Cold weather got you down? Have a bad case of the Mondays? A new attraction in town wants you to take those frustrations and do things like shatter plates and throw glasses against the wall.
Le Smash in Bellevue is joining dozens of small business owners in the business of breaking things so people don't reach their breaking point.
“I really wanted to start this, and I thought about it and thought this would really help people,” said co-owner Elaine Lafferty. “People that are stressed out, that have problems day-to-day, like Mondays — come on, everybody has a bad Monday.”
Participants pay $20, and they get 25 minutes in the smash room, where they can break whatever they want.
“i picked the stereo because it was heavier duty,” one visitor said. “It would be fun to smash with a baseball bat or whatever I would use.”
Smash rooms have grown in recent years across the United States and even overseas.
Elaine's partner, Nick Kreifels, who handles the big clean-up in the rooms, has a theory about the surge.
"People are feeling really angsty,” he said. “Politics is crazy right now. People are starting to surface all at once, and everyone is just like, ‘What do I do with this energy?’ — and breaking stuff really kind of does the trick."
Safety is a big concern, so in addition to strapping on protective garb, smashers also have to sign a waiver.
But from there, it's really just about having a smashing time.
Smashers can also bring their own items to break; the owners say a lot of people bring in items from their exes.
