Tao Massage Parlour, Bite the Fly (Madrid)

Are you really comfortable with your teammates?

The Tao family has settled in Madrid and welcomes you to their new Health and Massage Center. Our family comes from a long line of health specialists through massages and traditional Japanese techniques.

Experience a deep sense of health and well-being. Eliminate stress, balance your body and relax your mind. Let our staff advise you on our services and how to enjoy an experience that will last over time.

Experience Japanese tradition.

Of all the games I was looking forward to on our weekend jaunt to Madrid, I think Tao Massage Parlour was probably the top of that list. For one, it wasn’t a horror game which made a nice change to most of the games we had booked. Also there is a very similar version of Tao Massage Parlour near Barcelona which is very highly regarded – promising.

We arrived at the Bite the Fly full of excitement as we were not only going to be playing Tao Massage Parlour, but right after we would be staying in ‘the village’ and playing Bites Motel. We knocked on the big metal door and not long after, Carlos appeared.

When Carlos greeted us, he was in character and remained as this character right up until we finished our mission. He led us up the stairs where we then entered the dressing area for the Tao Massage parlour. We were instructed to get into costume which included lovely robes, and fresh socks (supplied), and one quite bizarre twist that we weren’t sure if it was a joke or not, but then it was time for business. Carlos returned and with us in suitable massage attire, he proceeded to give us our mission briefing and some light health and safety rules.

Bite the Fly is a great venue and I loved seeing what they’re doing with the space. It’s not just a set of random rooms with no connection, they are setting it all up to be a small village where all the games are linked as businesses, so far, they have a massage parlour (Tao) and a motel (Bites), what more do you need? Oh and this is one of those venues who say you can only use the toilet prior to your game ‘in an emergency’ so you may want to factor that in.

IMMERSION/ROOM DESIGN

I’ve had a few massages in my time, but never one classed as a ‘tao massage’ so I can’t really comment on the authenticity of this experience, but it certainly has a Japanese feel about it.

We encountered a number of different spaces in Tao Massage, and how they used the space available to them was very clever. We were never quite sure where we were going to end up next.

With audio and music being played at all times, this felt a world away from the bustling Spanish metropolis that we’d previously been walking around, we were now firmly in Japan.

Personally, I think the world needs more games like this. Nothing serious about it, just fun, solid puzzles, and great set design which at times make it feel like you’re participating in your own game show (Crystal Maze anyone?).

PUZZLES

Fortunately your massage skills are not needed in this game, but sadly, no massages were received either.

I think where Tao stood out among the other games we played in Madrid was its lightheartedness. We laughed a lot in this game, and had a stupendous amount of fun. It was nice to play a game like this where we weren’t being chased by a serial killer!

The room had a good mix of tech and padlocks but there were also a number of physical tasks we needed to complete. I think if you’re lacking in mobility, you may want to question if this game is for you if you want to get the most out of the experience.

The puzzles all revolved around Japanese culture and as such I don’t think much in here felt out of place. My Japanese language skills are limited to ‘Domo Arigato, Mr Roboto’  so I’m pleased to say you don’t need a grasp of Japanese (or Spanish) to complete this game.

Tao Massage certainly had a variety of puzzle types, generally involving; observation, touch, logic, teamwork, pattern recognition, audio, and then there was the final ‘puzzle’. I imagine this final one will be a love-hate type of thing, and I think I can safely say we didn’t love it. It was whimsical and fun, but just not our cup of saki.

This game does involve a good amount of physicality so make sure you do some warm-ups before you start!

GM/CLUE SYSTEM

I’m not sure if Carlos had a character name, but he remained as this character throughout our experience. After the game we found out that our team-mates, James and Charlie actually knew Carlos from when he lived in the UK – but Carlos didn’t let that affect his professionalism.

The clues didn’t obviously come from Carlos but through another character in the room. This extra character (don’t worry, not a live actor) was ever present and was always there to help us when needed or perhaps even to just have a chat.

ANYTHING ELSE

We had a great time at our Tao Massage, and if the copy in Barcelona is similar, I can see why it’s such a popular and highly rated game there.

The best way to describe this game would be ‘light-hearted fun’, and it’s an experience that had the same amount of joy as Ice Tiki in Athens. This game was new in Madrid, but it should firmly be on the must play list.

Success / Failure

Final Rating:

Team: 4 players

Address: C. del Puerto de Pozazal, 4, Vallecas, 28031 Madrid, Spain

Website: https://bitethefly.com/