'Smashing' business opens doors in Huron County, Ont.
Jared Daw is using a crowbar to take out his frustrations on an old printer. Normally, that’s something that might get you in trouble, but it’s all part of the plan at a new business in downtown Clinton.
“Pretty exhilarating to feel the rush of smashing objects,” says Daw.
Jesse Paul is the owner of the Anger Management Destruction Therapy Clinic in Clinton. It’s a tongue-in-cheek name for a room where people can pay to smash stuff.
“There’s a few smash rooms in Ontario. I lived in Vegas for a few years, they’re big down there, so I wanted to bring something different to Huron County,” says Paul.
Paul has transformed his former photo studio in Clinton into a plywood clad “smash room” where old printers, TVs, plates, bottles and mirrors are busted up, for fun.
“We have 'bring your own stuff.' So people can bring in their own stuff to smash. We will give them more stuff to smash, and then we deal with the cleanup, and they don’t have to,” he says.
Now, Paul is quick to point out that he’s not a therapist and this isn’t meant to replace actual 'anger therapy' for people that need it.
Scott Bea is a clinical psychologist. He says, “Rage or anger rooms are one way to discharge feelings of anger, but they likely don’t make much of a difference in the long run.”
Paul says, “It’s not real therapy. It’s entertainment. It’s fun."
Whatever it is, Jared Daw enjoyed it.
“There’s a kind of like a tension release after you’ve swung the bat or crowbar. I liked it. Not something you get to do everyday,” he says.
You can learn more about Clinton’s new 'smash room' here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Humanist group threatening to sue Vancouver over council prayers
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
LHSC performs a Canadian first in robot-assisted direct lateral spine surgery
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.