Nur IwaniThis is how you prepare yourself for a dangerous situation.
Safety is the top priority. Get dressed in white coveralls. Put on a pair of thick gloves and wear a matching helmet (with a face visor). All these to protect from slashes and cuts. Next, grab a weapon – a baseball bat or even a Supreme crowbar for style.
Then, take a deep breath in and start smashing everything in your way. Everything.
Welcome to The Fragment Room – South-east Asia’s first rage room which provides Singaporeans a safe space to vent out their pent-up anger and frustrations.
From the outside, you can’t tell that there’s a rage room among the old shop houses of Balestier Road. The only sign that indicates the room’s presence is a neon signage and a huge plant. The Fragment Room in fact exudes calmness on the outside. But once you set foot in the door, screaming, shouting and even crying can be heard from down the hallway.
Behind the concrete counter was a petite man clothed in streetwear from head to toe.
He is none other than the owner and the brain behind The Fragment Room, 24-year-old Mr Royce Tan.
His parents were not supportive of his business at first since nobody has brought rage rooms into Singapore. But that’s precisely why Mr Tan had gone ahead with his idea.
Mr. Tan said: “We don’t have anything like this in Singapore – nowhere for people to truly release what they [feel] inside. Nobody does this kind of thing before, that’s why I should do it. Why would I want to do something someone has already done?”
For $38, The Fragment Room’s customers will get a crate full of breakables such as wine glasses and beer bottles for them to throw or swing at for 30 minutes. Customers also have the choice to upgrade their packages to include more breakables such as television sets, or even request items in advance.
Once, a customer asked whether he could smash a watermelon while another asked whether he could bring a parang (sword), said Mr Tan. However, organic materials are not allowed to prevent the room from smelling and rotting.
And it seems like Singaporeans are indeed a stressed-out bunch. According to Mr Tan, bookings for The Fragment Room can go up to 35 on a weekend.
One of the patrons is 19-year-old Nigel Koh Ke Wei, who went to The Fragment Room to relieve the stress and negative feelings he has been holding back.
Nigel said: “When I heard about the Fragment Room, I felt that I could relieve my stress in a way that won’t affect others and I can do it privately.”
To keep up with the high demand, the breakables are purchased in bulk and stored in the shop’s storage room or a storage facility. The breakables, which are mostly factory rejects, are purchased from distributors and factories. Electronics on the other hand, are purchased at scrap value.
Though rage rooms can be used as a platform for people to release their suppressed emotions, Ms Evelyn Yeo, 43, anger management therapist for Singapore Anger Management believes that it’s not a long-term solution to anger issues.
“Destroying things can be cathartic to some people but after that, does it allow him to change his perspective about the issues or people that made him angry? Or will it remain the same?” said Ms Yeo.
Ms Yeo added that there’s a possibility for people to adopt an unhealthy habit of destroying things through rage rooms.
While Mr Tan understands that some people might not like the idea of The Fragment Room, he feels that people shouldn’t condemn it.
As to what makes the owner of the rage room angry?
“Life,” Mr Tan said jokingly.