Destructive Therapy

Unique form of stress relief takes place in Niagara Falls

By Daniel Meyer

Rage RoomWhen life gives you lemons, sometimes you need to smash them.

With unprecedented levels of stress because of continued concerns over the uncertainty of the ongoing global pandemic, there is a growing need for residents of Western New York to find a way to ease their mental anguish.

Look no further than the Smash Brothers Rage Room. Located at 1204 Niagara St. in the city of Niagara Falls, the truly unique business provides a forum for aggressive behavior that helps relieve tension. Strategically designed “rage rooms” allow participants to safely demolish and destroy items to ease the stress of the challenges you may be dealing with personally and/or professionally.

Each room is fully stocked with a variety of items that can be broken, including glassware, outdated electronics, ceramic materials and other breakable items. Participants are given a choice of “weapons” that include a variety of different aluminum baseball bats and metal crowbars.

Before being given the go-ahead to destroy whatever is in front of them, participants must show proof that they are at least 18 years of age and then must sign a waiver acknowledging that rage room activities are classified as an extreme sport. Protective gear is then provided, including a helmet with a mask, gloves, coveralls and protective booties for your footwear. From there the door is closed and participants can then hit, throw, kick and do whatever else is needed to cause destruction and relieve stress.

The options for activity sessions are:

“Simple Smash” for two people costs $75 for 15 minutes

“Beast Mode” for four people costs $100 for 20 minutes

“Ultimate Rage” for five people costs $125 for 30 minutes

“Private Party” for six people or more costs $25 per person for 30 minutes

Recent visitors to Smash Brothers Rage Room spoke about their ability to overcome initial fear and apprehension to achieve previously unimaginable stress relief.

Each room at Smash Brothers Rage Room is fully stocked with a variety of items that can be broken, including glassware, outdated electronics, ceramic materials and other breakable items. Participants are given a choice of “weapons” that include a variety of different aluminum baseball bats and metal crowbars.
Each room at Smash Brothers Rage Room is fully stocked with a variety of items that can be broken, including glassware, outdated electronics, ceramic materials and other breakable items. Participants are given a choice of “weapons” that include a variety of different aluminum baseball bats and metal crowbars.

“It took me a few minutes to get used to it because you are ultimately obliterating things like drinking glasses and dinner plates that normally you handle with great care,” said Christine Patton of Buffalo. “But once you really swing away and smash away, you get hooked! It was very exhilarating and helped me let off some steam because I was really overwhelmed with having changed jobs and planning my wedding and dealing with some personal health issues. I can’t wait to do it again.”

“The whole thing is very aggressive and at first I was full of anger while I was swinging away, but I then started laughing because I was overcome with an awesome sense of relief,” said Craig Jacobs of Lockport. “You find yourself inside a world of organized chaos and just wreaking havoc and making an incredible mess and when you are finally done you are just amazed by how absolutely phenomenal you feel.”

Owned by Bill and Morgan Kellerman, the married couple obtains the majority of their damaged materials directly from local nonprofit donation centers. Realizing the importance of preserving the environment, they separate and recycle the broken rubbish collected after each smash session.

Smash Brothers Rage Room is located one mile from the Rainbow Bridge and approximately a half mile from Seneca Resorts and Casino. Free parking is available on both sides of the street in front of the business. Until further notice, appointments are available on Fridays and Saturdays, with special private parties and gift certificates available for purchase.

Reservations can be made by calling 716-299-8317 or visiting www.smashbrothersny.com