Picture this: A group of people are placed in a room for an hour, with only their wits and problem-solving skills to find a way out as the stress builds around them. Some call it a murder mystery on steroids, gamified theater, a living puzzle, real-life video games, interactive entertainment or an intense team-building experience. Northern Utah calls it The Great Room Escape, and one of the first escape rooms in the state.

Each room concept has a tension or pressure element, making it just a little more challenging to recall simple spelling and arithmetic needed to solve puzzles. This element makes the escape rooms the perfect environment for team building.

A concept that started in Japan in 2007 spread to Europe and is finally making its way to the United States. Almost 3,000 escape rooms are found in 65 countries and more than 700 cities, according to the Escape Room Directory. Business is booming since the first escape room opened on U.S. soil in 2012. More are opening every day, and Layton’s owners expect to open more Utah locations in the future.