There's a Place in Australia Where You Can Smash Dishes for Fun

At some point, all of us feel the need to blow off some steam. For some people, peaceful activities like yoga and meditation are the ultimate stress relief ... while others would rather smash a plate than meditate. If your idea of relaxation tends more toward destruction than contemplation and you live in the vicinity of Melbourne, Australia, there’s now a place where you can go break things to your heart’s content.

The Break Room, which was founded by Ed Hunter in January, was designed as a safe space for people to take out their frustrations with a baseball bat. Visitors are outfitted in safety gear, including a visor, gloves, and steel-toed boots. They can choose from a range of plates and bottles to smash, as well as other items “at the end of their life span,” like outdated technological devices, Mashable reports. 

Hunter told Mashable that he was inspired to start The Break Room because, while he’s normally a pretty relaxed person, when he get stressed, he sometimes has the urge to break things. “Whether it was using a piece of technology wasn't going my way or just feeling overwhelmed I'd have what I feel is a fairly natural compulsion to throw my phone at a wall, just something to release the pressure,” he explained. 

Hunter emphasizes that The Break Room isn’t designed as an outlet for anger, but as a way to relieve some stress and have fun. He told Mashable, "We're here if you'd like to have a good time smashing things in a safe environment."