Angry at your boss? A Hong Kong business lets you rage against machines

Destroying a fridge with a baseball bat or smashing glass bottles against a wall would normally be considered signs of hooliganism or problematic anger issues in Hong Kong.But tucked away in an industrial building in Kowloon Bay district, Smashroom HK is providing residents with exactly that opportunity, and the founders have said it is a way for people to deal with the stress of their daily lives.“I believe the pressure on Hongkongers is much greater here [than elsewhere],” said Leung Ka-lok, 29, who co-founded the business with long-time friend Alex Lau Kam-hin in 2024.“Therefore, we hope to provide a place for everyone to breathe a little easier or let go of some negative energy.”“Smash rooms”, also known as rage rooms, have become something of a global phenomenon in recent years. While the exact origin is debated, they began to take off in the 2010s and have since spread to cities around the globe.They offer customers the ability to rent a space for a limited time to use bats, hammers and other assorted tools to smash away life’s frustrations on everyday objects such as appliances and computers.