Women's Journal

Rage Rooms Rise in the U.S. as Women Embrace Smash Therapy

Across the United States, rage rooms, also known as smash rooms, are becoming a popular outlet for stress relief. These controlled environments allow participants to break everyday items like plates, electronics, and furniture with tools such as bats and hammers. Initially a niche form of entertainment, rage rooms have quickly become a mainstream solution for those looking for a unique and cathartic way to manage stress. The trend’s growth highlights a shift in how people approach stress relief, with many turning to physical outlets rather than more traditional methods.

Rage rooms offer a chance to express emotions, especially frustration and anger, that might otherwise remain bottled up. What makes rage rooms so appealing is the opportunity to release pent-up stress in a safe and controlled setting. Rather than turning to unhealthy outlets, rage rooms provide a socially acceptable way to channel these feelings. The experience leaves many participants feeling lighter, as they physically express emotions that are often suppressed in day-to-day life.

While gyms, spas, and mindfulness practices remain popular choices for stress relief, rage rooms offer an alternative that is more visceral and hands-on. By allowing individuals to smash objects, these venues provide an immediate sense of release, something that many find satisfying. As more people discover this unconventional approach to stress management, rage rooms are making their way into mainstream wellness culture.

Many venues now offer group bookings for corporate team-building events, birthday parties, and even bachelorette celebrations. These group sessions add a fun and engaging element to the experience, making it an ideal choice for those looking to bond with friends or colleagues in a unique way. Popular rage rooms like iSMASH Rage Rooms in Los Angeles, Rage Ground in Los Angeles, Bay Area Smash Room in San Francisco, and All That Rage in West Chester, PA, have become known for providing not just stress relief but also social entertainment. As the demand for these experiences increases, more cities are seeing rage rooms opening, catering to those looking to break free from stress in a new and creative way.

Women Driving the Growth of Rage Rooms

One of the most striking aspects of the rage room trend is the increasing number of women seeking out these experiences. Operators report that women now make up a significant portion of their clientele. Some locations claim that women account for up to 90% of their bookings, a surprising statistic that challenges traditional assumptions about stress expression. This demographic shift shows that women are embracing new, empowering ways to manage their emotions, particularly anger.

For many women, the appeal of rage rooms lies in the opportunity to let off steam in a safe and socially accepted way. Anger, especially among women, has historically been stigmatized, with societal expectations often dictating how women should express their feelings. Rage rooms offer an alternative to these constraints, allowing women to express anger freely without fear of judgment. The act of smashing objects becomes both liberating and therapeutic.

Rage rooms provide a unique space where women can release stress and frustration in a physical and tangible manner. This empowerment aspect makes them more than just a fun activity—they serve as a tool for emotional healing. With the increased recognition of the importance of mental health and wellness, many women are turning to rage rooms as a legitimate way to cope with stress. This rising trend is reshaping how women approach emotional well-being.

The Growing Popularity of Rage Rooms

Rage rooms are steadily growing in popularity across the U.S., and their rise has been supported by both media coverage and word-of-mouth recommendations. Media outlets have featured rage rooms, highlighting their appeal, particularly among women. While media attention has played a role in spreading the trend, the real driving force behind their growth has been the positive word-of-mouth from customers who share their experiences with friends and colleagues.

Rage Rooms Rise in the U.S. as Women Embrace Smash Therapy

Photo Credit: Unsplash.com

The increasing interest in rage rooms reflects a larger shift in wellness culture, with more people seeking alternative methods to manage stress. As wellness trends evolve, rage rooms have emerged as a unique option for individuals looking for more active, hands-on ways to cope. For many, the physicality of smashing objects provides a more immediate sense of relief compared to more passive activities like meditation or yoga. This active form of emotional release appeals to people who find traditional methods less effective.

In addition to providing an outlet for personal stress, rage rooms have found a place in social settings. Group bookings, such as corporate team-building events, birthday parties, and even bachelorette parties, have become popular. These group activities not only add a fun element but also create shared experiences, enhancing the appeal of rage rooms as a social activity. This broadens their appeal, attracting not just individuals but groups looking for a unique bonding experience.

