Shawn Baker, like many Texans in the energy industry, was laid off as a result of plummeting oil prices. Some days she'd get so angry she felt like she could just smash something — and that gave her an idea.
The entrepreneurial Houston resident founded Tantrums, LLC: a small storefront that supplies frustrated people with rooms full of stuff to smash. TVs, computer monitors, lawn ornaments, you name it. Implements including baseball bats, lead pipes, golf clubs, and (when all else fails) sledgehammers are available for people to vent their anger on inanimate objects.
Rates for "relaxation after devastation" start at $25 for five minutes, up to $50 for 15 minutes and $85 for a special-request theme room ("nothing weird"). Users can soundtrack their own experiences via Bluetooth speakers. Exceptional wreckers can make the "Wall of Devastation," which currently contains only "Big Rob," who "broke the handle of the first sledgehammer!"
The end result, Baker hopes, is that Houstonians can find peace after getting their ya-yas out in an enclosed space. "We will do everything we can to meet your expectations," promises Baker's website, "while you destroy the contents of a room to the best of your ability!"
Of course, if you can't make it to Houston — or if you can, and are ready to wind down after a vigorous session with a nine-iron — YourClassical's Relax stream is always available.
Update: It looks like the "recreational destruction" phenomenon is going international: there are now similar facilities open or about to open in Dallas, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Toronto, and Serbia.
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