CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Part whimsical, part sensory, part ooey-gooey fun — a new immersive exhibit in Chicago is bringing out the slime lover in all of us.
"This is the newest immersive experience that is all based around sensory play and smile," said Spenser Prelletz, General Manager, Sloomoo Institute Chicago, which opened in November 2022.
There are 10 different activities to enjoy within the 20,000-square-foot space located at 820 N. Orleans St. in River North.
"There's a giant wall of slime, called the Slime and Repeat Wall,” Prelletz said. “You can also get slime dumped on your head; there's a slime slingshot, and every guest that comes through gets to make their own slime from scratch with 4 million combinations to make."
Prelletz said slime has actually been around for more than 200 years, but it became quite the phenomenon in the early 1990s with the TV channel Nickelodeon and has remained popular with digital audiences since then.
"A big piece of it began with social media and the YouTube era with this hashtag called ‘oddly satisfying,’ where it's a series of sounds, textures, feelings — that tingly feeling you get down your spine called ASMR — that really started to generate the idea of slime. It's more than just a glob of goo," he smiled.
Inside the Sloomoo Institute guests can pick out their own colors, scents and texture.
"Elmer's school glue is the prime ingredient,” Prelletz said. “There's metallic glue, glitter glue, [and] thermochromic glue, [which] changes when you touch it through heat."
Behind the scenes, so-called "slime mixologists" are busy blending, mixing and creating new concoctions daily.
"All the slime we create is made in-house,” he said. “We make upward of 500 gallons a day. Everything is made with love. Nothing is brought in from any other location. Every slime, whether it's in the experience or in the gift shop, is made in-house."
Prelletz said he spent a month with slime mixologists in New York.
"At any given time, a slime mixologist — [who’s] responsible for all the recipes across the institute — at any given time, he's juggling 100 different recipes that we keep on the retail floor," he said.
There's even something called the "Sloomoo Falls" where patrons can get "slimed,” ponchos included.
"I get to slime people all day," laughed Sarah Bingham, a Slime Tender at the Sloomoo Institute. "A lot of people will reference Nickelodeon, or the show ‘Double Dare,’ and say that they are fulfilling a childhood dream. Who gets to say you're fulfilling people's dreams all day?"
Since the Sloomoo Institute opened in November 2022, Bingham estimated the Chicago space has "slimed" about 5,000 people so far.
Prelletz said slime has become big business.
"Folks are looking for something out of the ordinary, and the idea of the immersive experience isn't necessarily new,” he said. “We feel we are leveraging the word ‘immersive.’ We attack four of the five senses — you can't eat slime. We have wonderful scents; we have beautiful colors."
There are also special days for children who have disabilities. Play stations, complete with heart monitors, show in real time how playing with slime can slow down heart rates. Prelletz said the institute also focuses on neurodiversity.
"It's something that going out of the world — outside of the classroom — adds so much value,” he said. “We're breaking down walls when it comes to entertainment. We actually have a psychologist on staff who is helping to research the psychological benefits of slime. We give our patrons surveys to see how they feel before and after the experience and we calculate the results to see what kind of impact slime and sensory play has on people of all ages."
Prelletz said each ticket includes one, 8-ounce custom slime, valued at $18, that patrons get to make from the institute’s mega DIY slime bar.
"Sometimes an adult may come in and think they're just here for the kids, then they are elbow deep in the slime themselves,” he said. “Sensory play really helps adults, the idea of fun, the idea of relaxation in our everyday lives. It's also about polymer science. Leave your adult hats at the door and experience joy. For the little ones, we want them to see how far slime can go. There's something for everyone here.”
The Sloomoo Institute is open Wednesdays through Sundays. There are also spaces in New York and Atlanta.
Timed tickets are available online on the Sloomoo Institute’s website.
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