The Business of Rage Rooms

Rage rooms have grown into a profitable industry, with businesses charging around $100 per session on average. This price typically includes protective gear, breakable items, and a set time to smash objects with tools like bats or crowbars. Some venues also offer themed experiences, where the environment and objects reflect a specific scenario or event. These added features can increase the appeal of the rage room experience, making it more than just a simple stress-relief activity.

The business model of rage rooms thrives on repeat customers and group bookings. Many customers return for additional sessions after enjoying their first experience, and group events like corporate team-building activities or birthday parties make up a significant portion of bookings. This steady demand has helped rage rooms move from being a niche service to a mainstream business. As the trend continues to grow, operators are looking for new ways to attract clients and stay relevant in a competitive market.

Some rage room operators are also partnering with recycling companies to ensure that the breakable items they use are sourced sustainably. This collaboration helps rage rooms minimize waste while adding an eco-friendly element to their business model. The combination of fun, emotional release, and sustainability makes rage rooms appealing to a broader audience, further contributing to their growth in the wellness sector.

The Future of Rage Rooms

The future of rage rooms remains promising, though questions still remain about whether they will become a permanent fixture in American wellness culture. Their rising popularity, especially among women, suggests they may be here to stay, but their long-term success will depend on continued innovation and the ability to adapt to changing consumer preferences. Operators are already experimenting with new formats, such as incorporating virtual reality or blending smashing with mindfulness exercises, to keep the experience fresh and engaging.

As the demand for stress-relief activities grows, rage rooms will need to maintain their appeal while finding ways to stay accessible to a wide range of customers. While the initial cost for a session is relatively affordable, increasing demand could lead to higher prices or longer wait times for bookings. Operators will need to balance growth with affordability to ensure that rage rooms remain accessible to all who seek them.

Rage rooms reflect a broader desire for immediate, tangible stress relief in a world where pressures are constant. Whether they continue to grow or evolve into something else, rage rooms have sparked important conversations about emotional release and wellness. They are helping to reshape how Americans, particularly women, approach stress management, offering an alternative to traditional methods and challenging long-standing societal views on emotional expression.

Featuring Dr. Cassandra M. Klyman – A Legacy of Excellence in Psychiatry

By: Elowen Gray

From Humble Beginnings to Groundbreaking Achievements, Dr. Cassandra M. Klyman’s Journey Reflects the Dedication and Perseverance that Led Her to Become a Leading Figure in Psychiatry!

Dr. Cassandra M. Klyman’s path to becoming one of the most respected psychiatrists and psychoanalysts in the United States is nothing short of extraordinary. Born in New York City and educated at Barnard College and the University of Michigan, Dr. Klyman’s medical journey began with a spark of curiosity about the human mind. 

What started as a passion for understanding the complexities of human behavior evolved, following involvement in dream research, into a career defined by compassion, expertise, and leadership in the mental health field.

A Foundation Built on Knowledge and Expertise

After earning her M.D. in 1962, Dr. Klyman went on to complete her psychiatric residency at Sinai Hospital of Detroit, where she honed her skills in treating patients and refining her psychodynamic approach to therapy. Her academic journey didn’t stop there. 

She pursued extensive post-graduate training at the Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute, which equipped her with the skills to become a pioneer in psychoanalysis. Her medical career unfolded with purpose, driven by a relentless pursuit of knowledge and a genuine desire to help others.

A Career That Reshaped Psychiatry

Dr. Klyman’s career speaks volumes. She didn’t just do psychiatry; she changed it. Her profound contribution to psychodynamics and forensic psychiatry led her to venture into the fields others didn’t explore. 

Over the years, her practice grew widely. She treated people of all ages. She consulted on legal cases as a forensic expert. Her expertise expanded to encompass a broad range of activities from teaching residents and candidates to peer-reviewed publications and international presentations, from personalized patient care to expert witness in the courtroom.

As the President of the Michigan Psychiatric Society, she advocated for improved mental health support and successfully lobbied for new legislation. Later, on a nationwide level, she became a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. The combination of her highly recognized psychiatry practice and her active involvement in professional political actions contributed to the establishment of the new mental health policy for the whole state, including The Duty to Warn and the Dignified Death Act, which was certainly an incredible accomplishment.

