Playlab – Pasadena

Today I’m sharing about Playlab in Pasadena. Usually indoor play spaces can be a bit overwhelming for both me and my children but this one actually felt calm. The best way I could describe it is like a really thoughtfully designed play based preschool that anyone can drop into. My 1.5 year old and 3 year old kept busy the whole morning we were there. Finding places to take my two young children can feel a bit impossible, but Playlab was a hit for both of us. It was fun for them and I felt like they were safe the whole time.

What Works:

• The Space is clean and neat. I often avoid play spaces because they can sometimes seem a bit unkempt and that is not playlab at all.
• They have an eating area if you want to bring your own food. If you happen to forget they also sell a few simple snacks. It was great that they had child-sized table and chairs away from the equipment so my children could focus on their food first and then go back to playing.
• The different rooms have different materials so children can explore different materials based on their interests. When my child was more focused he worked with the vehicles for a while and later when he had more energy, he worked in the room with the Nugget comfort mats and jumped around. Then again when he wanted to burn off more energy he climbed up the play structure and down the slide.
• There is a cubby room to hold your bags and shoes. Children are barefoot and adults must wear socks. If you come in sandals they will loan you a pair.
• You can check on their site to see if they are busy or not. So if you’re not feeling up to a crowd you can make sure they are having a calmer day.
• Free coffee is available. Need I say more?

What Needs Improvement:

• The bathrooms are adult sized bathrooms that are outside of the play area. You have to go out in the hall to a bathroom in the main building. I did appreciate that they had a stool for helping children reach the sink, but it’s hard with a potty training child.
• There is a no shoe policy which I actually think is great. The hard part is putting shoes on every time you have to run down the hall for the restroom and then taking them off and carrying them back to the cubby room.
• Parking is tough and the lot is big but only certain spots are for playlab. If I had known I would have not gone in the lot and just found something on the street.
• It can be hard to find the entrance. You have to go into what looks like an office building from the parking lot and then just look for signs. I thought there would be an entrance directly into it but no you have to go through the office building. This isn’t a big deal but it wasn’t well labeled so it took me a bit to understand where to go.

What I Love:

This is a space that works for families really well. It’s a great place to meet for a playdate. It is engaging while not feeling too in your face. Whoever designed it clearly understands the idea of quality over quantity and there are enough materials for many children without looking too overwhelming. They also change the materials out throughout the day. So if you come back at the end of the day, some of the big things will be the same, but a lot of the toys will be different.

Hours of Operation:

Playlab is open Monday-Friday from 9:00am to 6:00pm. If you buy a ticket, it’s good for the whole day. So you can come in the morning go home nap and then come back again. On weekends they are open from 9:00am to 6:00pm but also sometimes host events so they recommend you call them at 626-376-0840 before going just in case.