Bubble Planet is London’s newest multi-sensory world, occupying a venue near Wembley Stadium. It bills itself as “a voyage through fantastical, pastel landscapes, designed to appeal to all five senses”, and honestly, that is pretty darn accurate. The experience has had big success in the US, Milan, and Brussels. Will it be as loved here in the Big Smoke? Read on for my review of Bubble Planet.
Entering Bubble Planet
Now, first and foremost, I must admit, I did not expect Bubble Planet to be as big as it was – it is HUGE. From the moment you step into the grounds, you’ll spy one of those much-loved igloos that seem to pop up all over London during the winter season. There was trippy music as I entered the actual experience through the curved archways and into the technicolour world– a nice nod to the spherical theme.
My favourite zones
There are 11 different immersive zones at Bubble Planet, and while I won’t review each one, I did have my favourites.
There are two ball pits within the experience: a smaller one with bigger balls, and a humongous one with smaller balls. Both were great, but we spent more time in the second ball pit, laughing away. At the heart of this pit, there was a machine in which you could add the balls to whoosh up a flute and rain back down on you, plus there were inflatables to imitate a person in a bubble bath. This bath is so full, in fact, that one of our group was able to mimic swimming in it. I loved it. Children and adults alike had faces filled with glee in this zone.
In my time at Secret London, I’ve frequented many an infinity room, and the one at Bubble Planet was my favourite so far. You know the optical illusion has been executed well when you take those first steps in and don’t know where to go. Think ‘house of mirrors’, but ten times more beautiful, with colour-changing ‘bubbles’. Top tip, follow the path laid out at your feet, and it’ll see you right – promise. The gaming stations were another nice touch: I loved the bubble gum-blowing game, as well as the target-hitting, ball-throwing station. That one was harder than it looked, especially when stepping further back.
The virtual reality experience was wild. Wildly brilliant, that is. In the 10-minute experience, I became a bubble (lol) and it was trippy AF. At one point, I wasn’t sure if I was in a lava lamp, or a bottle of champagne! It’s actually crazy how your perception is challenged; at some points, I truly felt that drop in my stomach like I was going down a hill, even though I was sitting stationary in Bubble Planet. A really nice touch were the bubble seats, which not only looked in theme, but as they were suspended from the ceiling, they gave the feeling of being weightless too.
Bubble Planet was filled with infographic boards on the walls, detailing famous bubbles, like The Eden Project in the UK, and Palais Bulles in France. There were also quotes about bubbles from famous stars, for example, Pele and Ghandi.
Should you go with friends, or family?
This is one of the rare experiences where I feel that children, adults, or groups mixed with both, will all genuinely have a great time. There were nods to childlike fun, like the aforementioned ball pits, as well as more adult-loved, Instagrammable aspects, like the infinity room, and the photo zones. Much like all the world’s hotspots – Bali and Amsterdam to name just two – there was even a sky swing photo op.
The experience concluded with a room full of traditional bubbles, cascading down from a high-up machine. We also got our own bubbles to blow. This room evoked the most childlike magic for me, and I absolutely loved it.
You may think that this last room smells rather sweet. Well, this is due to the wafting smell from the gift shop… That’s right: the gift shop enticed with two on-brand popups of Fully Loaded London bubble waffles and Bubbleology bubble tea. I treated myself to both, and I was not disappointed.
To round off this review, I must say Bubble Planet was well worth the trip to Zone 4. It’s recommended as an hour-long experience, but frankly, you could stay for double that, and still not want to leave. People of all ages will love this one, so don’t miss out on tickets – grab yours here.