Her numerous honors, including being nominated for Michigan’s Woman Physician of the Year and named Fellow of the American Academy of Dynamic Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalysis and the College of Forensic Examiners, go beyond credentials; they are a testament to her real impact. They reflect real impact. Generations of psychiatrists. Countless patients. They’ve all felt the effect of her dedication. 

Empowering Minds and Future Generations

Dr. Klyman’s influence extends far beyond the walls of clinics. In classrooms, she shows up. At Wayne State University School of Medicine, as well as through the Chinese American Psychoanalytic Alliance, she taught, mentored, and illustrated psychiatric theory and technique. Medical students and residents truly resonate that she didn’t just hand out facts; she made sure they were practiced.

And then there’s the teaching of values. She didn’t stop at describing the technical side of psychiatry. Instead, she worked to implant into her learners a sense of duty: duty to the profession, duty to the people they treat. Serving as a faculty member at Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute and as a clinical supervisor, she left a deep imprint on the world of psychoanalysis.

Whether she’s guiding residents fresh out of training or offering seasoned practitioners a fresh angle, she’s grounded in both compassion and expertise. The quest for excellence? Yes, she pursues it. But more than that, she brings people along with her.

The Recognition She Truly Deserves

Dr. Klyman has achieved an impressive range of accomplishments; listing them all would take pages. She holds Board Certification in Psychiatry and Neurology; this credential alone signals that she works at a high level.

But what really makes Dr. Klyman stand out is more than titles. She knows how to lead and inspire, and she doesn’t just do the job: she innovates. To put it differently, she is a practitioner and a thinker at the same time.

It’s not just about the awards. What counts is the people she’s helped. Her impact is visible through the lives touched and the field influenced. Her legacy isn’t simply in her output; it’s in the effect she continues to have across the discipline.

A Life Well-Lived and a Legacy Well-Earned

Dr. Klyman’s career is impressive, but what really rounds out the picture is her life outside work. She is a mother, a grandmother, and a great-grandmother. Her family anchor has always been steady, holding through two sequential long, happy marriages that ended twice in widowhood. 

Her passion doesn’t stop at family. She travels. She goes to operas. She loses herself in a good book. She spends time painting with her great-granddaughter’s “zoo”. She gives handmade jewelry. These simple moments? They show joy. Real joy.

Moving Forward with Vision and Purpose

Dr. Klyman’s involvement in the fields of psychiatry, psychoanalysis, and education will reverberate after her retirement. She now lives in Los Angeles, continues to practice, mentors new therapists across the globe, and has now written her debut novel, Beyond Sadness. What will become of her legacy? It is still expanding with two other books in process.

Dr. Cassandra M. Klyman’s journey is one of resilience, compassion, and unyielding dedication. Her story is a reminder that with the right blend of passion, knowledge, and commitment, it’s possible to not only change lives but also leave a legacy that will inspire generations to come. She truly followed and lived the mantra:

The greatest use of a life is to spend it on something that will outlast it.”

– William James

Patricia Leavy Closes Her Red Carpet Romance Trilogy With a Meditation on Love, Art, and Becoming

By: Jonathan Pierce Caldwell

With Cinematic Destinies, bestselling author and scholar Patricia Leavy brings her sweeping Red Carpet Romance trilogy to a graceful and resonant close. Known for merging storytelling with sociological insight, Leavy uses this final installment not only to conclude a multi-generational saga but also to deepen her ongoing exploration of love, art, identity, and the quiet moments that define a life.

For Leavy, Cinematic Destinies represents far more than the conclusion of a popular series. It is the culmination of a creative and intellectual project she has been building for years. “To me, the trilogy is about what it means to live a life and to do so well,” she explains. “It’s about the moments that string together, ultimately creating the tapestry of our lives and how beauty hides in those seemingly small moments.” This lens—at once intimate and expansive—is rooted in her long career as a sociologist. It also shapes the series’ unique tone: romantic and warm, yet thoughtful and attentive to the bigger themes that often sit beneath love stories.

