A new venue above downtown Tacoma’s Lumora Theatre wants partygoers to feel the music through every sense without needing a drink in hand. Mass, located at 726 Pacific Ave., officially opened with a DJ set, following a first event on Oct. 16 that featured a dance party with five different DJs.
Mass occupies the second floor of the building, connected to both the Lumora Theatre and The Federal Building, according to The News Tribune. The venue is designed to host raves, silent discos, sound baths and other sensory experiences, with founder Heath Hollensbe explaining the goal simply: “We want to evoke as many senses as possible.”
A Sober Space With a Bar Downstairs
Despite the rave scene often associated with alcohol and late nights, Mass is meant to be a sober space, though there is a bar downstairs where visitors can grab a drink or buy snacks. There’s no blanket age limit for the venue overall, but some individual shows will be restricted to attendees 18 or 21 and older, depending on the event.
Hollensbe said he wanted families to be able to attend and enjoy themselves, a detail that underscores the venue’s attempt to be inclusive even as it books nightlife-style programming. He described Mass as more than just another venue, saying there’s “something kind of sacred when we get together” — a sentiment he tied to the idea that in-person connection through music offers something real amid uncertainty over what’s authentic online.
From Dog-Training Space to Sensory Temple
The space wasn’t always slated for raves and sound baths. Hollensbe decided to expand into the second-floor space after a dog-training business moved out of the spot next to the Lumora Theatre, which he opened in January. As of Oct. 21, Mass was still undergoing renovations, with Hollensbe photographed in the Lumora Theatre lobby around that time.
Mass, the Lumora Theatre and The Federal Building — which occupies the building’s first floor — are all operated under the art nonprofit Mass + Matter, which Hollensbe founded. He described The Federal Building as a kind of guerilla art experiment featuring rotating exhibits and experiences, while the Lumora Theatre hosts what the venue calls weird, quirky programming, including burlesque performances, improv shows and somatic-play workshops, with tickets to most shows offered on a pay-what-you-can basis.
What a Night at Mass Might Feel Like
Sound baths at Mass involve listening to sound vibrations from instruments like a gong or bowl, an experience with some precedent elsewhere in the region. Seattle Sound Temple, for instance, offers weekly community sound baths along with private one-on-one and group sound-healing sessions, according to a listing from Fremont Abbey, which once hosted a sound-bath event billed as all ages and very quiet. Silent discos, meanwhile, rely on headphones so each attendee can listen to the music privately rather than through shared speakers.
Hollensbe, described as an ex-pastor, musician and improv performer, said he wanted a venue where artists could perform and develop their craft, a mission that threads through all three spaces under Mass + Matter. Mass is also available to rent for private events, and organizers plan to share updates through Instagram and email sign-ups on the venue’s website. Per Hollensbe, Mass will most likely host events three to four times a week, mixing DJ sets, dance parties and other sensory experiences, though that pace has not been confirmed as a locked-in schedule.
