The Future of Public Bathrooms: Ads, QR Codes, and Urine Diagnostics

September 19, 2025 by guest author, John Berkovich

Paying to use a public bathroom isn’t exactly revolutionary – many countries have been charging people to use the facilities for decades. But in China, the humble restroom has been reimagined into something closer to a Black Mirror episode.

First came the toilet paper paywall. A video from China Insider shows a poor soul just trying to grab a few squares of the roll, only to be confronted with a QR code. Scan it, and voilà, you’re treated to a short commercial. Sit through the ad and you’re rewarded with a modest ration of paper. Not enough? Watch again, or cough up 0.5 RMB (about five cents) for the privilege of skipping the ads.

Officials say the system helps cut down on waste, as apparently some folks were stuffing their bags with free rolls like they were toilet-paper pirates. But just when you thought it couldn’t get weirder, another innovation flushed its way into the spotlight: smart toilets that scan your urine to detect health problems.

Yes, in some public bathrooms, your output is now a diagnostic tool. Step up to the porcelain oracle, and sensors can analyze your sample for a range of health indicators, from kidney issues to infections. On one hand, it could revolutionize early detection and preventive care. On the other… well, imagine being told by a public urinal that you might need to see a doctor before you’ve even zipped up.

Together, these inventions create a new bathroom reality: you’ll watch a toothpaste ad to get a tissue, then find out from your toilet that you should probably see a urologist. All while you were trying to answer nature’s call.

Coming Soon: Premium Gold+ Restroom™. Why settle for just toilet paper and diagnostics when you can also binge-watch Netflix on a DooH network, share your urine analysis directly to social media, and get loyalty points every time you flush? Upgrade to the Platinum package and you’ll even get a free latte with every cholesterol warning.

(Okay, this part’s satire… but give it a year and it might not be).

Welcome to the restroom of tomorrow – part shopping mall, part clinic, and entirely dystopian.

(Image: Reddit/YouTube)