Blast Into the Past at Roller Wave – BJ's Only Retro Roller Rink

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Welcome back to the ’70s! That’s how you’ll feel when you step into Roller Wave, Beijing’s one and only retro-themed roller skating rink. The neon lights, shiny disco ball, dance music and arcade machines all help to re-create a scene you might have been familiar with if you grew up outside of Asia in the ’70s and 80s: the classic roller rink – a place where kids, teens and families went to have good, clean fun after school or on the weekends.

Perfectly timed for the wave of nostalgia that the Barbie movie brought to our lives, I attended a kid’s birthday party at Roller Wave last weekend. It was quite epic, especially since it was my and my kid’s first time in a place like this. You would think that it gets boring to skate around in circles but four hours just whizzed by in a blur of neon pink fun!

Roller Wave offers rentals of roller skates with 2 x 2 wheels, as well as inline skates, which have just one line of four wheels (sometimes three in snazzy models). Do note that they have very few pairs of inline skates, so prepare to end up with roller skates instead. Sizes run from 35 up to 45, so if you need anything smaller or bigger, it’s best to bring your own. Your entry ticket will include rentals and the price doesn’t change if you bring your own skates.

For novice skaters, there are instructors who will help to catch you when you inadvertently stumble, as well as provide skating tips. Their staff will occasionally lead long lines of skaters holding on to each other’s waists, called a whip (I learned that from my late ’70s-raised American husband) that ultimately ends with someone falling or breaking the line and a pile-up of laughing bodies. My concern for skating over little fingers and faces soon flew out the window after the fifth time I watched a ten-person whip fall apart and the kids just crash happily into each other or the surrounding safety rail.

In between bouts of skating, you are welcome to test your finger jamming dexterity at the arcade machines that appear to be local copycats of “Street Fighter.” You don’t need tokens for it, but there are only two machines in the place, so prepare to jostle for your turn. Alternatively, hit up the Roller Restaurant for classic finger foods like chicken nuggets and fries. Their drinks list features water, juice, sodas and alcohol, as well as a special Rollerball drink that comes in a rainbow-colored palm-sized disco ball. The drink inside was supposedly strawberry but tasted like pure pulpy sugar to us.

Roller Wave is definitely worth a visit for an afternoon of family fun, especially if you’ve never been to a roller rink before or if you miss your childhood a little and want to share that experience with your own kids now. Roller Wave may be a little tricky to find because it’s located inside one of many traditional Chinese buildings that look like temples in the Gaobeidian neighborhood of Chaoyang District. Just follow the address, find building A25 and walk in through the main doors; you can’t miss Roller Wave’s glowing entrance on your right.

Find it:
Roller Wave 夏古轮滑
1/F, A25, Bldg A, Gaobeidian Longyuan Culture Creative Mansion (West Gate), Chaoyang District
朝阳区高碑店龙源文化创意大厦A25号西门一层

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Images: Vivienne Tseng-Rush, Qi Shu

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