iSmash Wake Forest: The Most Fun Family Therapy Session You’ll Ever Have

If you’ve ever felt like you just NEED to smash things up and let it all out, then have I got an experience for you! There is a place where you can beat up a car windshield with a sledgehammer, throw plates at a wall, and walk away with paint splattered all over you (and call it art), and it’s right here in Wake Forest.

That place is iSmash in Wake Forest (ad partner), which we visited with our teen daughter, Savannah – and let me tell you, it’s one of the most unexpectedly fun family activities we’ve done in a while.

It’s messy, cathartic, creative, and surprisingly bonding. Think rage therapy meets paint party, with a side of laughter you didn’t see coming. Oh, and you don’t have to clean up any of your mess.

This was our first time trying out a “rage room” experience at iSmash, which opened in the Factory area of Wake Forest in May 2025. And here’s how it went…

What is iSmash?

iSmash is an interactive entertainment venue that combines rage rooms and paint splatter rooms. You get to break, smash, paint, and create in a safe, controlled environment.

Rage rooms have become a bit of a growing trend in recent years, and it’s easy to see why. It’s said to help reduce or defuse pent-up emotions and relieve stress.

The franchise started in Rochester, NY, in 2018 and is now making its way to the Triangle, with local owner Aaron Wright holding the rights to expand across NC. As mentioned, the Wake Forest location opened in May 2025 and is available for both walk-ins and bookings.

It’s perfect for:

• Families with teens (like us) looking for something fun and different
• Date nights that go way beyond dinner and a movie
• Friends or colleagues who need a team-building event with a twist
• Stress relief that doesn’t involve yelling at traffic or eating your emotions

As well as rage rooms, the Wake Forest location also has a paint splatter area. The rage room is open to ages 8 and above, due to the nature of the experience, whereas the paint splatter space is suitable for ages 3 and above. All safety gear is provided.

It’s entertainment with a side of therapy, and I totally get why it’s trending across the country. If our session is anything to go by, I’m betting these will pop up everywhere soon. Apparently, we all need a safe space to smash things up!

The Rage Room Experience

We started with the Smash It Up rage room, which is exactly what it sounds like. You’re geared up in protective clothing, complete with helmets, gloves, and face shields. Safety is their top priority, and before you step inside, the staff runs you through a few rules to make sure everyone is safe while having fun.

Before you get started, take a minute to sync your phone to the Bluetooth speaker in the room and put on your favorite rage type playlist to inspire you to swing and smash harder.

Inside the room, you’ll find piles of old electronics like keyboards, phones, printers, and even car windshields. There are boxes of glass plates, cups, bottles, and quirky figurines that are begging to be destroyed. You get to choose your weapon of choice —sledgehammer, baseball bat, crowbar — and then it’s go time.

Savannah went straight for the glass bottles, which were filled with colorful powder. When she smashed one, purple powder exploded everywhere, tinting the ends of her hair. Don’t worry, it washes out, but she thought it was pretty cool walking out looking like she had an impromptu dip-dye makeover. (She’d only dyed it pink a few weeks earlier!)

I don’t carry a lot of rage around with me (chronic meditator), but my peace, love, and mung beans spirit flew right out the window, and I found it incredibly fun to just smash things.

There’s something satisfying about swinging a bat at a plate and watching it shatter. And if you do have stress, anger, or frustration bubbling inside, what better way to release it than in a safe space where the only thing you’re hurting is old junk?

We laughed through the whole thing, and by the end, I joked it was the best family therapy session we’ve ever had.

Couples, families, colleagues — anyone could benefit from this kind of stress relief. I can totally see groups booking this as a team-building activity.

What better way to get your boss back without saying a word? On our visit, the staff of the local school were having their start-of-year planning meeting here. They totally need it halfway through the year, too!

From Rage to Creativity: The Paint Splatter Room

Once we had smashed away all our rage, it was time to switch gears and unleash our creativity in the glow-in-the-dark Paint Splatter Room. Think of it as a giant blank canvas where the walls, floors, and even each other are fair game.

You’re given paint brushes, squirt bottles, balloons, and even paintballs to fling color wherever you want. There’s also a canvas provided so you can take your masterpiece home afterward.

Savannah loved throwing paint at us (of course), while I went the more “artsy” route with splatters and brush strokes on the canvas.

At the end, we stood back and admired our “work,” joking that it was worth at least a few million. If someone can sell a rotten banana pinned to a wall as art, surely our neon explosion deserves some recognition.

Best of all, the canvas is boxed up for you to take home. Now we have a memory of our messy fun hanging in our dining room, which beats the usual “buy another souvenir you’ll forget about” experience.

