Smashing success! Jersey Shore business lets you smash your rage into little tiny bits

TOMS RIVER - Though husband-and-wife duo Esther and Delovi Canales of Toms River grew up in different parts of New Jersey, they each had a lifelong desire to own their own business and provide a service that could help others.

And they successfully found their niche in 2020 with their launch of Smashin City Rage Room, a destination with locations in Toms River and Howell where people can boost their mental health by safely projecting their anger onto breakable items.

“Since my teens, I’ve been in the medical field as a receptionist, medical assistant and most recently as a licensed pharmacy technician at Silverton Pharmacy in Toms River, but I always wanted to start a business,” said Esther, 38, a Brick native.

“As a kid, I worked at a fast-food restaurant after school and currently manage Wendy’s in Eatontown,” said Newark native Delovi, 56. “I’m a people person and love to ensure a great customer experience.”

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After marrying in 2017 and launching a business delivering medical products, the pair was interested in starting another venture but wasn’t sure what it should be — until a popular TV show on ABC planted a seed.

“One night Esther and I were watching '9-1-1' and there was a scene where the first responders had to rescue someone who’d gotten stuck in a container in a rage room,” Delovi said. “A light bulb went off for both of us and we knew that that was the adventure we wanted to pursue.”

“I liked the idea of opening a rage room because people are under a lot of pressure today and it seemed like it would help reduce their stress and enhance their mental health,” Esther agreed.

After doing some research, “I learned that rage rooms have been around for 20 years and were originally created by companies in China who believed that providing a place for their workers to release everyday stress would make them happier and more productive on the job,” Delovi said. “The fact is, breaking stuff helps people release pent-up anxiety and we wanted to put that concept to use for the benefit of others dealing with the everyday stresses associated with work, life, family, relationships and more.”

The two began searching for space in 2019, and though several landlords “shut the door” on their concept out of concern for the noise that their venture might create, “we eventually found a space in Toms River with a great landlord who loved the idea of our business and wanted us to succeed,” Esther said of launching Smashin City Rage Room.

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'You must have fun'

Since opening their three-room, 1,200-square-foot facility in Toms River in July 2020 (and a second 1,500-square-foot location in Howell in November 2021 with partner Daniel Velez), “we offer several different packages,” Esther said.

“Our popular ‘date night’ package for two people called ‘You’re the Nutella to My Spoon’ offers 50 ‘breakables’ (dishes, glasses, mugs, etc.) and an extra-large electronics item (a TV or printer),” Esther said of the 25-minute session which costs $121.99. “A second date-night package for two is called ‘You’re the Cheese to My Macaroni' and offers 40 breakables and two medium-sized electronics items for $111.99, and our ‘Love is Being Stupid Together’ package features 28 breakables and two small electronic items for $102.99.”

For bigger groups, Esther said, “our 20-minute ‘Fit of Fury’ package is offered in a slightly larger room that can accommodate more people and offers 30 breakables and a large and medium-sized electronics item for $107.99.” For kids ages 6 to 9, a “SpongeBob” package with small teacups and glassware is also available.

After filling their rooms with old electronics and mismatched dishware and glassware sourced through relationships with a network of thrift stores, each space comes equipped with 8 to 10 different “weapons of destruction,” including baseball bats of different sizes, crowbars, mallets, hammers, golf clubs and sledgehammers.

Given the environment, Delovi said that safety is paramount.

“We conduct safety training prior to each session and all guests are provided with gloves and a full protective mask that covers their whole face down to the top of their chest, like the ones welders use,” Delovi explained.

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“Our three rules at Smashin City Rage Room are that you must have fun, you must be aware of people around you when swinging weapons of destruction, and you must not remove your face mask or goggles once you enter the room,” he noted. “Each room is equipped with cameras, so anyone who’s seen participating in an unhealthy way that can endanger themselves or others will be asked to step out.”

“We’re also big on sanitation,” Delovi added. “Guests receive latex gloves to put on under their rage room gloves to avoid the spread of germs and we spray everything down before and after customers use it.”

While their concrete floors support the maximum breakability of items, the Canaleses have addressed the noise their business generates by soundproofing each room. “You can’t hear any noise from the other side,” Esther said, “and we also play our guests’ choice of music from the speakers installed in each room.”

As for the constant cleanup that must be undertaken after guests express their rage?

“We have a company that disposes of our electronic waste so that it doesn’t end up in landfills, and we have a huge container in the back for broken glass and dishware, so cleanup isn’t as difficult as people think,” Delovi said. “Sessions last 20 to 25 minutes and there’s a 15-minute window in between, which allows more than enough time for cleanup.”

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'Come out smiling and laughing'

Opened during the pandemic, “people flooded in once they realized what we were because they had so much stress they needed to release,” said Esther, who advertised the business by handing out printed flyers and promoting it on social media.

“A lot of our customers come from Philadelphia, Trenton and South Jersey as well as North Jersey and New York City,” said Esther.

She attributes the fact that 70% of their customers are women to her belief that while men have many different venues for releasing stress, that’s not always the case for women. As a result, she said, “women have a ball here and we’ve hosted some great bachelorette and divorce parties as well as bachelor parties.”

Though the seasonality of their business — which slows down in the summer as the lure of nearby beaches rises — stands as a challenge, the pair recently addressed that by bringing Smashin City Rage Room to your door.

“We purchased a 23-foot camper, gutted it, and turned it into a mobile rage room that can accommodate up to six people,” Delovi said of the popular option. Operating from May through October, “people can enjoy the same fun experience and entertainment on their property or at the spot of their choice.”

Run by Delovi and Esther with help from Esther’s niece Aneesa and Esther’s children Jade and Jovanni, the Canaleses are proud of their business model and excited about the future.

“We put our own hard-earned money into opening Smashin City Rage Room and just had faith that the business would succeed,” said Delovi, who hopes to expand it through franchising.

In the meantime, “we’d like to add a ‘Glow Night’ opportunity where rooms have a black light and the breakables are glowing, and also open other locations further north or even out of the state,” he said. “And we plan to always continue giving back to our community by supporting local school activities and charitable causes.”

Ultimately, Esther said, “we love helping people and being of service.”

“It’s great that we get to support people through whatever they’re going through,” Delovi agreed. “Some people come in very serious, but then a transformation happens and they’re free of whatever they went into the room with,” he said. “That they come out smiling and laughing — that’s what it’s all about for us.”

Smashin City Rage Room

Locations: 1502 Route 37 (Toms River) and 4314 Route 9 (Howell)

Phone: 732-590-2888

Owners: Delovi and Esther Canales

Opened: 2020

Hours: From 4 to 8 p.m. weekdays and 2 to 9 p.m. Saturdays

Website: smashincityrageroomllc.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Smashin City Rage Room lets you pound out anger in Toms River, Howell