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There are myriad reasons people are grabbing a baseball bat or hammer, and blowing off steam while bashing bottles and other breakables in the ‘Rage Room.’

According to an owner of the local operation, the seemingly endless global pandemic is the latest stressor that is also driving a surge in business.

“Everyone’s cooped up inside and they want to get out and they want to release the stress,” said Rob Petrangelo, who runs the business with his wife, Kerri.

Located within Ax Men, a recreational axe throwing club on Ontario Street, the Rage Room opened shortly before the pandemic hit and was then closed for four months.

A return to business saw customers flock to the room to release pent-up stress.

“It’s actually more popular than the axe throwing at the moment,” Petrangelo added.

After signing a waiver, participants don protective jumpsuits, chest protectors, helmet/masks, and gloves before stepping into the room and unleashing their fury on smash-worthy items, ranging from beer bottles and computer monitors to printers.  

Many do this to a heavy metal soundtrack, having synced their phones to the business’s stereo system.

“People just take a bat or a hammer or a golf club, or just throw glasses up against the wall or beer bottles,” Petrangelo added.

Kelly Underhill travelled from Barrie with a friend on a recent Friday night to decimate a selection of wine bottles, plates and a printer.

“It gets the frustration out,” Underhill told Simcoe.com. “I’m a thrower naturally, so I can’t do it at home because I’ve got to clean up the mess, so here I don’t have to clean up the mess.”

Prices range from $35 for one person to $59 for two people to $99 for groups of up to four, with the number of breakables provided varying according to the package.

While the Rage Room has hosted couples, manager Amanda Wega said the majority of clients are women — often arriving fresh off a breakup.

Women, she said, tend to “hide our anger a lot better.”

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