Smash Away Your Stress at Chicago’s Only Rage Room

Joe Lupa, the owner of Chicago’s first and only rage room, boils his business down to a simple consumer demand: people like smashing stuff.


“I don’t know when the last time you smashed something was on purpose – ‘on purpose’ is very important,” Lupa said. “But it’s just fun to break stuff, it’s really that simple in some ways. It can be much deeper, but it really is that simple at its core.”


Lupa opened Escapades Rage Room in the city’s Near North Side neighborhood in fall 2017.


Customers can book time to destroy their own objects or purchase discarded computer monitors, television sets, printers, plates, tiles and even a 3D-printed plastic bust of President Donald Trump from the rage room to smash.


Sandra Serrano sent a flurry of plastic and metal into the air as she smashed away at broken printers and TV sets on Saturday.


“If you have a lot of tension, it just helps – you don’t have to take it out on anyone else but these items,” Serrano said. “But I do feel like cleaning up afterwards.”


Lupa said he tries to keep his business as green as possible and encourages people to bring in their unwanted electronic waste to smash into recyclables.
“We can smash it here and start the recycling process by breaking it into its recyclable components and then we recycle it from here,” Lupa said.


Video and story by Evan Garcia for WTTW News

#ChicagoTonightWTTW #WTTWNews

[nerdgasm]

Is yelling the arguments you planned in your head allowed?

[FanTazTiCxD]

The problem is, that anger is spontanious. You can't just plan a trip to the nearest anger room, whenever you have time in your calender. You can... But chances are, you won't be angry at that very moment, and then the whole thing become awkward, and half-hearted... You need an angry room in your own home, where you can run to fast, a smash something, when you get angry. That's what you really need

[dontreallyknow]

For someone who owns a rage room, he really is quite calm

[llocky]

Ironically, I looked this up in a fit of anger, lol. I needed to smash something, but everything in my room is something I would regret breaking, and I'm even in an apartment type area. This is pretty cool, but honestly, by the time I could get there, my anger would probably be gone

[soysaucesquared]

Moral of the story: *People like to hurt things*

[yhb]

I'd probably pass out from how nuts I would be going lol

[Aggression-hcyp]

If people want to go to war, they should get a rage room and vent. This is preferable to going to war.

[BigJiggly]

Watching a psychologist say these aren’t an effective form of therapy be Ayse it doesn’t help people understand their anger was honestly kinda aggravating, I understand my anger doc, but I can’t exactly kick the shit out of my mother’s corpse to express how disaffected her thieving, neglectful junkie bullshit made me feel for my entire childhood. Nor can I break into a prison to obliterate the son of a butch that murdered my best friend and stabbed me a dozen times when I tried to stop him.

[Mchenrygames]

the world needs more of these establishments

[cearod]

Me: “Wow, you’re so right Dr. Golden, thank you.”
Also me right after: *hits this rage room*

[BigRobChicagoPL]

This type of stuff is fun. Back in middle school I had a phone resale business. Me my friend would gather up a bunch of the "did not sell" inventory and bash it to bits after school every few weeks. Fun as heck. We weren't even that stressed! Still like to break old junk once in a while. Personally I think you'll get a better deal finding things at an estate sale/thrift store for cheap.

[Mr]

holy shit, y'all ever just snap and finally destroy something that's been giving you hell for a whole ass year or more? Shit feels like a release from a curse.

[ferrodliles]

The room design is literally what my brain/ thoughts look like. The actual concept is how I feel everyday of my life thus far.

[blackbearelectronicswithco]

1:42 They should have removed the backlight from the TV because it's a CCFL and contains toxic mercury.

[cojack]

The owner seems so happy. I think he's onto something

[Infinidisc]

I just turned my house into my very own rage room. My landlord told me to leave. I don't see what the big deal is. He seems to angry.. Maybe he should join me.

[Killahurtz]

Can you choose the music that plays in the room?

[katieariana]

I’ve been having a really hard time with life lately so my girlfriend surprised me with a ax throwing bundle that and the rage room. Let me tell you when she told me that I almost started crying. I’m so excited

[MEOWASIA]

Man, I wish I had a rage/stress room 😔

[marethyu_primo]

I need to do this, like, no lie, I will be yelling and screaming murder and hatred (not literally, more just sounds) every second for like a minute busting everything I can, getting all the anger i have accumulated over these long years and just let the inner demon come out razing down as much as i can

Put me in this type of setting, suit me up, give me a metal bat and play avenged sevenfold's bat country in the background and Ill be happy afterwards