You’ve seen the photos. Everyone has. That tiny, glowing box of mirrors where the floor disappears and you’re suddenly floating in a galaxy of polka dots or flickering LED lanterns. It’s the infinity room Los Angeles has turned into a permanent cultural landmark. Specifically, we’re talking about Yayoi Kusama’s work at The Broad. If you’ve ever tried to get tickets, you know the pain. It’s basically the "Snipes" drop of the art world. You log on at 10:00 AM on the last Wednesday of the month, your palms are sweating, and by 10:01 AM, everything is gone. Why? Because honestly, there is something deeply weird and beautiful about standing in a room where the concept of "edges" just stops existing.
Most people think it’s just for the ‘gram. And yeah, the selfie potential is legendary. But standing in The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away is actually a bit of a trip for your brain. It’s quiet. It’s lonely in a good way. You get exactly 45 to 60 seconds inside. That’s it. One minute to experience eternity, which is a pretty hilarious irony if you think about it.
The Broad and the Reality of the Infinity Room Los Angeles Scene
The Broad museum in Downtown LA (DTLA) holds two of these installations. The big one—the one that launched a thousand profile pictures—is The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away. The other is Longing for Eternity, which is more of a "peer-in" experience where you stick your head through a window. If you're planning a trip, don't mix them up. You want the full walk-in experience for the real "lost in space" feeling.
Getting in isn't as simple as just walking through the door. You need a specific "Infinity Mirrored Room" ticket. Even if you have a general admission pass to the museum, it doesn’t guarantee you a spot in the room. They use a virtual queue system. You walk in, find the kiosk (usually near the stairs or the lobby), scan a QR code, and then you wait. Sometimes the wait is twenty minutes. Sometimes it’s four hours. I’ve seen people spend their entire afternoon wandering the other galleries—which are great, don't get me wrong—just waiting for that one text message saying it's their turn.
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Why Yayoi Kusama's Work Isn't Just a Trend
Kusama is 96 years old. She’s lived in a mental health facility in Japan by choice for decades. When you realize that these rooms are her way of expressing "obliteration"—the idea of the self dissolving into the universe—the experience changes. It’s not just a light show. It’s a physical representation of how she sees the world. Her hallucinations, which she's had since childhood, involve patterns covering everything until she feels like she's disappearing.
In Los Angeles, this resonates. This is a city obsessed with "the self." We spend all day branding ourselves, filming ourselves, and curating our lives. To step into a room that is designed to make you feel like a tiny, insignificant speck in a vast, unending void? That’s some high-level therapy right there.
Other Infinity-Style Experiences in LA
While The Broad is the heavy hitter, they aren't the only game in town. Los Angeles is a hub for immersive art.
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- WNDR Museum: Located in the South Park district of DTLA, this place is basically built for the immersive generation. They have their own mirrored rooms and interactive floors.
- Museum of Dream Space (MODS): You'll find this in the Beverly Center. It’s heavily inspired by Kusama and TeamLab (the digital art collective from Tokyo). It’s less "fine art" and more "digital playground," but if you can’t get into The Broad, it hits the spot.
- Temporary Pop-ups: LA is the king of the three-month installation. From the "Rain Room" (which was at LACMA years ago) to various "Lumiere" exhibits, keep an eye on the Arts District.
The Logistics Most People Screw Up
Listen, don't be the person who shows up at 3:00 PM on a Saturday and expects to see the infinity room Los Angeles influencers have made famous. You will be disappointed.
- The Wednesday Rule: The Broad releases tickets on the last Wednesday of every month for the following month. Mark your calendar. Set an alarm for 9:55 AM.
- The "Waitlist" Myth: Sometimes people say you can just "wait around" for a no-show. This rarely works anymore. The digital queue is tight.
- Single File: You can go in with one or two other people, but the experience is honestly better solo. When you're alone, the mirrors work better because there's only one "subject" (you) being reflected into infinity.
- Phone Etiquette: You’re going to want to record the whole 60 seconds. Try to spend at least 10 seconds just looking with your actual eyes. The depth of the room doesn't translate perfectly to a phone screen.
Is it Actually Worth the Hassle?
Honestly, yeah. It’s one of the few things in LA that actually lives up to the hype. There’s a specific silence in those rooms. Because they are sound-dampened and enclosed, the roar of Downtown LA just vanishes. You’re in this vacuum of light.
It’s worth noting that Kusama’s work has faced some criticism lately for being "over-commercialized." Critics argue that the "Instagrammability" of the work detracts from the artist's struggle with mental health. They might have a point. But at the same time, if a mirrored room gets someone who never visits museums to spend an hour looking at contemporary art, is that really a bad thing? Probably not.
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Moving Beyond the Mirror
Once you finish your 60 seconds of glory, don't just bolt for the exit. The Broad has one of the best postwar and contemporary art collections in the world. Walk upstairs. Look at the massive Jean-Michel Basquiat canvases. Stand in front of the giant blue Balloon Dog by Jeff Koons. See the Roy Lichtenstein works that look like comic book panels brought to life.
The building itself—designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro—is a masterpiece. They call it "the veil and the vault." The "vault" is the heavy concrete core where they store the art, and the "veil" is the porous, honeycomb-like exterior that lets natural light filter in. It’s basically an architectural infinity room if you look at it from the right angle.
Actionable Steps for Your Visit
If you're serious about seeing the infinity room Los Angeles enthusiasts rave about, here is your tactical plan.
- Book Early: Go to The Broad's official website. Do not buy "resale" tickets from sketchy third-party sites; they are usually fake or overpriced.
- Morning Slots: Try to book the earliest morning slot possible. The museum is calmer, and the staff are less stressed.
- Check the "Longing for Eternity" Line: If the main room is booked out, you can often still get a "peek-in" ticket for the smaller installation. It’s a 45-second look through a window, but it’s still mesmerizing.
- Parking Hack: Don't park in the museum garage unless you want to pay a fortune. There are cheaper lots a couple of blocks away toward Olive Street, or just take the Metro to the Grand Ave Arts/Bunker Hill station.
- Check for Maintenance: Sometimes the rooms close for cleaning or bulb replacement. Always check the "Alerts" banner on the museum's homepage before you drive into DTLA.
The real trick is managing expectations. It’s a very short experience. It’s a tiny room. But for those 60 seconds, the rest of Los Angeles—the traffic, the noise, the hustle—completely disappears. And in a city as chaotic as this one, that’s a rare commodity.