Trippy Art Spa

Welcome to the trippy art spa.

You might not know the name. But you know the formula. It’s a subgenre of immersive art that combines multiple trends into one night out.

Giant room with projections covering walls and floor, and scattered random seating? Check.

Plush room with puffy things on every surface? Check.

LED mirror infinity room? Check.

Nearly pitch-black room with visible mist and beanbag chairs? Check.

Room where visitors make art on a communal table with crayons? Check.

Videos everywhere designed like psychedelic screensavers? Check.

No storyline or recognizable content? Check.

Bass-heavy ambient soundtrack with no discernible tempo? Check.

Nearly no text? Check.

Ball pool? Sigh. OK. Check.

Tickets hovering near $50? Check.

Here’s the thing:
Trippy art spas are fun. And the components all have aspects worthy of study — especially that last one if you’re a nonprofit chief revenue officer.

But it is a formulaic Frankenstein, made of borrowed parts.

Immersive experiences, broadly, will always be with us.

But trippy art spas? Their days might be numbered.

Warmly,
Jonathan

P.S. The formula: Atelier des Lumieres + Meow Wolf + Yayoi Kusama + Refik Anadol + Museum of Ice Cream + chill DJ = trippy art spa