Tao Massage Parlor

Review by Michael

This room is silly.

I’m not 100% sure it’s a “must see” in Barcelona, but you’re unlikely to regret going to it either.

The premise is that you’ve booked a relaxing spa day at this massage parlor, and it’s not going to go as planned, because of some screwball-comedic reasons. The absurd situation is funny enough on its own, and the farcical game is adorable and reasonably challenging, with one actor tasking on the roles of several bizarre characters. If you don’t like playing with an actor in the room, don’t worry, you’re not… not really… but then again you sort of are, I know my team were helped a little more than we wanted to be. The proprietor (and sole actor) spoke perfect English, which helped in our case. This isn’t the kind of room where it seems fair to judge whether or not the puzzles “made sense” — you’ll get through it all easily enough. The more relevant question is whether the whole thing is funny overall, and the answer is yes, but not in a way you’ve never seen before.

If you’re worried whether the idea of a “happy ending” ever makes the humor seem crass, it really doesn’t, the concept doesn’t really intrude upon the much lighter/sillier vibe of the room as a whole. Some predicmanets are inventive, and refreshingly risky (if you’re from the states, there’s one point where you’ll definitely think to yourself “they’d never let us do this in the states”). Most are just weird. The scenery is never jaw-dropping, but the room’s caretakers are completely devoted to selling the hell out of their roles, and the room’s premise, so you’ll have a great time.

Go during the afternoon so you can enjoy the 40 minute car-ride from Barcelona, there’s some really nice views of the sea.

—