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.

The business co-founders say they normally have about five or six customers per day. Photo: Sophie Li

Smashroom HK charges customers between HK$150 (US$19) and HK$180, depending on which of the three soundproof rooms they want, for 15 minutes to destroy as much as they want.

Each room is outfitted with at least one prop, such as a fridge, while customers can pay extra for additional breakable objects, including glass bottles, a computer set or even a dummy doll.

For safety purposes, customers are also required to wear a thin boiler suit, boots, gloves and their choice of a visored helmet or a selection of ghoulish masks.

Leung said he was inspired to open the business after dealing with his own anger issues. He said he used to be quite irritable and noticed he was losing his temper more often.

“I broke things at home, and then I realised that this method wasn’t very good and I should find a better place where it wouldn’t affect others and would be safer for myself,” he said.

While he had never tried out a rage room himself, he said he had heard about them opening in other countries and wanted to bring the concept to Hong Kong.

“After opening this place, I found that the response was quite good,” he said.

Hong Kong is a notoriously high-pressure society. Numerous studies have shown that high percentages of youth and working adults display symptoms of anxiety and other mental health issues.

One of the three soundproof rooms that customers can choose from. Photo: Sophie Li

While the psychological effectiveness of rage rooms has been questioned, Leung and Lau said they have built up a devoted clientele.

The pair recently moved from their original location in Kwun Tong when they realised they needed a bigger space to keep up with the demand. They said they normally had about five or six customers per day, many of whom were repeat patrons.

Their clientele was mostly between the ages of 15 and 40, and evenly split between men and women.

Leung said that, surprisingly, it was their female customers who were usually more “unrestrained” and willing to have fun than the men.

“People think women are more afraid or scared, but that’s not true,” he said. “This place allows them to shed all pretences, cast aside societal expectations and freely express their fiery emotions. Here, they don’t need to worry about how others see or judge them.”

When it comes to operating the business, Leung said that while most people would think the smashable props would cost the most, their biggest expense was rent.

That was because all of the objects were sourced from second-hand electronics recyclers, he said.

“For instance, there are a lot of different types of electronic waste on the market, such as old TVs, desktops, laptops – all broken and completely useless,” he said.

“So we bring them back, and our clients can take them on one last journey.”