A Sociologist’s Perspective on Storytelling

Leavy’s academic background informs her writing in ways that are both subtle and structural. Sociologists are trained to see how individual experiences connect to larger cultural forces, and she brings that dual vision to her fiction with uncommon precision. “As a sociologist, I’m predisposed to look at both the big picture and the small parts,” she says. This creates a rare narrative balance: the trilogy succeeds as a charming love-forward series while simultaneously wrestling with fundamental questions about purpose, connection, and growth.

Each book examines different facets of life and meaning, but Cinematic Destinies widens the lens. By shifting focus to the Forrester family’s adult children—Georgia, Albert, and Betty—Leavy explores new dimensions of identity, ambition, and emotional vulnerability. The result is not only a continuation of Ella and Finn’s iconic love story, but an examination of how values, creativity, and personal narratives are passed from one generation to the next.

Art Imitating Life—and Life Imitating Art

A hallmark of Leavy’s work is her blend of artistic and scholarly thinking. She has long described her fiction and nonfiction output as part of a shared mission: to build a kind of “philosophy of love” and “philosophy of art.” In her view, nonfiction operates literally, while fiction allows for a more poetic investigation. The trilogy reflects this dual pursuit. “All three novels explore what love is, what it means to love, and what love brings to our lives,” Leavy explains. “Love is a verb. The characters in this series do love well.”

Art, too, runs through the trilogy’s veins. The first book, The Location Shoot, places readers inside a film production about the meaning of life. Cinematic Destinies brings the story full circle with another film—this time set against the striking landscapes of Iceland—where creativity becomes both backdrop and catalyst for self-realization. The characters’ art is not merely aesthetic; it is a way of making sense of themselves and their world.

Building the Forrester World

Finn Forrester, a beloved actor, and Dr. Ella Sinclair Forrester, a philosopher, anchor the series with a partnership that blends Hollywood sparkle with intellectual depth. Although fans often look for autobiographical elements in those characters, Leavy emphasizes that they emerged from her imagination. Still, she acknowledges that her real-life love of conversations about art and ideas naturally shaped her approach. “It’s natural for me to put characters together and have them explore creativity and ideas,” she says.

That interplay of curiosity, humor, and reflection is central to the Forrester family dynamic. Writing scenes that bring all five family members together—particularly in Cinematic Destinies—proved especially enjoyable for Leavy. Those moments reveal a portrait of a family that is thoughtful, playful, and deeply connected, yet facing challenges familiar to readers from all walks of life.

The Next Generation: Identity, Purpose, and Possibility

In Cinematic Destinies, the spotlight shifts to the Forrester children, each of whom carries distinct emotional and personal challenges. Their stories allow Leavy to explore universal questions facing young adults: Who am I? How do I live authentically? What does success look like for me? “They each grapple with things we all deal with in some way,” she notes. “Identity, career, love—these things are all challenging.”

Betty, the disciplined New York doctor; Albert, the thoughtful recent graduate wrestling with identity; and Georgia, the spirited actress seeking both artistic and personal clarity—each is rendered with care and nuance. Leavy’s aim was to write them with authenticity so that readers might recognize reflections of themselves in the siblings’ triumphs and uncertainties.

A Character Close to the Author’s Heart

Many might assume that Georgia, the actress navigating new opportunities and emotional growth, is the character Leavy relates to most, given the parallels to Ella’s artistic lineage. But Leavy points instead to Jean Mercier, a filmmaker whose commitment to his craft and search for beauty resonate deeply with her own creative mission. “He tackles tough topics because he believes that artists must sometimes go dark to help others see the light,” she says. “I relate to all of that.”

A Trilogy That Lingers

While Cinematic Destinies delivers the satisfying emotional closure readers hope for, its impact is more than narrative. It invites reflection—on love, on creativity, on the lives we build through ordinary and extraordinary moments. Romantic and whimsical on the surface, the trilogy also offers a layered meditation on what it means to grow, to connect, and to live with meaning.

With this final installment, Leavy reaffirms her place as a storyteller who can make readers feel deeply while nudging them to think more expansively about the art of living.

Get your copy of Cinematic Destinies on Amazon today.