Welcome to the “Anger Room,” where you’re actually SUPPOSED to destroy everything in sight
Ever have one of those days? You know the kind, where you want to hide out from the world all day—or week… or month—though your alter-ego may want to scream at the top of her lungs and break things. Well, now you’re in luck if you live in L.A., because Anger Room is coming to town on Feb. 27 and 28. The pop-up is exactly what it sounds like, so get ready to release your frustration and furious-ness. (Coincidentally, the Oscars are on Feb. 28, but it’s just a coincidence… right?)
And, TBH, who doesn’t remember that priceless scene in Office Space where the guys destroy the fax machine/copier/printer? When we saw that, didn’t we all flashback to a nightmare job we had and muttered to ourselves, “I wish I could do that”?! (Interestingly, Office Space came out on Feb. 19, 1999—so it’s apropos that Anger Room will be in L.A. shortly after the 17-year anniversary!)
It starts simply, like this. You’re unhappy at work, wondering how you’ll get through another day…
Pretty soon, you can’t take it anymore…
And you take your frustration out on the fax machine/copier/printer…
Just kicking it wasn’t good enough, so you grab a baseball bat…
So, enter the solution to your problems: Anger Room. All you need to do is show up, and they’ll hand you a weapon (i.e., such as a hockey stick) and let you destroy a mock room. In Texas, where the company’s been based since its inception in 2008, you get to choose between a living area, kitchen, and workplace.
Then, you pick from one of three packages: “I need a break” (five minutes), “Lash out” (15 minutes), or “Demolition” (25 minutes). You’re given goggles and safety suits, then are let loose in the rooms, which contain a wide array of items, including sofas, TVs, electronics, vases, and even mannequins (!).
Since the L.A. Anger Room pop-up is an experiment, the set-up will differ from the Texas template—like set 10-minutes sessions instead of the above options—but you get the gist. “The items for breaking will be completely random as we don’t know ourselves until we arrive to review the donations and collections,” said Anger Room founder Donna Alexander to LAist.
The best news? It’ll only cost you $40 for 10 minutes, which is way less than the cost of doing your own version of Anger Room at home (when you factor in the cost of replacing things). Not only can you go ballistic in those 10 minutes, but you can also choose your own soundtrack to play while you’re at it. I know, right? “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” anyone?
The L.A. pop-up is a focus group of sorts. If it’s popular, it may turn into more of a permanent thing. Well, as permanent as destroying things in just a few minutes may be. Anger Room plans on making appearances in Dallas (Feb. 21, tonight!), New York (March 19), and Chicago (April 16), too, and we hope more cities will be added.
If you don’t live in any of the above cities or can’t make it to a pop-up, Anger Room’s got your covered—you can play a virtual Sofa Bash Game here, where you have one minute to hammer, punch, or destroy the sofa in the manner of your choosing. (Trust us, it helps.)
Btw, in case you feel like purging some household items—anything from computers and printers to mirrors and dishes… or mannequins, in case you happen to have one on hand—the company takes donations. “We’ll bring them in, we’ll give them a home,” says the Anger Room website. ROFL. Later, they’ll recycle the destroyed goods, so you can actually feel good about breaking them. It’s for a good cause, people.
As of right now, Anger Room is sold out in L.A. Hmm, what does that say about L.A. folks?! Hopefully, it’ll inspire the company to add more dates to the City of Lost Angels, since it obvs looks like Angelenos need it.
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