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18 CastlePinesConnection.com Smashing Fun
Article and photo by Julie Matuszewski
Rage rooms, also known as smash rooms or anger rooms, have rapidly made their way to the U.S. from Japan. These businesses offer a safe location where individuals can vent their frustrations while hurling objects at a wall and breaking stuff.
Studies have shown that a great way to decrease stress is to regularly engage in an enjoyable activity. Many individuals reduce stress by running or practicing meditation, others find serenity in shattering away
their stress and anxiety. Rage rooms were designed with the sole purpose of having occupants destroy things. Old printers, CD players, radios and DVD players are a few of the most common items obliterated by guests.
Smash rooms may consist of a fake living room or kitchen with replicas of furnishings. Everything in the room is “fair game” for destruction. These rooms are designed to unleash a participant’s inner Hulk. They serve as a location where it is acceptable
for adults to have a tantrum after a less than perfect day.
Safety is priority at any smash room. Safety helmets, gloves and glasses are provided. Participants must wear long sleeves, long pants and closed toed shoes to protect from debris and slipping.
BE IN THE KNOW
In an attempt to stay in touch with younger generations and keep abreast of what’s hip, what’s hot and what’s happening NOW, this segment delves into pop culture.
By Chris Michlewicz; photo and graphic courtesy of WiesnerMedia
We visited SMASH*IT Breakroom in Denver as an alternate evening of fun, and it was a blast. The premium smash package we purchased for $106 granted our party
20 minutes of smash time. It also included a variety of glassware and ceramics, one small piece of furniture, and worn-out electronics. In addition, we were allowed one household item per participant.
Our session began in the armory room. First, we geared up with safety helmets, glasses and gloves. Next, we selected
a baseball bat, golf club and small
sledgehammer as our weapons of mass destruction. We were then escorted to our smash room where we were provided with safety instructions and guidelines.
It was a little intimidating to get started and I was a little nervous about flying debris. After my first blow to the
CD player each smash got easier and easier. It is certainly an adrenaline rush. Whatever your reason to visit SMASH*IT Breakroom, whether for fun or therapy, you are sure to leave with a sweaty brow and a smile on your face.
The Bibliophile’s Corner Discussing ALL THINGS literature
Longtime publisher pens book about how to lead
Retired publisher turned author Pat Wiesner
A new book by one
of Colorado’s most successful publishers seeks to empower today’s leaders with the tools to be the best managers they can be.
Be a Boss Who Grows Leaders is a 220-page book by Pat Wiesner, a resident of The Village at Castle Pines who has overseen 38 publications including Colorado Homes & Lifestyles and
been around long before you and me.” In no uncertain terms, the book says a leader who grabs all the attention and glory is not a leader.
“It’s not my success that’s paramount; it’s our success that’s important. It only makes a difference if it includes a lot of people,” he said.
Spending a few decades in the publishing
business, Wiesner learned more than a few
things about what works and what doesn’t.
The key, he says, is getting to know the people
at every level of the business and trusting them to do things on their own, even if that means their efforts occasionally end in failure.
Wiesner, 85, is now retired from the publishing business but owns a company called the Honduras Chocolate Company. Not one to sit and watch TV in his golden years, he spent the last couple years compiling the book. Wiesner built a devoted following for his regular column by using a conversational voice in his engrossing segments.
“He has a unique writing style. He writes the way you talk,” said his son, Dan Wiesner, who took his father’s place as president and CEO of Wiesner Media.
Be a Boss Who Grows Leaders is available on Amazon.com, BarnesAndNoble.com, BookBaby.com and Target.com.
ColoradoBiz magazines (see related story page 34). It is the culmination of a successful career that relied heavily upon the talents of the people around him.
“You have to grow a team that likes being there,” Wiesner said. “If someone has a good idea, let them run with it.”
Wiesner, whose early career was spent in physics and electronics, acknowledges that the concepts he discusses in his book – composed primarily of columns he wrote over the years for ColoradoBiz – are enduring ones “that have
August 2021