One Scottish nightclub is under fire for installing two-way mirrors
in its women’s bathrooms, providing quite the show for male patrons in
expensive, private booths.
The Shimmy Club in Glasgow, Scotland,
aroused controversy last week when photographs from its ladies’ room
surfaced, showing women standing in front of mirrors that patrons in
private booths could look through, according to The Scottish Sunday
Express.
The club allegedly charges 800 pounds (about $1,200) to book a booth.
Some customers are furious.
“I
was completely shocked to discover that the mirror in the ladies’
bathroom is a two-way mirror facing out onto the club,” one clubber told
the Express. “Nowhere is it made clear that this is the case, so when
visiting the bathroom for the first time, there are women bending over
the sink, pouting into the mirror to redo their lipstick, adjusting
themselves whilst unknowingly being watched by people on the other
side.”
The Shimmy Club responded to the criticism on Monday,
stating on Facebook that the mirror is a design feature meant to be a
fun “talking point for people visiting.”
The statement went on to
say that “its [sic] clear that those who are negatively commenting on
line [sic] may not have been lucky enough to get past the door staff
yet.”
It
added that, “the sight line is very limited and allows for glimpses
into the wash up area only of the ladies loos.” It claims to offer
regular mirrors in another section of the restrooms.
The club also
says that a sign clearly explains how the mirrors operate, but the
patron who talked to the Express said the notification was minuscule and
unnoticeable.
The Shimmy Club doesn’t seem worried, though.
The
Facebook status ends with one presumably sarcastic remark: ”God help us
when they find out that we have buried vibrators into sections of the
dancefloor……………”
Despite the club’s carefree attitude, the mirrors
may wind up preventing some women from being able to use the bathrooms
at all. Recent studies show that 21 million people actually suffer from
paruresis, also known as shy bladder syndrome – a condition that
prevents people from urinating in public.
According to
the International Paruresis Association, some people experience
heightened anxiety at the thought of nearby people hearing or seeing
them go to the bathroom.
Steven Soifer, CEO of the IPA and author
of ”Shy Bladder Syndrome: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Overcoming
Paruresis,” is an expert in this field, and disturbed by The Shimmy
Club’s two-way mirrors.
“This is outrageous,” Soifer told The
Huffington Post. “Can you imagine a club getting away with this kind of
stunt in the good old U.S. of A? Other than all the privacy and legal
issues involved, the idea of doing something like this reminds one of
pre-adolescent summer camp pranks. It wreaks with creepiness.”
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