New Rage Room in Regina a smashing success

From construction delays to traffic jams to Saskatchewan Roughriders losses, there are plenty of reasons to be angry in Regina.

Now, there’s a new business in the city that lets Reginans release that stress.

The Rage Room opened July 24 and lets customers destroy items ranging from small cups to flat screen TVs to sinks to strange clown decorations.

The idea for the business had humble beginnings. Morgan Turner, the owner and creator of the Rage Room, said she created a “rage room” in her backyard last year for a friend who was going through a rough time.

“(I) let her go to town breaking absolutely everything, and she just felt like there was a weight lifted off of her shoulders after,” said Turner, who used old items she was going to haul to the junkyard. “So that kind of gave me the green light that maybe I should make this a real thing.”

Turner’s good deed for a friend then evolved into a business idea and the wheels were set in motion in the winter. Now Turner, along with her fiance and one staff member, are sharing their idea with others.

Had a great time venting at Regina Rage Room. Either I need to bulk up or TV’s are stronger than they look.. pic.twitter.com/5Dpwt0J2Il

— Nathan W. Meyer (@NathanWMeyer1) July 31, 2019

Customers can select from small, medium or large packages of items to destroy before suiting up in safety overalls, masks and closed-toe shoes before entering their rooms to start swinging away.

“Absolutely anything that you can think of that can be broken is in our storage room,” said Turner, who added that the baseball bats and golf clubs used to wreak havoc are donated.

The Rage Room is also partnered with a couple of local businesses like On AV (which give up items like old TV sets) and Fresh and Sweet (that donate old kitchen items to destroy).

Turner said the feedback has been all positive so far and the business is certainly all the rage among customers.

“Everyone definitely comes out with a huge smile on their face,” said Turner with a laugh. “No one is going in there angry and then coming out extra angry, they’re coming out with big smiles on their face.

“Everyone’s laughing like the big belly laughs … so I don’t know if it’s actually reducing stress but at least (it’s) letting people have a good time.”

Although there’s no shortage of destructible items, customers are encouraged to bring their own things to the Rage Room.

“We only have one funny story so far,” said Turner. “Not everyone will think it’s funny, but a dude brought a picture of him and his ex because he’s going through a pretty narly divorce right now.”

Nathan Meyer vented his frustration in Regina’s Rage Room on July 30, 2019. (Nathan Meyer/980 CJME)

Although still in its early stages, Turner has hopes to grow the business further including theme rooms for customers to choose from.

“They’re not quite ready for the public to see yet,” said Turner, who didn’t want to unveil all of the specific themes. “But you can expect that one of the rooms sooner rather than later will be ’80s style.”

The business is the first of its kind in the province and Turner wants to expand its outreach so more people across Saskatchewan can come out.

With no shortage of frustrated customers, Regina’s Rage Room hopes to continue its smashing success.

Located at 1333 Rose St., the Rage Room is open Wednesday to Sunday from noon to 9 p.m.