No bathing suits required on these water(ish) slides

Innovative Slick City delivers dry water park-like fun

Among my favorite attractions at water parks are “toilet bowl” slides. You know what I’m talking about. Ride manufactures have various names for these contraptions, such as “Space Bowl” or “Hurricane Hole.” Passengers soar down a tube and into a bowl where they swirl around a few times before being flushed down a hole in the middle into a pool.

Now, imagine a bowl slide that is indoors–but not at an indoor water park. Instead of bathing gear, guests wear street clothes. That describes the Royal Flush, one of the many slides at Slick City, a new chain of innovative family entertainment centers that launched in 2022. Using a proprietary “frictionless” coating, Slick City’s attractions look and behave like water slides. But save for the snack bar and the bathrooms, there isn’t any water to be found at the parks.

Catching some air on the Megalaunch slide (Slick City)

The first Slick City opened at the Lakewood Mall (yet another example of the oversized role that attractions are playing as struggling shopping malls evolve) in Denver, Colorado. It proved successful, and a second location followed in St. Louis, Missouri. A third Slick City recently opened near Houston, Texas.

The concept is the brainchild of Gary Schmit, an inventor who created what he describes as the “world’s tallest floating platform launch slide.” Located at a lake in Arizona, daredevils at H2-Whoa! barrel down long slides that curve up at the bottom to launch them at high speed into the water. Seeking to create something similar that could be experienced year-round, indoors, and without water, Schmit collaborated with a scientist who had worked on NASA space stations and was an expert in friction. They turned to water park experts for design help and used motion vector analysis to calibrate the slide paths. With the frictionless surface technology and a slide prototype in hand, Schmit then partnered with self-described serial entrepreneur Bron Launsby to develop the Slick City business.

The Megalaunch, pictured above, is plenty exhilarating. But instead of the white-knuckle H2-Whoa!, the thrills are dialed down enough to make the indoor slides accessible to a wider audience.

The Royal Flush bowl slide (Slick City)

Instead of ending in a splash pool, guests aboard Megalaunch land on an airbag. Similarly, after Royal Flush passengers circle the bowl a few times, they drop onto a reinforced mattress to cushion the impact. Slick City guests lie on mats, which maximize dry acceleration, to careen down all of the slides. Other attractions include Big Wave, which sends guests soaring down into a half pipe element; Fast Lane, a four-passenger mat-racing slide; and Python, which the park describes as a luge-like experience with banked curves.

Launsby and Schmit continue to tinker with the concept. For example, the Cowabunga slide incorporates rollers to make its ride even faster. To help keep the experience fresh and encourage return visits, Slick City introduces new experiences at its existing sites.

“We are adding four new slides each year and are always testing attractions in our locations,” says Launsby. “Our newest slide, which is opening soon, is the Barrel Roll. It is a fully enclosed tube on motorized rollers that will achieve a back-and-forth surfing-like motion.”

In addition to the slides, Slick City also offer interactive play structures, zip lines, dodgeball, volleyball, and other things to do. The basketball courts feature sealed-air floors that are super bouncy and enable players to embrace their inner LeBron James and dunk with ease.

Don’t be surprised if a Slick City slides into your area. Although its first location has only been open less than two years, the chain is rapidly expanding. It will be opening a fourth location in Phoenix, Arizona shortly and plans to debut nine more before the end of the year.

“We expect to continue aggressively opening locations,” Launsby says, “with the goal of being a global brand with 500 locations in less than ten years.”

Pretty slick, eh?

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Which Slick City slide most appeals to you? What do you make of the concept?