KISSING IN THE MEN'S ROOM AT THE VIRGIN CLUBHOUSE

Yahoo News ^ | March 16, 2004 | Paula Conway

[Servant of the 9]

Even though they allow for high-volume servicing and back-in-a-flash trips to the john, the point-and-shoot-a-stinky-deodorizer-cake oddity known as the men’s restroom urinal has been, for women, a constant enigma. But nothing will prepare you for the men’s room in the newly-designed Virgin Airways Clubhouse in New York’s John F. Kennedy airport, terminal 4: Urinals shaped like a woman’s mouth, dolled up with red lipstick, wide open and ready for business.

“In anything that we do there has to be a smile, and that’s the smile in this Clubhouse,” said John Riordan, Vice President of Customer Services for Virgin Airways.

The urinals, called Kisses, were designed by Netherlands based company Bathroom Mania.

“Kisses - the sexy urinal, makes a daily event a blushing experience! This is one target men will never miss!,” said the Bathroom Mania team via e-mail from the Netherlands.

“The Bathroom Mania designs create a fantasy-world in the bathroom by working on impressions and stories.” They also make the Good Morning Sunshine flower potty, a toilet in the shape of a flower pot with images of flowery freshness, and the Splish Splash bathtub shaped like a hammock.

But if you’re a hold it ‘til you get there kinda guy, the urinals, thankfully aren’t the only feature to rave about in the new clubhouse, where Spike Lee (news) dropped by last week and most probably got a smile from the lady in the men’s room.

“My favorite other fun items are the Ben & Jerry’s “grab-n-go minis” in the refrigerators,” said Elizabeth Ciresi, a spokesperson for Virgin. “There’s also a dedicated business area for iMACS, two day beds in the Snooze Room and showers packed with Virgin accessories.”

While some airlines have itty bitty lounges with big names like the Delta Crown Room Club, Virgin opted for a roomy 7,000 square feet in theirs.

“With the big names that fly in our Upper Class there are big expectations - both on the ground and in the air - so 7,000 square feet is on par with what our customers expect,” added Ms. Ciresi.

For an airline that has open mouths in the bathrooms, one would expect unconventional designs in the lounge areas. Instead of walls (who needs them?) there’s a free standing waterfall that pours out of the ceiling. It drains into a 100-foot pool that doubles as the wall of the lounge (why not?). The result: one exterior wall is the reflecting pool; the other is a triple height ceiling out on to the terminal. VIPs don’t have to mingle with the riff-raff (who would no doubt be milling by the urinals anyway), the Red Room is their special space. Like the cigar girls of the 1940’s, Virgin staff roam the clubhouse, weaving between pearlescent screens with the Hewlett Packard PC’s in hand to access anything for passengers at any time like reservations or ordering a meal within the clubhouse. And if Paris Hilton brings her laptop in her Louis Vuitton book bag, she can hang out in the WiFi zone to chat about The Simple Life with Nicole Richie.

The Virginesque aura screams out with local flavor as the mood lighting and color-shifting patterns alter in tandem with the light coming in from the outside. As night falls, a skyline grid of New York City as seen from the East River becomes illuminated to reveal the outline of the skyscrapers.

Who’s using the clubhouse the most these days?

“With the exchange rate so attractive to Europeans we are jam-packed with Londoners flying over here for bargains,” said John Riordan.

With added incentive to visit the new Virgin Clubhouse at JFK, I am in a hurry to book my next flight to London just for the pleasure of becoming reVirginized.
HEADS UP PR OFFICE, I’LL BE CALLING SHORTLY FOR A PRESS TICKET!!

[Servant of the 9]

What can I say?

So9

[Qwinn]

Just damn.

I say we call it the Lewinsky Urinal.

Qwinn

[Ragirl]

Oh my......I want a potty that has John Kerry's big mouth open. That would be fun.

[Professional Engineer]

ROFL Oh my, this is just too easy.

[johnfrink]

Is there something wrong with me? I fail to see anything even remotely sexy in a urinal shaped like a woman's mouth. Whoever designed that is pretty sick.

[atomicpossum]

Oh, man, the feminists are going to go so nutbar about this.

