late or that have connection issues?
We will try to accommodate you as best we can, however we may require that the game still start on time even if not all participants are ready unless you booked a virtual package with a "delayed start" option. This option is only available to our business customers as a special package.
Where is my connection link?
It's at the top of your confirmation email. If you do not see one, please call or email us and we can also send it to you.
Gaming Lounge Questions
What happens if we need technical support?
The staff running the room are gamers too. We will help you.
Will we pay for time troubleshooting technical issues?
No. Any time spent addressing technical issues will be added to your booking at no cost. However, you will not be credited for time spent configuring a game that is running properly, so make sure you know how to use and configure the game once it's running.
How do we play any game we want?
During booking, you will specify the PC game you want us to install and configure.
How do gaming accounts work?
Each system has a dedicated Escape Tech gaming account for all services such as Discord, Steam, and in-game accounts for games like Minecraft, Fortnight, etc... This let's you get playing quickly as soon as you sit down. You are also able to log into any service with your own game/platform account to access your library, settings, etc. should you wish or if required by the game.
Can I download and play more games than the one we requested during booking?
Yes. However you must do so with your own account and be aware that time spent downloading or configuring the game is not credited. We can also try and accommodate you if you make this request during booking so we can ensure the game files are already installed for you when you arrive.
Are special hours available for gaming?
Yes. Just email or call us.
Do you support left-handed players?
Yes. You can swap the mouse side or even bring your own peripherals.
What makes this a "premium" service?
Each computer is a true "gaming rig". 240Hz monitors with GPUs that can power them. A high-speed LAN, gaming mats, headsets, mouse bungees, dark LED lighting, Sonos sound system, and adequate 40 amp power / ventilation for the custom systems. The PCs are built and maintained by the gamers of Escape Tech.