Cocktail lovers and escape room experts will soon be able to combine both passions with a new venue in the heart of Aberdeen.
ShapeShifters is the brainchild of Hollie and Gilan Kelly, who also brought the award-winning Breakout Games to the Granite City.
Their latest venture combines cocktail-making with immersive puzzle games sure to delight and intrigue customers.
Located just off Windmill Brae, the new-look venue features a large bar area and several escape rooms all with different puzzles and difficulties.
Mr and Mrs Kelly have invested more than £500,000 into ShapeShifters and are committed to helping revive the fortunes of Aberdeen city centre.
As north-east natives, they were overjoyed at the opportunity to create something unique in their own area.
Recently, progress has been made in revitalising the heart of Aberdeen, including setting up a specialised group to tackle the decline in businesses along Union Street.
The new venue opening on Friday is a welcome addition to the thriving night-time scene in Aberdeen and presents a unique experience for all.
It also has capacity for meetings as well and co-founder Hollie Kelly is encouraging business leaders to consider ShapeShifters for teambuilding and meetings.
‘Creativity is at the core of everything we do here’
The bar offers 12 unique cocktails, with equal weight given to both alcoholic (£11) and non-alcoholic drinks (£7).
The cocktail lounger offers plenty of plush seating and the purple lighting creates a vibrant atmosphere.
Hollie Kelly, co-founder, said: “Creating the venue has been a labour of love and when you step through the doors you will experience the magic of truly incredible cocktail mixology, the thrill of solving puzzles, and escape into new worlds.”
Once open the new venue will offer one escape room called The Resurrectionist based on an old Aberdeen tale of a body snatcher who would dig up graves and use the bodies for medical research.
In total, there will be four escape rooms, one opening each month from October.
Gilan Kelly says when people come to ShapeShifters they can expect “something a little different” from other venues in the city.
“Creativity is at the core of everything we do here. One of the things we like to say is ‘nothing by chance’ and that’s because we do try to make sure we are creating wherever we can like through the cocktails so we are always bringing some new and something people in Aberdeen haven’t seen before.”
Looking to the future, Mr Kelly hopes to offer brunch as an option for families who come to experience the escape rooms.
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