Couples escape room at home: how to set it up

Escape rooms have won over groups of friends. For two, at home, they become something else: a playful trail where every solved puzzle brings you closer.

Step 1: choose a theme

• The 1930s secret club: masks, jazz, champagne.
• The night hotel: a room key, notes slipped under the door.
• The haunted house: candles on an autumn night.
• The night train: tickets, timetables, imaginary stations.

Step 2: write the puzzles

Three to five linked puzzles, the answer to one revealing where to find the next:

• The four-digit code: an important date for you two.
• The mirror message: a sentence written backwards.
• The hidden word: first letters of each line of a short poem.
• The jigsaw: a photo of you cut into pieces.
• The padlock: a small locked box.

Step 3: hide the clues

Spread them across rooms. Each room can have its own mood. Always keep a backup hint.

Step 4: add rewards

1. A message to read aloud.
2. A kiss wherever the solver chooses.
3. A five-minute massage.
4. A random dare.
5. The finale, in the last room.

Keep a gentle version for each reward and a safe word.

The no-prep option

Setting up an escape room takes an hour, and the organiser knows all the answers. To play as equals, a ready-made puzzle game provides the puzzles, hints and dares: open the PDF on a tablet, tap the right answer and let the next page reveal what comes next.