When you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go. Especially when you’re pregnant. And now, there’s an app for that: A new start-up aims to give busy city dwellers access to clean and sanitary restrooms for whenever the urge strikes.
Looie, set to launch in New York City’s family-friendly Tribeca neighborhood later this month, plans to charge $25 a month for a key that provides entry to nearby restrooms along with an app that locates them for you. But these won’t be limited to the corner McDonald’s or Starbucks you typically dash in to, or the Chipotle where you buy a water bottle in exchange for a pass code on the receipt to enter the restroom. The creators of Looie have established partnerships with restaurants and cafes to provide public access to their restrooms, without requiring you to purchase anything. And the difference in cleanliness, they say, will be immediately apparent.
Once an establishment partners with the app, the Looie team takes over responsibility for maintaining the restrooms by sending in a cleaning crew 7 to 10 times a day. This means every Looie partner potty is guaranteed to be a place to relieve, relax and refresh. Each will be cleaned with organic products, stocked with toilet paper, decorated with fresh plants or flowers, scented with natural air fresheners and luckily for new moms, complete with changing tables for babies. Although they’re launching with only a handful of partners, Looie hopes to quickly expand outside the neighborhood into the rest of Manhattan and eventually, other cities.
Would you pay $25 a month for access to clean restrooms and changing stations?