NASHUA – This is not your father’s anger management class.

In fact, Rage Cage, 10 W. Hollis St., has little or nothing to do with being vexed at all.

Owner Tedd Cherry opened the smash box back in February and as it would turn out, a pandemic is a dandy way to soothe the savage thrill seeker.

“When we opened, we were slammed immediately,” he said. “COVID actually helped us out a little bit.”

The idea was one that Cherry had noticed in other parts of the world but certainly not in New Hampshire.

“I wish I could take credit for the concept,” he said, “but they were really popular overseas for a couple of years. They made their way through America from the west coast.

I spent the last ten years as an insurance agent. And I was just so bored with all of that — the same thing, every single day. This just sounded like fun and to keep my attention. I wanted to provide something different than just another bar.”

Cherry said that people responded in positive ways and not necessarily because they had pent-up angst from being cooped up over COVID.

“The geopolitical climate that we’ve had over the last few years adds to frustration,” he stated. “This was just a way for people to get out of that funk. And not only that, it’s a fun experience to have, especially with our Glow Smash room. With that, it’s not always about heavy metal rock music. It’s not there to be rageful. It’s there to have a party.”

Cherry hopes that business continues to boom, as people have been coming out in droves – so much that when they first opened several months ago, there was a waiting list.

In addition to the glow lights, Rage Cage has black lights and neon paint everywhere. Cherry said it’s more of a party atmosphere and less about taking your aggression out on a inanimate glassware.

Previously at the 10 W. Hollis St. address, there was a church, a gym, a Rent-A-Center and a few other random businesses. Now rage has a place to break away.

“Basically, we have eight different packages,” Cherry said. “They all come with a certain amount of time and a certain number of items that you get to obliterate. Let’s say you get the Ultimate Showdown, that’s for up to four people. You pick out your glassware, you get to choose the music and other stuff like that to personalize your experience.”

For most folks that wander in, $20 will get you five small, five medium and five large pieces of glass. Other packages range in price and depending on what you choose, your time allotment will be different.

And for those with a particularly stealthy appetite towards disintegrating random objects, you too can take a sledgehammer to an appliance.

“If you want to break a flat screen TV, that would run you $20 – $40 or so,” Cherry said. “And if you don’t like vacuuming, you can break one of those. It’s an experience of doing something that you’re not supposed to do. It’s cognitive dissonance.”

In other words, kick up your endorphins.

Endorphins are chemical messengers in your body, released by both your central nervous system and your pituitary gland. While experts are still identifying all the ways they work in your body, studies suggest that endorphins play an important part in your body’s ability to manage pain and experience pleasure.

When released, endorphins can help relieve pain, reduce stress and may cause a euphoric feeling. Sort of like smashing a cheap vase with a crowbar.

Replacing the glass items or breakables is sometimes a challenge, Cherry said. They rely on thrift stores or second-hand stores that want to get rid of or update their stock.

“It has its ups and downs,” he said. “We have a couple of suppliers in the area. We buy stuff in bulk and some of it is donations if people don’t want to bring their stuff to Goodwill or they’re cleaning out a house. Some people just drop stuff off and we encourage that.”

Cherry is working on creating deals with downtown bars who might donate empties for the breakable room.

Upon arrival, “breakers” or “smashers” have to sign a waiver and then they’re given a shopping cart to go to the shelves and pick out the breakable objects they want to smash to oblivion.

Next up: a jumpsuit and protective wear. Lastly, you get to pick out your tool – whether it be a bat, a hammer, a crowbar or even a frying pan.

Cherry said it’s a place that attracts all walks of life – people come for different reasons.

“I’ve done birthday parties and corporate work events,” Cherry said. “I had a whole realty company come in and we did it on a day that we weren’t open.”

One of the most unusual requests?

“I booked a family reunion,” Cherry said. “I had a party last week that was a lot of fun. My favorite was from a woman who called. She wanted to bring her entire family for her 86th birthday. She came in, put on the jumpsuit and protective gear that you have to wear and just went at it. It was fantastic. It really is for everybody.”

For more info, visit ragecagenh.com.

For additional information, visit ragecagenh.com.