Last year, Sopris Sun intern and recent college graduate London Lyle, who, in fact, lives on the Front Range, went with a group of friends to an escape room, which she said “is basically like a puzzle, and you have to find your way out of a room.”
Enjoying that experience, her friends decided the next venture would be to a rage room.
“My friends and I just love doing things like haunted houses, and we had heard of rage rooms. It sounded like a fun and safe way to channel your energy,” she said.
Their outing was to Super Smash Rooms located in Westminster. Lyle and her friends booked the Massive Mayhem Room, which had glass vases, ceramics, plates and mugs, as well as electronics, such as old TV sets, radios and printers.
Super Smash Room’s Director of Operations, J.J. Loera said proper attire is required, which includes closed-toe shoes, long-sleeved shirts and long-legged pants. You must wear protective gear, which includes eye goggles, ear protection, gloves, motorcycle helmets and coveralls over your clothing.
According to Super Smash Rooms’ website, the number one rule is: “Anyone clearly intoxicated will be refused entry, and no refund will be issued.”
Every participant must sign a liability waiver, and regardless of the package size you purchase, only two people are allowed in a smash room at the same time for safety reasons.
The concept of rage rooms is believed to have originated in Japan in the early 2000s.
Sometimes known as “anger rooms” or “smash rooms,” the space is a controlled environment for people to release their frustrations by smashing items like dishes and glassware.
The implements for smashing, which they refer to as “weapons of mass destruction,” include sledgehammers, crowbars, mallets, oversized wrenches, hockey sticks and hammers. “But, people’s favorite are baseball bats,” Loera said.
The Super Smash Rooms is under the management of Joyful Journeys Community Enrichment, a nonprofit organization based in Broomfield. Started by Executive Director Tasha VanMarter, Joyful Journeys operates a thrift store, from which some damaged items end up at Super Smash Rooms.
All Super Smash Room profits go back to Joyful Journeys’ programming, like after-school, arts and sports, and financial literacy programs.
Loera noted that he has seen more rage rooms opening on the Front Range “as you see more of them on social media.”
The usual scenario, he said, is “people come in and get rid of some stress and get their rage out for a little bit without having to have any repercussions for breaking lots of things.”
The most popular package is Massive Mayhem, which is one to seven people, where they have an hour to smash as much stuff as they can, Loera shared.
Smash packages range from $30 for a 10-minute Mini-Smash, which includes 10 glass items and one electronic, to a group of up to 30 people for $1,000, where you can smash 280 glass or ceramic items, 67 small electronics like wi-fi routers and alarm clocks, and 13 small furniture items, like doors and cabinets.
They book rooms for families celebrating birthdays and co-workers for corporate events. Nonprofit organizations can book the facilities for fundraisers and keep the profits.
Children between the ages of 8 and 17 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
The Westminster location recently added two more rooms (for a total of four smash rooms) and an axe-throwing room. They also have a separate Super Splash Room for splashing paints onto 8×10-inch canvases.
When asked how people react to the smash room experience, Loera said, “We’ve definitely seen our fair share of reactions, including people who cheer for one another, But mainly, people are laughing and leaving with smiles on their faces.”
For more information about Super Smash Rooms, go to https://supersmashrooms.com and Joyful Journeys at www.joyfuljourneys.org
A rage room should never be considered a replacement for mental health counseling.
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