Women Demand Plush Porta-Potties

Upscale portable restrooms, some with brass fixtures and oak paneling, are becoming more common in the United States, catering mostly to women who refuse to use the typical blue or green boxes that pass for bathrooms at most outdoor events.

Their names are synonymous with luxury: Black Tie, Top Hat, Executive, VIP.

Just don't call them potties.

"Men, they'll go behind a tree. They don't care. We cater to women," said Larry Kettwig, who works in operations for Black Tie Services, an upscale mobile restroom business based in Lockport, a Chicago suburb.

Black Tie is among a handful of companies across the country that specialize in the restrooms, which from the outside look like plain white trailers. The surprise is inside, where vanity mirrors, flushable toilets, full sinks, piped-in music, air conditioning and dishes of potpourri make the restrooms almost indistinguishable from those in a home or nice hotel.

"It's definitely a growing trend. Like anything else, there's always people who want to drive Cadillacs or Rolls Royces," said Barry Gump, president and CEO of Andy Gump Temporary Site Services, a Valencia, California, company that has serviced million-dollar weddings and Hollywood soirees.

Right now the trailer suites — which range from a couple of bathrooms to more than a dozen and average around $3,000 to rent — are mostly seen at corporate hospitality tents or dressy outdoor events like weddings.

But Dave Bandauski, president of Black Tie Services, said the demand has grown as more event planners realize women leave parties when the restrooms aren't up to par.

Bandauski started Black Tie in 1998 with three trailers. Now the company has more than 100 that are constantly on the move across the country. The company's trailers recently have appeared at parties at President George W. Bush's ranch, governor inaugurations in Illinois and Florida and the Bobsled World Championships in Lake Placid, New York.

Courtney Leddy, who works in sports public relations in New York, was, well, relieved to see an upscale trailer when she attended a corporate event at the U.S. Open in Bethpage State Park last year.

"I asked where the restrooms were and they pointed outside, and I was like, great, a disgusting porta-potty," Leddy said.

Instead, Leddy found fresh flowers on a marble countertop, carpeted floors, a private stall and real towels.

"I was like, this is the nicest porta-potty I've ever been in in my life," Leddy said.

The units aren't cheap, which has limited the number of companies able to enter the business. Trailer suites range from about $55,000 to $250,000 to purchase.

Even so, Kohler Co., the Wisconsin-based manufacturer of kitchen and bath fixtures, believes the demand will continue to grow. Kohler began its own mobile division about two years ago. Its trailers cost between $70,000 and $250,000 and feature the company's signature fixtures.

"This seems to be the largest growth sector of the industry," said Jeremy Knopow, general manager of Kohler Mobile Plumbing Systems.