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I was shocked by how palpable the world I was in felt.
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My favourite were the giant hairy spiders that ran at full speed towards us. Before I got the chance to process the tarantulas that were vaulting towards us, one was already glued on me.
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I looked down, panic setting in and then screamed at the top of my lungs. I felt slightly embarrassed afterwards, after hearing the concern in the parents’ voices.
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As a (self-diagnosed) arachnophobe, I was a bit shaken. But a little exposure therapy never hurt anyone.
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The rest of the experience felt exactly how I’d imagined the fantasy worlds I read about when I was younger would look like.
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What made the experience feel so realistic, though, were the vests we wore before going into the experience. The tighter you attach them to your body, the more intensely you feel the sensations in your body, Tally told us beforehand.
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We went to about four or five worlds during the experience, which lasted about half-an-hour total.
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The VR headsets
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One aspect that staff warned us about beforehand, which I appreciated, was the feel of the headset.
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Because we have them on for a highly stimulating half hour, they can get heavier on the forehead and create tension.
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“For people who’ve never been here, I have to give them more instructions, like how the headset feels and explain that sometimes it gets heavier at the end,” Tally said.
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It was true to my experience. I hadn’t anticipated the weight of the headset on my forehead. Three-quarters into the experience, Tally checked in on me and the other players, and adjusted the headsets to make them a little bit looser if needed.
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She says she always advises players to ask for help if anything feels off at any point in the experience.
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After the experience was over, we watched a video recap of how the experience went. The video was emailed to our inbox free of charge afterwards.
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A busy few months for Sandbox VR
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Sandbox VR in Ottawa has had a busy start.
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Ottawa’s Sandbox VR location lucked out when it comes to visibility. Part of Sandbox’s early success can be attributed to the marketing team and the wide open windows.
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Tally says the high windows help curious outsiders look into the mirrors as they walk towards the Rideau Centre from Parliament. Those who follow their curiosity go in for a walk-in experience.
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Tally says clientele includes families coming to Sandbox VR to celebrate birthdays and corporate leaders bringing their employees for team-bonding events, as well as those attending bachelorette parties or on date nights.
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The entertainment shop is open on Fridays and Saturdays as late as 1 a.m., another employee, Antoine Leblanc, told the Ottawa Citizen.
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“Sometimes you get like 10-people walk-ins at midnight and it’s a lot of fun,” Leblanc said.
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He says that about half of the bookings at Sandbox VR are walk-ins.
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While parents mostly come in with their kids, Sandbox VR also caters to adults who can enjoy the mini bar, which has drinks based on games.
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Netflix TV-series inspired experiences like Squid Game have drinks tailored to them, which Tally says people enjoy.
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How old does your kid have to be to experience Sandbox VR?
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There’s no real minimum age for the experience. Kids as young as five years old have taken part.
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“It’s mostly about how the kids will take it,” Tally says. “Because we have five-year-old kids who can do it.”
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Leblanc says it depends on the head-to-body ratio of the child. Because the headset is quite heavy, kids with smaller heads may not necessarily enjoy the experience.
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Sandbox VR in Ottawa is located at 45 Rideau St. #200 in the ByWard Market area, right above the CIBC.
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Prices drop slightly during weekdays. Players can pay up to $55.99 per person between Monday and Thursday, and $64.99 for experiences between Friday and Sunday.
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