By Darlene Donloe
Contributing Writer
CULVER CITY — An aquatic adventure awaits children of all ages at Under the Sea Indoor Playground, a unique children’s entertainment center with floor-to-ceiling murals that depict the world under the sea. It features pirates, mermaids and other sea life.
The 4,200-square-foot facility is equipped to accommodate children of various ages. There is a soft Baby Corner, a slide, a toddler swing, a carousel and other educational play equipment for young children.
The venue is designed to allow children to unleash their imagination in a world Under The Sea.
Through play, children develop the self-esteem coordination, and social skills necessary to grow.
Children can crawl through a climbing structure, climb up the top of a sea castle, bounce in the Moon Bouncer, and go down the Turbo Slide.
Under The Sea Playground is open to the public and requires no membership. Children can spend the entire day at the facility.
The facility, which opened in 1998, is owned by two sisters from Ukraine (Elena Goldstein and Larisa Zorin) and their friend, Sandy Kalil, who is from Russia.
Zorin decided to open the facility after decorating her daughters’ bedrooms in a mermaid motif, which turned out to be a hit.
“My nieces loved their room,” said Under the Sea co-owner Goldstein. “They enjoyed it. It stuck, so my sister decided to open up a similar-looking facility for other kids.”
Goldstein said although the facility allows kids from 9 months to 14 years old, they are not a daycare center.
“We require parents to supervise their children,” she said. “They can not drop off their children and leave. We only provide the facility. We are not babysitters.”
Goldstein, the mother of two grown boys, said the goal of the facility is for children to use their imagination.
“Through play, children can develop self-esteem, coordination and social skills necessary to grow,” she said. “We encourage children to use their imagination. We have a lot of kids here with sensory issues and autism. They can have therapeutic sessions here with their therapist.”
The facility, available for rent, can accommodate 30 children at a time. No reservations are needed except for birthday parties. Attendees must wear clean socks and can bring snacks and drinks.
“Everyone is welcome,” Goldstein said. “Under the Sea is clean. It’s colorful. There are lots of things to do. Kids never get bored.”
The admission fee to Under the Sea Indoor Playground is $16 per child. There is a limit of two adults per child. Siblings under the age of 9 months not using the facility are free.
Memberships also are available for $95 a month per child. There are also pre-paid admission cards for 10 visits for $125 ($12.50 per visit); or five visits for $65 ($13 per visit).
Clean socks are mandatory for everyone entering the facility.
Live characters including a princess, frozen queen, mermaid, pirate and a clown are available for private parties only. Each performance includes games, magic, music and interaction with the live characters.
Under The Sea Playground is located at 4147 Sepulveda Blvd. The venue is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. It is open Saturday and Sunday for private parties only. Various party packages are available.
Information: 310-915-1133.
Darlene Donloe is a freelance reporter for Wave Newspapers who covers South Los Angeles. She can be reached at ddonloe@gmail.com.
