Recently I went to Dopamine Land, a multi-sensory experience in Kensington. This modern interactive museum had only been open a few weeks, and I was intrigued by reports of playful sensory experiences and colourful immersive exhibits.
The experience promises the opportunity to ‘disconnect from everyday life and connect with your emotions through colourful installations that inspire relaxation, excitement and happiness’.
I couldn’t resist checking out their world of happiness, and I’m glad I did! The exhibits were interactive and original, and I left feeling uplifted and calm.
Read on to find out more about Dopamine Land and what makes it worth visiting!
In this guide:
What is Dopamine Land?
Dopamine Land is a new museum offering visitors an interactive multi-sensory experience. Dopamine is the hormone that makes us happy, and the experience is centred around stimulating the senses to give us a hit of the natural happiness drug.
Since opening in April 2022, this instagrammable pop-up museum has been receiving great reviews for its imagination, interactivity and originality.
The experience combines traditional physical mediums with creative technology to offer a series of memorable sensory experiences.
Visitors are guided through a series of rooms, each designed to stimulate different senses and emotions. These ranged from calming to exciting, from nostalgic to eccentric.
You never know what’s round the corner as you walk from room to room, and there are a lot of pleasant surprises.
Click here to book your ticket for Dopamine Land!
Practical Info for visiting Dopamine Land
Dopamine Land is nestled in the bustling terraced streets of Old Brompton Road in Kensington. It’s just a short walk away from South Kensington and Gloucester Road tube stations, so you’ll have no trouble getting there on the Circle, District or Piccadilly line.
The museum is open from 3pm – 8pm on weekdays, from 11am-8pm on Saturdays and 11am-6pm on Sundays.
You can expect to spend anywhere from 45 minutes to 90 minutes there, depending on how long you spend in each room (and how long you stay for drinks in the bubble bar!).
Tickets are £20.00 for adults and £15.00 for children. Booking slots are available every 30 minutes, and are available from the Dopamine Land website.
Make sure to book your Dopamine Land tickets online beforehand!
The Dopamine Land Experience
The journey begins in a muted waiting room, before darkness transforms into a wash of colour as our group is led through a series of neon archways.
After a brief introduction by a cheerful guide, we progress through some twisting dark corridors to the first hidden room.
The first thing that hits us is the familiar, nostalgic smell of warm popcorn. As the door to the room opens, we enter a space covered with red and white stripes painted at irregular angles to create the illusion of an uneven surface.
At the centre of the room lay a giant popcorn box filled with bags of sweet and salty popcorn, striped in the same colours as the room. We were encouraged to help ourselves.
Ever-shifting red and white geometric textures were projected on all four walls, giving the impression that the edges of the room were transforming and changing shape, before the projections started to fill up from the bottom with fluffy popcorn.
We were kernels of corn in a giant bag of cinema snacks, and it was oddly comforting.
We absorbed the hypnotic sights, crackling sounds and sweet smells before moving on, pockets stuffed with extra bags of popcorn.
Another room was entirely mirrored to create the impression of infinity. Long tendrils holding spheres of soft light stretched from ceiling to floor, and seemed to extend forever in every direction.
Wherever you looked, countless different versions of yourself looked back at you through the forest of lights. The colours slowly shifted through different hues, from warm reds to cold blues to a scattered rainbow assortment.
The ambient music added a layer of comfort to an intriguing experience.
Click here to book your own Dopamine Land experience in London!
Another room acted as a large, safari-themed photo booth with creepily realistic animal masks and a selection of other accessories. Portraits were taken of humanoid poodles stood next to astronauts, with an eclectic wallpapered backdrop.
More corridors led us to a dark room containing a mirrored floor dotted with square panels, creating the illusion of an endless chasm. Each panel lit up and triggered a retro video game sound effect when stepped on, challenging you to find the correct path to the exit.
Further trips through the labyrinthine corridors led us to a room containing a handful of old overhead projectors. These were a central feature of any classroom or school assembly hall in the 1990s, so the wave of nostalgia was immediate and powerful.
There were baskets filled with a selection of cellophane sheets and clippings of different sizes, inviting us to experiment with colourful collages cast upon the walls.
The heat of the lamps mixed with the cellophane cast a heavy and soporific smell, shards of light white light from the bulbs contrasting the patchwork projections on the walls.
What followed was a small letter-writing station surrounded by giant pages of scribbles, scrawls and doodles. We were invited to write a note, whether it be a witty joke, a personal secret, or a message for future dopamine-seekers.
We could either leave the message to be found, or post it in sealed postboxes to be hidden away. It was easy to become absorbed into reading the scattered pile of handwritten notes; it acted as collection of little insights into countless people’s lives.
Click here to book and experience Dopamine Land in London!
The penultimate room was my favourite: a large bedroom filled with piles and piles of soft white pillows, dimly lit except for the bright coloured squares of window panes.
The windows changed colour and flashed with every low rumble of thunder, building upon loud, energetic music to spur us on into a large-scale pillow fight. Unleashing our inner child was surprisingly easy – who didn’t love pillow fights as a kid?
After exhausting ourselves in soft combat, we emerged into the bubble bar. This was a large, Willy Wonka-style space brightly lit with bold colours, centred around a cocktail bar.
Lining the room were various bubble-themed activities and photo opportunities, including a claw-footed bathtub, a wrecking ball, bubble guns and ping pong.
An assortment of circular stools and tables offered us the chance to enjoy a drink and reflect on the medley of experiences we’d encountered.
Check out prices and availability for Dopamine Land here!
Final thoughts on visiting Dopamine Land, London
Dopamine Land is an original and inventive way to spend an evening. I enjoyed the format of being led from room to room; it felt like a journey through a strange parallel universe where you are bathed in lights and sounds and smells.
I felt a wide range of emotions throughout the visit, but all were underpinned by a general childlike curiosity. Some rooms were exciting, some had a calming effect, some were introspective and some were just intriguing.
Go with an open mind, relax into the experience and soak up the dopamine. Dopamine Land was also one of the most Instagrammable experiences I’ve had in London.
While you’re at it, why not check out some of the most Instagrammable restaurants in London too? Or even the most beautiful places in London? There are plenty of great photo opportunities, from the most best views to amazing hidden gems.
South Kensington is home to many of London’s other great museums, which are some of the best free things to do in London. It’s central and well connected, and is one of the best places to stay.
Looking for more things to do in London? Check out these guides:
- London 5-day itinerary
- Best walks in London
- Ultimate London bucket list – 40+ things to do
- Best parks in London
- 40 most Instagrammable places in London
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