Short of cocaine or amphetamines, there’s no stimulant quite like caffeine: it works wonders on both brain and butt. While many of us go to Bushwick coffee houses to get ideas flowing, one man found his muse in the bathroom. At AP Cafe, Kavé, to be exact.
Last week, Chad O’Connell launched Whisper, a company that creates bidets— those hose-type things attached to French toilet bowls that flush out your ass. He claims his product (pronounced bih-DAY) uses 75-percent-less toilet paper, saves money and your beautiful butthole skin.
“I used toilet paper all my life until I tried a bidet two years ago for the first time. And holy shit—it was magnificent,” O’Connell told Bushwick Daily.
O’Connell quit his advertising job 10 months ago and started Whisper because he felt “burnt out” from his day job. That’s when he realized his mission in life was to change America’s bathroom culture.
“Why am I pouring all of my passion and hustle and nights and weekends into making other people’s products successful? I should do this for myself,” O’Connell said.
That’s just what he decided to do. Feeling the creative burnout, O’Connell put in his two-weeks’ notice and set off for China. In far-flung parts of the country he calls “bizarro America,” O’Connell met with suppliers, developed his bidet and forged his own brand, vowing to bring it back home and change the way we shit.
But what did he miss most about Bushwick while in China? Good coffee.
When he returned from the trip, O’Connell worked “almost entirely” from Cafe Kavé, developing his website and fine-tuning his gadget’s design.
“I truly believe in bidets. Not only because you will be cleaner, feel fresher, and have happier, less irritated skin, but you’ll also use a lot less toilet paper. And that’s better for the environment and your wallet,” O’Connell said.
For Bushwick, where lousy water pressure plagues the pipes and roommates come and go, there are concerns other than just saving on TP.
O’Connell dispels these fears, saying that the device’s flow knob gives you complete control to make the water pressure as gentle or as strong as you like; and yes, Whisper’s splash guard and retractable nozzle means that it’s sanitary for all your roommates (male or female) to use.
“I would love to get a Whisper on every toilet in every bar, cafe, and restaurant in Bushwick- especially cafes,” O’Connell remarked with a wink.
The device costs $69.99. Use promo code TreatYoButt to get a $10 discount.
Cover image courtesy of Chad O’Connell