[mgist]

Talk about potty mouth. I think it is just plain cheesy. Something akin to the 90 year old playboy Hugh Hefner. They won't last long.

[Servant of the 9]

Oh my......I want a potty that has John Kerry's big mouth open. That would be fun.

A wall mural around the fixture should do it.
You could charge to use it.

So9

[billorites]

And I suppose that white cake in there's a breath mint?

[Blood of Tyrants]

I find it demeaning and disgusting.

[Xenalyte]

The REAL question is what Al thinks of it. I mean, it's not a Ferguson.

[Trillian]

Hahaha..

[Blood of Tyrants]

Q. What does it say over the urinals in the fieldhouse of the (put favorite college team to bash here)?

A. Please do not eat the large white mint.

[ConservativeDude]

KISSING IN THE MEN'S ROOM AT THE VIRGIN CLUBHOUSE

i thought this was going to be some sick story about george michael or some other pathetic homo.....

[t1b8zs]

Rumor has it was designed after a "Drag Queens Mouth".....

Woha...Hold the flow......

[Darksheare]

For some strange reason, the first thing that came to mind was "R Kelly!"

[Bacon Man]

The REAL question is what Al thinks of it. I mean, it's not a Ferguson.

That is a good question. I clearly remember him saying that bathrooms should always be plain, white and soothing. On the other hand he might get a sense of satisfaction from the urinal. I am sure he'd hate the flower pot toilet though.

[EggsAckley]

I just posted this article, after searching the title, and found no matches. How come the search engine doesn't pick up the titles that are identical? I wouldn't have posted it otherwise.

[TexasCowboy]

I don't really care what the urinal looks like!

I just wish they'd put a screen in them to catch the chewing gum and cigarette butts!
The chewing gum loses it's flavor after awhile and the cigarette butts take forever to dry out!

[Senator Pardek]

Kisses - the sexy urinal

A urinal can never be sexy - and why would I want to feel as if I'm relieving myself in Mick Jagger's mouth?!

[humblegunner]

The chewing gum loses it's flavor after awhile and the cigarette butts take forever to dry out!

Those dang mints they put in there are 'way too big to chew.
I put the butts in the microwave on medium and they are ready to smoke in 8 minutes. ;-)

[WhyisaTexasgirlinPA]

There are times I really wonder about you.........;^)

[concordKIWI]

Nothing to worry about here, unless it closes on you!

[NYC GOP Chick]

Classic TV flashback! :)

[concordKIWI]

Nothing to worry about here, unless it closes on you!

[shaggy eel]

What can I say?

,,, whatever you say, don't open your mouth to say it!

[shaggy eel]

BUMP

[southernnorthcarolina]

We could debate forever whether a urinal in the shape illustrated is sexy, kinky, demeaning, amusing, or whatever, for a long time.

But I'm surprised that little if any mention has been made of Ms. Conway's arrant sexism (and/or penis envy) when she begins her screed with these words: "Even though they allow for high-volume servicing and back-in-a-flash trips to the john, the point-and-shoot-a-stinky-deodorizer-cake oddity known as the men’s restroom urinal has been, for women, a constant enigma."

"[A] constant enigma"? Hello? Is there a mysterious concept my XY chromosomes are causing me to miss? Are gender-specific plumbing fixtures viewed as a bad thing?

[weegee]

Europeans seem to have a fascination with scatology.

[Servant of the 9]

Europeans seem to have a fascination with scatology.

So do 11 year old boys, and that tells you all you need to know about the intelectual maturity of the Europeans.

So9

[StriperSniper]

This is one target men will never miss!,” said the Bathroom Mania team

This is what Rush was just talking about.

ROFLMAO!

I see an opportunity as a regional distributor to Go-Go bars. :)

[sauropod]

You've been on the phone!

[Cacique]

ping

[hellinahandcart]

Say wha?

[cyborg]

LOL!!!

[NYC GOP Chick]

Men certainly are cryptic critters, aren't they?

[NYC GOP Chick]

What does your tagline mean???

[cyborg]

I want a cold beer :-)

[Clemenza]

This is gross.