Everyone can have an individual take on what constitutes entertainment, but an original inspiration can be found the capital of Romania. The Museum of Senses opened two months ago in Bucharest – patterned on its counterpart in Prague - and its story is built around the world of sensations and mind-blowing optical illusions. Gina Schmitzer, its founder, provides us insights about a business idea which invites you simply to test your senses.
It took 10 years for the Museum team to turn their initial plan into reality. Back in 2007, four friends from different professional backgrounds “dreamed of entering a completely new sector of activity, but also one where personal objectives would be accomplished”, comments Ms. Schmitzer.
The importance of a productive personal life was a sine qua non condition, and Gina Schmitzer is proud to note that during this period of turning a dream into a reality, the team “has together (accumulated) eight children”.
The driving-force of the museum is a crazy dedication to a project focused on pleasure and, as Ms Schmitzer highlights, for the wellbeing of those who step into this unexpected place.
A business concept based on “the real world instead of gadgets”
In our fast-paced daily lives, innovative entrepreneurship can be a real challenge.
This is why Gina Schmitzer thinks, with hindsight, that her team focused on “a concept where the analogical experience is greater than the digital one, a place where you can both have fun and learn”.
Therefore, if one would like to break down a rambling definition, take this one for the Museum of Senses, which is described by its founder as “a place as fun as it is educational, as amazing as it is enigmatic, and as crazy as it is rational”.
The objective of this out-of-the-box museum is to discover inner sensations. “We want our visitors to be inspired and to be aware that, in reality, we all perceive our surroundings according to our own experiences in life”, points out Ms. Schmitzer. In terms of the visitors’ profile, the team recognizes it is difficult to draw one as those who pay a visit are of all ages and come from different backgrounds. Many visitors come through curiosity, and usually with friends or families during the weekends. The museum can surprise even more as it is located inside a shopping mall, which can easily trigger other, spontaneous ideas for on-the-spot activities.
“Life is way better when you look upside down”
As regards visitors’ expectations, this indoor adventure triggers various sensations as visitors pass from one room to another. You can feel like levitating, summon some courage in the spinning room, or encounter a few insane optical illusions. For the lovers of legends, there is even Dracula’s room to be discovered. To quote a review, a random visitor states: “It was so much fun playing with the laws of physics and discovering that life is way better when you see it upside down. We loved the mirrors room, the bed of nails, and the perspective room. Also, I thought being beheaded wasn’t that bad after all”.
The best is to judge in person, but nowadays social media can be very helpful as well. Some of the feedback includes statements of appreciation for being a very “instagrammable experience”, allowing visitors to “escape the ordinary” or “refresh their brains after a long working day” or simply a nice place where you can “take cool photos”. However, critics are not absent either as, for some visitors, the place is too small and too crowded or it is maybe too commercial. In any case, its uniqueness promises some memorable experiences to take away from Bucharest.
Photos: The Museum of Senses
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