A new app making a splash at this years New Orleans Mardi Gras lets people rent out their bathrooms to local party-goers- in a bid to tackle to problem of public urination at the festival.
The Airpnp app (a play on the popular house renting app AirBnB) lets local residents and businesses rent out their private bathrooms for a small fee.
Sellers can take pictures of their facilities, describe the cleanliness of the bathroom, provide the location and name a price.
Once customers have spent their penny (or more depending on the price) they can use the app’s “rate my pee” section, ranking the bathroom on things like cleanliness, whether the restroom resembled the photos and even how much ply the toilet paper had.
Eventually, Airpnp might add a way for bathroom owners to rate users as well.
The app was created by self-proclaimed “entre-pee-neurs” Max Gaudin and Travis Laurendine.
“All of those people are filling up with beer, and that needs to go somewhere ultimately,” says Gaudin, referring to the more than one million people who attend the Mardi Gras parades each year. “We are doing a public service by trying to ensure less people are peeing all over the streets of New Orleans.”
“Naturally the best bathrooms will rise to the top,” says Gaudin. “Depending on how much the pee is flowing, it would cost more or less.”
Almost 2,000 people have signed up to use the app. At the time of writing, about 20 toilets had been added. All are in New Orleans, except one posted in Budapest, Hungary.
“Clean bathroom in our uptown home,” reads one.
“Toilet paper and hand soap provided, of course. Large mirror for checking yourself out.”
Another advert offers a “porcelain paradise” just off the main parade route, for $3 per visit.
The advert reads: “Imagine, you, gazing at passing floats. Now imagine you gazing at more floats just a few minutes later. Because that’s all it will take for you to unleash your bowels in our frequently cleaned porcelain paradise.”
View the app here