Relaxation Vault

"We hope your brief detention in the Relaxation Vault has been a pleasant one."

- GLaDOS

The Relaxation Vault is a sealed chamber, accessible only through controlled portals, where the Test Subjects of the Aperture Science computer-aided Enrichment Center are housed before undergoing tests.

Overview



 * At the start of Portal, Chell wakes up in a Relaxation Vault in Test Chamber 00, where she was apparently staying in stasis in a sealed off bed.


 * A sealed room with transparent glass walls set within a Test Chamber (and thus with no privacy at all), a Relaxation Vault typically contains a bed (also apparently sealed with a transparent cover, and two gas cylinders, probably containing a sleeping/stasis gas and/or oxygen), a small table with a radio on it (introducing "Still Alive" in an upbeat, instrumental version of it), a lavatory bowl saying "Your business is appreciated" after being flushed, an IV stand (present only in the menu background map), a wall-mounted portal generator, and a countdown to show when the portal opens. It is also watched by several security cameras. Chell's Vault in Test Chamber 00 also contains on the small table a "Portal Test Sequence - Hazard Identification Card" clipboard, and an empty cup.


 * The Relaxation Vault has no direct door to the outside. To enter it or come out of it, GLaDOS must activate a portal connected to another set outside the vault.


 * The Relaxation Vault first appeared on ApertureScience.com. When entering, one has access to a message left by what is most likely either a Test Subject or a former employee who seems to have hacked the system, with the view of Test Chamber 00's Relaxation Vault through a security camera browsing from right to left (with placeholder Half-Life 2 models). In the message, the hacker expresses their concern about their freedom, among other things. In the message, the Relaxation Vault is mentioned: "Whatever the hell a 'relaxation vault' is, it doesn't have any doors."


 * The spiritual successor to the Relaxation Vault is the Relaxation Center, slated to appear in Portal 2, in which test subjects are encouraged to stare at art and listen to classical music.

Behind the scenes



 * As seen in early Portal screenshots and the security camera view on ApertureScience.com, the Relaxation Vault was originally made of, like much of Portal, elements recycled from the previous Source games by Valve, notably Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode One:
 * One of the earliest known screenshots has a more gritty tone and is filled with much junk, which was how the Enrichment Center started during development. Of note is a Combine Force Field used in place of the Material Emancipation Grid, its Portal counterpart, as well as a "CMB" Combine logo on the wall.
 * It appears that not only the Relaxation Vault had this style in early stages; most prefabs featured in the Source SDK are Half-Life 2-styled.
 * While very close to the final version, a more recent screenshot of the Vault also seen on ApertureScience.com still features Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode One props as well as a security camera reused from Counter-Strike: Source.


 * Test Chamber 00's Relaxation Vault, as used in gameplay and in the menu background, have slight differences. The lighting in both is different; the menu background version has the round door closed and a stain can be seen on the floor nearby. The menu version has an IV stand in the Relaxation Vault itself, which is not found in the gameplay map.


 * The clock was designed by Scott Klintworth, who provided many other designs for the game.

List of appearances

 * ApertureScience.com
 * Portal
 * Portal: First Slice
 * Portal: Still Alive
 * Portal 2: Lab Rat
 * Portal 2