A Smashing Good Time: The Havoc Room
Photos by: JOHN BURNS
Have you ever had a day when you wanted to smash something to pieces? Now you can!
The Havoc Room, 2600 SW 17th St., a garage where people once pumped gas, now caters to folks who want to pump up their adrenaline.
Plastic crates of breakables in three sizes and price ranges can be purchased and pulverized with baseball bats, golf clubs, mallets, sledgehammers and other tools. If customers prefer, they can hurl items freestyle at the cement walls. A small crate has 10 items for $10, a medium crate has 20 items for $25 and a large crate has 30 items for $35. Each participant also pays a $15 entry fee.
“Some people beat things to a pulp and others just make little tosses,” said Carrie Correll, who owns the space with Arthur Smith. “Either way, they can break stuff with no guilt and no clean up.”
Long-sleeved shirts and closed-toe shoes are required. Safety goggles, face shields, hardhats and K95 masks are mandatory, and optional coveralls are available to shield exposed skin. Bluetooth speakers allow for streaming music to accompany an individual’s experience, but Correll said many customers find it more satisfying to hear the breakage.
Customers range from children celebrating birthdays and employees participating in teambuilding activities to adults enjoying a night out and individuals venting frustrations.
“One person told her therapist about how much better she felt after a session here, and the therapist came to check it out because she noticed that her client seemed like a different person,” said Correll. “We’re not offering a replacement for therapy, but this offers an outlet to express emotions in a safe, controlled environment. It’s a very satisfying stress reliever.”
Correll said one man came by himself and bought the middle package.
“He said he just wasn’t that angry, but when he finished, he decided to add a TV,” she said. “It’s an adrenaline rush and kind of addictive.”
Items that can be smashed at The Havoc Room include everything from printers and filing cabinets to ceramics and windows, many of which are donated by individuals looking for a place to drop off chipped china, company coffee cups, Christmas ornaments, scratched records, picture frames, wooden furniture, computer monitors and televisions. Correll also receives donations from thrift stores like the one she once owned and recycles as much material as she can, including electronics.
Correll learned about smash rooms in Japan through an internet search and soon found an online network of proprietors willing to share marketing tips and other advice.
“I decided I wanted to invest in myself with a business and ran through a lot of ideas before having this one,” said Correll, who has two teenage sons. “It’s nice to be able to offer a different entertainment option in Topeka and so satisfying to have people tell me how much fun they’re having. There is a lot of giggling going on.”
The Havoc Room has two rooms available for use and is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays.
