Welcome to Sloomoo Institute, New York’s first and only slime “museum” in Soho, Manhattan. It’s been generating a ton of buzz among moms and dads searching for fun indoor things to do with kids in New York.
We went to check out this new venue to see whether it lives up to the hype and to understand whether a whole experiential space dedicated to slime could entertain both me and my 9-year-old daughter.
Your arrival
Sloomoo, which is located on Broadway near Canal Street Subway Station, is in a regular storefront, meaning you can see inside from the street. However, you don’t get a sense of just how big the 8,000 square foot space is until you “check-in,” as only Sloomoo’s retail area is visible from the outside. You can enter the Sloomoo store to purchase slime and slime accessories (yup, that’s a thing) without needing a ticket.
After checking in with a welcoming staff member, you are given a sticker with your “slime name” which is just your name with all the vowels changed to “oo”, so my name was “Hoostoor”. All Sloomoo staff members are dressed in colorful jumpsuits covered in cute patches (also available for purchase). Once you receive your sticker, you can line up to enter the main experience space as they (sensibly!) control the flow of people to ensure the space doesn’t get overcrowded. Visitors are encouraged to sanitize their hands before playing with any of the slime exhibits, and you can then set off on your slime journey.
What you’ll find
Different masses or lumps of slime are displayed in sink-like ceramic containers around Sloomoo Institute, each with the type of slime, color, and scent noted on a caption on the wall next to it. You can reach in and play with the slime, and kids do this enthusiastically, with the adults around me being a lot more tentative. It’s definitely enjoyable from a sensory perspective though as my daughter’s default speed setting through any kind of museum is “sprint,” I couldn’t slow down and enjoy playing as much as I would have liked!
Aside from the individual slime stations, there are several other fun components to Sloomoo Institute, including a glow-in-the-dark slime tent, an EEG machine where you can see your brain “on slime” and an area where (if you buy a premium ticket) you can have slime rain down on you while the Sloomoo song is played. Or as we decided to do, you can just watch other people getting slimed, which is much more enjoyable!
Your chance to DIY
The highlight of the Sloomoo Institute for us was the 150-foot “DIY bar” where you can custom-create your very own slime to take home. You start by picking your texture of slime by touching un-colored samples, which is when you realize that the different slime exhibits were actually opportunities to discover what your favorite kind of slime is. My daughter and I chose the “glossy” slime type, which actually ended up being a little bit sticky, so I’d probably recommend trying a different type. After you’ve chosen your slime texture, you’re handed a plastic tub with your plain slime in it, and move along to choosing the scent for your slime.
Demeter Fragrance Library has provided all of the scents for the slime bar, so they’re genuinely delightful, and if you’re not under too much pressure from people behind you in line, it’s fun to smell many before making your choice and some of the fragrance is dropped into your tub! Next up is choosing the color for your slime, which you can do from a color menu from around 40 different options. The powdered color is also popped into your tub. Then you can choose “charms” for your slime, which was genuinely confusing and my daughter got a bit upset at the idea of getting these really lovely charms covered in slime so ended up not choosing any at all. I think the charms really only work if you have chosen clear slime initially, otherwise, you’ll just end up with hard, lumpy pieces in your slime. I felt like that was the one part of the Sloomoo experience that didn’t quite make sense, or perhaps just wasn’t communicated very well.
Final stage
Once you’ve made all your choices, you’re ushered into a room with different desk stations to mix up your slime, which is done by hand with an assist from another jumpsuit-clad team member. At this stage, both my daughter and I did get some slime and color on our clothing, so I’d recommend not wearing your very best clothes to Sloomoo, and wearing sleeves that can easily roll up. Slime will come out of clothing with a bit of vinegar, or you can just do as I did and wait for it to try before picking it off.
More fun
After we had finished making our slime, we headed to an area where you can actually take your shoes off and walk on slime. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do it at first but my daughter insisted, and it was surprisingly pleasant if you don’t think too much about other peoples’ feet!
The final stop before heading out is to walk through the gift shop where you can buy slime and slime accessories (little packs of glitter and balls for example that you can mix in with your slime). We had been in Sloomoo for almost exactly one hour, which I think would be about the average if you were moving at a reasonably swift pace. My daughter gave it two thumbs up and said she had loved it. She has also played with her slime several times since we visited.
From my point of view, it’s a fun outing for a special treat, and as an adult, there is definitely enough to keep you engaged. Sloomoo has started doing adult-only “Sip and Slime” events as well as events incorporating CBD which I can imagine being very fun!
Hester Aba lives in Brooklyn with her two daughters and dachshund Nutmeg. She is the Creative Director-at-Large for New York Family and also runs her design agency Delilah Creative. She loves traveling, fitness, and dim sum.
When You Go …
Sloomoo Institute
475 Broadway, between Broome and Grand Streets
New York, N.Y.
sloomooinstitute.com
Hours: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Admission: General admission, $38. Includes an 8-ounce custom slime. Additional $30 for the Sloomoo Falls Experience where clothing gear is supplied and slime rains down on you.
Tickets: Available online at sloomooinstitute.com.