Why you’ll love iSmash Wake Forest

• Stress Relief That’s Actually Fun: Smash out your frustrations in a safe, non-destructive way.
• Creative Outlet: The paint splatter room lets you play, create, and maybe discover your inner artist.
• Bonding Experience: We genuinely left closer as a family – or friends – because it’s impossible not to laugh together when you’re all suited up smashing things.
• Unique Night Out: Perfect for date nights, birthdays, and bachelor or bachelorette parties.
• Safe Environment: All participants get protective gear and a full safety briefing.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Craig & Caz Makepeace | Raleigh Influencers (@thisisraleigh)

Who can participate?

You must be 18+ to participate. Youths/minors age 8+ can participate with the consent of a parent or legal guardian.

The minimum age for our splatter paint rooms is 3 with a parent or legal guardian signature. The paint splatter room is great for kids, while the rage rooms are a hit with teens and adults.

Our teen, Savannah loved both rooms, with the smash room coming just slightly out on top. She was on FaceTime with her friend straight after our session to share the fun she had! We’re definitely adding this to our fun things to do in Raleigh with teens list!

What kind of things can you smash?

Smash packages include common household items like glassware, dishes, and electronics – except no TVs, as it’s not safe. Specialty items like car windshields and office copy machines are also available. And iSmash is always testing new possible smashing products!

You can even bring your own box of things to smash! I didn’t say anything about the Ex’s possessions – you perhaps did!

While there, why not add in a windshield with the ex’s name on it? You get that rage out in the iSmash room, you’ll never feel the need to drunk text them in the early am again!

Tips to consider before visiting iSmash

• Wear clothes you don’t mind getting messy, especially for the paint room. They provide protective gear for the iSmash room and safety glasses free of charge for the paint splatter room. You can purchase a poncho pack for $5 per person that includes a rain poncho, rubber gloves, shoe covers, and a hairnet. Unless you’re focused only on painting the canvas carefully, you’ll definitely walk out with a splash of color! All paint is washable, so don’t fret too much, but don’t wear your Sunday best.
• Wear closed-toed shoes – the safest way to smash.
• There are cupboards inside to put your possessions, so they don’t get paint or smashed glass on them!
• Take photos and video – but if you just want to have fun, iSmash does have cameras installed in each room, so you can request a recording and purchase a video at the end of the session.  
• Follow the rules, and no one will get hurt!
• Check with iSmash before bringing in your own things to smash, as some items just aren’t safely smashable!
• You cannot drink while smashing or painting, but iSmash does have a bar for you to enjoy after!
• Put that broom and mop down – no clean up required on your behalf, remember!

Pricing and Packages

Prices for the rage room and paint splatter room vary depending on the package you choose and how much smashing you want to do (and how long you want to smash for).

Rage Room Prices

The options, aptly named Starter Smash, Standard Smash, Mega Smash, and Omega Smash, can be booked online in advance or by walk-in.

On the lower end, Starter Smash packages include 20-minutes of smashing, with 20 glass items and 1 electronic item. If you opt for the higher-end, Omega Smash, you get 50 minutes of smashing with 80 glass items, 8 electronics, a car windshield, a powder bomb, and a recording of the whole thing.

You can also choose a Bring Your Own Box package, which is the cheapest option, or Electronic Smash, which is just smashing four electronics for 35 minutes, and Glass Smash, which is 20 minutes of breaking 45 glass items.

• Prices for one person start around $30 for BYOB (bring your own box) or $35 for packages using their items
• Packages are priced on time, and amount items you are smashing or the paint items used
• Group and party packages for birthdays, team building, or just a fun night out
• Smash add-ons are available like larger smash items (think: car parts!) or extra breakables if you just can’t get enough.

Splatter Paint Prices

For the Splatter Paint rooms, the prices are dependent on how long you want to paint for and how many canvases you want to take home. Like the Rage Rooms, they are packaged as Starter Splatter, Standard Splatter, and Mega Splatter.

• Prices for one person start at $35 and go up to $75
• Packages are priced on time, the size of paint bottles and containers, and the size/amount of canvases
• Splatter Paint add-ons are available, like paint boosters, poncho sets, and T-shirts.

Always check iSmash prices and offerings before booking, as they may have changed.

Final Thoughts

I walked into iSmash thinking it was going to be a quirky one-off experience and walked out thinking, “When can we do this again?” It’s not just smashing things, it’s laughing, bonding, letting go of stress, and playing with paint in ways we don’t usually get to as adults.

Our family loved it, and it’s now firmly on my list of fun and unique things to do in Wake Forest and around Raleigh.

If you’re looking for a date night that’s outside the box, a fun family afternoon with your teens, or just a way to release some pent-up stress, iSmash Wake Forest is absolutely worth checking out.