A bar is under police investigation after a comedian discovered a secret two-way mirror hanging on a door across from the toilet in the women’s restroom.
Tamale Rocks was performing at Chicago bar, Cigars and Stripes, when she stumbled on the creepy looking glass and filmed a video of the discovery on her smartphone – revealing that opening the door took her into a closet providing a clear view of the stall.
But despite public outrage the bar’s owner Ronnie Lottz told website Jezebel he has no plans to get rid of it – even insisting that the mirror, which was initially set up as part of a Halloween prank in 2001, has brought his staff ‘joy’.
Tamale found the intrusive mirror on Saturday night and, horrified, took a video demonstrating that anyone standing on the other side would have a clear view of any woman using the toilet.
‘There was no one in there at the time of [my] discovery – thankfully,’ she said. ‘[But] there could have been.’
When she approached Ronnie Lottz to demand an explanation, he seemed unconcerned and, shockingly, told her that he considered her video to be free promotion for his establishment.
When contacted by Jezebel, Mr Lottz added that Cigars and Stripes has had the two-way mirror since 2001, explaining that it was once used to scare women in the restroom by placing a light-up witch on the other side one Halloween.
He also insisted that the mirror was ‘old news’ and reiterated that he won’t remove it.
He said: ‘I will burn this f****** place to the ground before I get rid of that mirror. Do you know how much joy that mirror has brought to us?’
He also dismissed Tamale’s concern as being part of a recent ‘big movement in reality TV to be outraged about feminism’.
‘If you don’t like the two-way mirror, go f*** yourself,’ he added.
Mr Lottz said: ‘We specialize in making people feel very uncomfortable. It’s why we’re successful today.’
He added that anyone who didn’t like it could ‘stay home’.
He did not acknowledge that women may not know that the restroom had a two-way mirror, as there is no sign notifying them next to it.
Police are investigating the incident.
Daily Mail Online has contacted Mr Lotz for comment.
People can test for two-way by pressing a finger up to the glass; when using a traditional mirror, there will be gap between the finger and its reflection. If there is no gap, it is a two-way mirror.
So, he’ll burn the place down before removing it, huh? If wishes only came true. This has nothing to do with feminism – I’m an anti-feminist… this has to do with privacy, modesty and morality. All of which this bar owner obviously lacks in spades. They specialize in making people feel uncomfortable – well, he certainly succeeded at that. And if he thinks that this post is also free publicity, he might want to rethink that. I know a lot of people who go to, live in and do business in Chicago and I can guarantee you they will avoid this establishment like the plague. If he’s into ‘negative’ publicity, then he’s got it. What a voyeuristic moron.