Chill or Thrill: The world’s first suspended net playground

For you adventure seekers who are secretly scaredy cats at heart, this new kid in town might be just for you.

Stretched across levels three to six of City Square Mall, Airzone’s indoor suspended net playground gives you a bit of a scare without causing a full-fledged heart attack.

You get to enjoy the sensation of walking a few storeys off the ground with only the support of a bouncy net, topped off with ball pits, gigantic Zorb balls, obstacle courses and slides.

But is it really as scary as it sounds? Here are four tips Youth.SG gathered during our visit to Airzone.

1. Don’t be afraid to dive into the ball pit

Five seconds after diving into the ball pit, I thought I walked into quicksand. Before I knew it, I was sinking deeper and deeper until my face was swallowed by the sea of blue and white!

After gaining my footing, I realised the balls were not actually that threatening. While standing, the balls only filled up to my waist (I’m standing at 1.65m tall).

Now, here’s the problem. It is impossible to remain standing in the ball pit!

You might have read about the “drowning” scare experienced by a previous visitor. Not to worry, you can still breathe while you’re under “water”. The friendly staff are also on standby to rescue you if you happen to become a drowning damsel in distress.

Besides, after struggling (unnecessarily) to stay alive, it feels pretty relaxing to simply submerge in the ball pit and catch a breather.

Pro-tip: Tie your shoelaces tightly, or you might risk losing a shoe amidst the sea of 50,000 balls. One of our writers did.

2. Run to the middle of the net for that ‘floating-on-air’ feeling

One of the staff members asked me: “Are you scared of heights?”

With absolute confidence, I replied: “No.”

I was proven wrong when I found myself grasping to the sides of the play area when I was four storeys up the mall. The net sinks deeper towards the centre and the more I walked away from the sides, the more I felt like I was walking on a thin piece of elastic.

It may take some time for you to get used to the strange floating-on-air feeling. Once you get the hang of it, you will find yourself running, jumping and rolling around with their giant Zorb balls like nobody’s business.

3. Wear long pants made with smooth fabric

Wearing ripped jeans was a bad mistake. If you are as clumsy as I am, prepare to suffer from a few abrasions from the episodes of crawling and falling at Airzone.

Also, remember to wear something that helps you get down the slides on each level with ease – unless you’re afraid of sliding at top speed, of course.

4. Get ready to sweat

If you hate working out but you know you have to, an hour at Airzone is enough to get your heart racing.

The muscle aches that followed the next day were real. In fact, we had a strange muscle ache somewhere near our armpits – does that mean we are losing armpit fat? (Girls, you know what I mean!)

Our final verdict? Airzone is pretty chill.

Standing in Airzone’s suspension net playground may feel novel to most of us, but it was far from thrilling for adventurous souls who wish their hearts would jump out of their chests.

That does not mean you cannot swing by for a time of fun, or even for an alternative to your cardio sessions, though.

This is part one of Chill or Thrill, a new series that explores adventurous activities you can do in Singapore. Stay tuned for more!