Ben McCarthy  - Business

Super Smash KC ‘rage room’ in Overland Park lets you vent anger by breaking things

Customers demonstrate how to break things at a table inside Super Smash KC.

Super Smash KC in south Overland Park opened last year and has been enticing customers to come and break things. The owners say they frequently book birthday parties and corporate retreats, among other guests. Image via Super Smash KC.

Alex Simmons is juggling two very different businesses in south Overland Park.

One is Superior Home KC, a home improvement company that offers everything from wood floor repairs, to window installation and siding replacement.

His other business is the opposite.

Simmons’ “rage room” Super Smash KC, 7360 W 162nd St., involves nothing being built or installed. Instead, everything here is being smashed, and customers are encouraged to do as much damage as possible.

“We wanted to create a unique outlet to vent frustration and release pent-up energy,” Simmons said. “This is a space where people can unleash that anger in a safe and controlled way.”

How it works

Alex and his wife, Kaleigh, visited a rage room concept out of town and loved it.

After their own research and planning, they founded Super Smash KC in 2021. Located off 162nd and Metcalf, it is the only “rage room” in Johnson County.

After opening last year, it has quickly gained a devoted following.

Customers come and get suited up in protective gear — including gloves, helmets with face shields and thick leather aprons — and get to work smashing things with an array of implements.

Visitors are even encouraged to bring their own bats, sledgehammers and other things to do their smashing.

Customers at Super Smash KC can choose their implements of choice from a "wall of weapons."
Super Smash KC guests can pick implements like hammers and wrenches from a “wall of weapons,” or they can bring their own. Photo credit Ben McCarthy.

Super Smash KC is being used for parties, corporate retreats

General Manager Sean Bennett says they are constantly getting group visits from corporate offices and other organizations in town.

“We’ve had the HCA Midwest general surgery residency class of 2023 celebrating their graduation with us,” Bennett said. “We’ve also had Christ Community Church here, having a great time.”

Most participants sign their individual and group name on one of the colorful walls filling the lobby area after their session has ended.

The Super Smash KC logo greets everyone as they enter the building.

Local businesses supply destructible materials

Simmons manages both of his businesses under one roof.

The space has a warehouse for collected items from the remodeling company that can be smashed in the future.

Bennett, who is Simmons’ brother-in-law, also works with local businesses to find willing donors to maintain a healthy stockpile of destructible items.

“We’re always taking donations from businesses who want to get rid of things,” Bennett said. “It’s always tricky (with our limited space) trying to maintain the right level of inventory of items for people to destroy. We frequently come close to running out of room.”

The nearby Serendipity Farm & Vine supplies them with most of their bottles every week.

Once the glass is smashed, it’s gathered up and taken to Ripple Glass for recycling.

Flourish Furnishings in Grandview, Mo., has provided much of the furniture that gets smashed.

A customer smashes a glass plate at Super Smash KC.
Super Smash KC does not allow implements with blades or any devices that need fuel, like chainsaws. Image via Super Smash KC.

Guests can customize the experience

The most popular and in-demand item for smashing continues to be electronics.

“Everybody just seems to love destroying electronics,” Bennett said. “This includes printers, keyboards, flatscreen monitors or old office phones with the cord.”

Fans of the movie “Office Space” are often looking to recreate a seminal scene from that 1999 cult classic by requesting to destroy fax machines while music from the Geto Boys plays in the room.

Bennett works with customers to make sure they have the right musical accompaniment for their session. He says he even had a request for “The Little Mermaid” soundtrack.

Simmons remains impressed with the constant stream of creative ideas and requests they hear from customers.

“People have written poems on plates and destroyed them, or some people will print off pictures of people and put it on the plates,” Simmons said.

There are rules, but few people have broken them

Despite all the chaos, there are still some rules that all guests must abide by.

While everyone is encouraged to bring additional weapons from home, they cannot be bladed instruments of any kind.

Anything that requires fuel, like a chainsaw, is also off limits.

The room doesn’t feature central air conditioning, so newcomers should be prepared for a sweaty workout, especially this time of year.

Everyone under 18 must also bring a parent or legal guardian with them to be granted access.

“Everyone needs to check with us before they bring in something big like a freezer or refrigerator,” Bennett said. “We can’t have those leaking here, but we have been able to accommodate something as big as a 600-pound industrial printer.”

Bennett says most customers have no problem with the guidelines, and they’ve had to remove fewer than ten people over the past year-and-a-half.

He says the response has been tremendous from people across the board: ranging from raucous bachelor parties to more innocent birthday party celebrations for children.

“We see more kids parties with school now out,” Bennett said. “They love it. They get to yell, scream and destroy stuff without getting into trouble.”

When can I visit Super Smash KC?

Super Smash KC opens at noon, seven days a week at 7360 W 162nd St.

You can book a session for your group by calling 913-499-9330.

You can visit Super Smash KC’s website here.

Ben McCarthy is a contributor to the Post and other publications in the Kansas City area. He can be reached at ben.c.mccarthy@gmail.com with questions, comments and story suggestions.