You take a slow, tentative sip, keeping one eye on the edible glitter and the Lucky Charms marshmallows floating atop your steaming cup. Seconds later, you feel your blood sugar skyrocketing. . . it’s a sensation that’s a little like brain freeze, except warmer, and more colorful.

Comfortably seated at a reflective, circular metal table, you’ve just experienced Nebular Marbits: purple white chocolate steamed with whole milk topped with marshmallows, lucky charms & frosted shimmer*

The barista at Float Café & Bar (who doubles as a bartender, after 4 p.m.) compliments your drink selections, informing you that you’ve selected the two most bizarre items on the drink menu.

Next up is a King’s Mouth Golden Latte: espresso, turmeric, ginger & honey steamed coconut milk. Its looks aren’t anything special – you might mistake it for an extremely large espresso, or a murky chocolate mocha – but it’s spicy and exotic, with a hint of honey swirling around in creamy coconut milk. A sharp intake of breath, and you swipe your tongue around in your mouth, puzzled by the combination of taste sensations.

Have you fallen down the rabbit hole . . .? Perhaps, in the darkness, you’ve entered the Twilight Zone – tilted walls, warped floors, the steep pitch of a roof, and hallways that narrow unexpectedly have conspired together to steal away your sense of space.

Flashing lights are blinding, disorienting. Wild geometric patterns and neon colors create a sense of animation, even when you are standing still, in a static room. If you get much more of this you might need a padded room!!

Okay, that’s a little dramatic. After all, there are green “Exit” signs, pointing the way to your escape route, should you need it. But every sense is assaulted. . . the experience is exhausting, emotionally and physically. But it’s also oddly exhilarating.

There’s a background story you can immerse yourself in, if you care to give your visit some structure, but it might take several visits to really sort out what you’re experiencing, to solve the puzzles and tease apart the upside-down reality you’ve found yourself in. It does feel like the walls are closing in at bit. . .

While planning your visit, you’d wondered if an unexpected, previously latent claustrophobia might kick in. You just didn’t know what to expect, so a twinge of anxiety crept in. You secretly want the experience to be uncomfortable, challenging the sense of calm you’ve been cultivating as part of your employee wellness program. You expect to feel a slight rush of adrenaline and hope not to be disappointed.

What you didn’t expect was to feel that rush from the first sip of your hot chocolate. The drinks “have all been shaped in the image of the multiverse. The house drinks are all unique and will have a rotating menu of experimental options!” (Meow Wolf website)

Multiverse?!? What exactly have you gotten yourself into?

This place has  reputation, that’s certain. . .

To be continued. . .

Join me on my next adventure,

~ Kat

Related Links:

Meow Wolf: https://meowwolf.com/

Float Café & Bar: https://meowwolf.com/santa-fe/float/

* EDIBLE GLITTER SHIMMER