Flip Out: A Trampoline Park (Review)

I recently took a few of my girlfriends to Flip Out, a local trampoline park. I was contacted by one of their management teams to do a review of a location and I ended up choosing London E6. It was so much fun and I had an absolute blast.

Flip Out is known as the UK's biggest and best "flipping brilliant trampoline park". With locations all around the UK, there's sure to be one relatively close to you and hopefully there will be even more opening soon! Taken from the website, their aim is simple: "To deliver massive amounts of healthy, awesome fun".

I was really impressed with how many activities and how big the space was. It isn't just a trampoline jump zone that's on offer, it's a whole experience that could easily provide fun and entertainment for a full day of enjoyment. While the activities do vary by location, London E6 had a kids jump zone, trampoline jump zone, a Ninja Warrior course, a laser zone maze, climbing walls, a 100m indoor cave, battle beams, a foam pit, a vertical obstacle course and even a 30ft drop slide.

We went for a standard jump session planning on staying for an hour but we ended up spending over 2 hours there. The free-jumping sessions give you unlimited access to our park for an hourly charge but I would defintely recommend at least 2 hours. The time goes so quickly, it's over before you know it!

We started by jumping on the trampolines which was so much fun. With so many to choose from and them being near by each other, it's easy to talk to each other so we were setting challenges to each other. Next we went to the laser zone which was the best! I'm totally a woss when it comes to trying things so the fact that I knew exactly what could happen meant it was perfect for me. There was 3 levels which varied the intensity, sensitivity and difficulty of the beams, so it was defintely fun!

On the bottom floor there is also a foam pit, which is way harder than I had anticipated to get out of once jumped in and a battle beam area, where we had way too much fun fighting each other safely.

Finally, there is a vertical obstacle course, which was actually easier than I expected but super tiring and a ninja warrior course. Of course, I didn't do it myself but a couple of my friends did and it was defintely very difficult but fun! It was a little time consuming so we just had time for a couple of us before we let another group take over.

Then we moved on to upstairs. The main floor is made up of trampolines. I personally preferred jumping upstairs because it was more open but it was the same idea as that downstairs. On the left hand side there was a separated trampoline area which allowed more trick jumping and then on the side was the biggest slide ever. Apparently, it's a massive adrenaline rush but none of us wanted to risk it and were too scared. It was super funny because just as I was leaving a 6 year old came down looking like he had the absolute time of his life! 

At the back of the room is the DJ music system along with the cave and the climbing walls. 

One of my friends is an avid climber so she got us all excited to go. You do need trainers so we all had to swap and use the same shoes. I loved the range of walls they had and the different levels of expertise. I'm a truly terrible rock climber so I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly I got up. Coming down was a whole different story... I'm used to abseiling with a person holding the weight at the bottom so the rope catches you straight away. These are automatic, perfectly safe but it totally feels like you're falling and I just couldn't get that out of my head...and then the hysterics started. 

I did eventually get down and quite honestly, the staff member helping us was incredible. I was a total wimp and a nightmare but he was super patient and really good at coaching me down. In fact, all the staff went above and beyond. Apart from the initial confusion with the booking, there is constantly staff members watching and helping out to make sure everything and everyone is safe. Two in particular stood out the most and were very chatty and full of life. 

Finally, my friends went in the cave. I'm a little claustrophobic but it's more so the unknown that scares me slightly. The cave is almost pitch blank and the tunnels are very narrow and require crawling on forearms the entire time. Honestly, I'm glad I didn't because when my friends came out they were sweating and exhausted! They all said it was super fun but very hard work. I helped coach them out of the last part and it was defintely difficult to do the last part, especially as it's straight from the ball pit. It's always good to challenge yourself though! 

With all the activities, you're bound to get thirsty, tired and hungry so you'll be pleased to know that there is a cafe with both hot and cold food and plenty of drinks to re-hydrate. I was thoroughly impressed with the selection and the prices weren't ridiculously expensive, compared to many similar experiences. The London E6 location also apparently has a number of other eating areas but they weren't open when I visited, probably because it was very quiet in the trampoline park.

Also, if you're not jumping or even if you just need a break, there is a huge seating area which allows you to have full view of the jumping area. This is perfect if you just need to sit down for a minute, chill with friends for a while or even to keep an eye on your kids to make sure they stay safe.

I also had the opportunity to view a couple of the party rooms. Each one is themed slightly differently but I was really impressed with the size of the rooms and most importantly that each had their own private bathroom. According to the guide I had, the price per person includes the food and drink with an hour use of the room, followed by an hour of jump time. Honestly, I would be tempted to extend the jump time but the time int he party room is ample.

While I didn't personally take part in any of the classes, from the website they host a number of different ones which people can take advantage of:

• Mini Flippers: A trampoline session for both parents and toddlers (under 5 years) to have fun and keep fit. 
• Flip Fit: For those over 15, this class allows you to boost energy, tone and strengthen and burn up to 1000 calories per session!
• After Dark: Resident DJs bring a true party atmosphere to the Flip Out arena, with smoke machines, light shows and super sound systems in place to keep you and your crew jumping through the night.
• Little Ninja's: 4 to 14 year olds can learn to leap, flip and twist by specialist trainers. 
• ASD & Disability Sessions: Dedicated less busy sessions with appropriate sound and lighting, perfect for those with special educational needs.

One of the things that stood out to me the most is that the London E6 location had a free to use car park. I actually don't drive in London because I find the public transport is super easy and cheap to use, but if I did, I would defintely make use of this feature. It's rare to have it offered in a place so close to central London.

Overall, I would thoroughly recommend visiting your nearest Flip Out location for a fun activity. Especially if you have children in your family, they will have an absolute blast! It was so much fun and the only thing I'd wish, is that I'd have spent more time there.