Wichita is so full of rage, it now has a second business designed for smashing stuff

Wichita has so much rage to release, so much steam to burn off that it’s just added a second smash business.

Let’s Smash opened Friday at 917 W. Douglas in Delano, taking over a space next door to Ruben’s Mexican Grill that was most recently occupied by the short-lived Cafe XPress. The business, which allows people to unleash pent-up anger by smashing and breaking things, is the second such spot to open in Wichita this year: ICT Rage Room opened in April at 2952 N. Arkansas.

Amber and Evan Johnson are the owners of Let’s Smash, a business they’ve been planning since October, Amber said.

She has a background in healthcare, she said, but during the pandemic, she decided she didn’t want to be in that field any longer. She’d heard about rage rooms in other cities and thought it was something Wichita could use, too.

Let’s Smash has two rooms — one that can fit four ragers and another that can fit three. It offers “smash packages” that range from $20 for the chance to break 20 small items like cups or beer bottles up to $140 to destroy small items plus two larger things like television sets. For $25, people can bring their own items to smash, and the Johnsons will provide not only protective gear but also “weapons” — ranging from baseball bats to golf clubs to tennis rackets.

Most of the smash packages are for people over 10, but Let’s Smash also offers a fruit smash package suitable for kids that allows children under 10 to attack watermelons, apples and grapes with mallets. Any age also can participate in the venue’s “splatter parties,” which involve throwing paint-filled balloons.

So far, Amber said, keyboards are among the items her customers most enjoy obliterating.

“The keys go flying everywhere, and it’s really dramatic,” she said.

The two rage rooms have customizable color-changing lights and Bluetooth speakers that allow people to choose their own smash soundtracks. The venue is also rent-able for private parties and events.

Amber said she gathered most of her smash items by putting out pleas for donations on her personal social media accounts. Recently, a church in El Dorado contacted her and offered two truckloads full of breakable items leftover after its garage sale.

Let’s Smash is open from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays; from 11 to 9 p.m. Saturdays; and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. People can make reservations at www.delanosmashhouse.com, where they can also fill out waivers in advance. Walk-in customers are also welcome.