WHAT THE HELL IS A GUY-FI BOOTH?

     I received this story at least twice last week, so I needed to dive in and take a look at what this was all about. Well, do you remember back in the day, when they used to have those peep shows on 42nd Street? You know, those ones where you could put a quarter in the machine and the window would open up and there would be a half naked lady on the other side talking dirty to you while you rubbed one out to her? Good! I don't remember that either, but for argument's sake, let's just say I heard about places like these. 

     Apparently, something called a "Guy-Fi" booth popped up on 28th and 5th in New York City. What is a "Guy-Fi" booth? Well, it's sort of a public telephone booth equipped with a chair, a curtain, and a laptop for men to sexually relieve themselves in the middle of the day. Don't worry! It's a hoax! It turns out, a sex toy company trying to get a rise out of New Yorkers "erected" a head-turning promotional ploy on Fifth Avenue. 
   
     Hot Octopus unveiled what it called a "Guy-Fi" booth, where men could, in theory, go to "relieve stress" mid-workday. The masturbation-themed marketing scheme was inspired by a Time Out survey, which concluded that 39% of the New York men questioned admitted to masturbating while at work. The booth was created to "take this habit out of the office and into a more suitable environment designed to give busy Manhattan men the privacy, and the high-speed Internet connection, he deserves," according to a press release from Octopuss. 

     The booth was actually an out-of-service public phone booth. Do you remember those? It was draped with a back curtain, a folding chair, a laptop computer and Hot Octopus ad along the side. Adam Lewis, the co-founder of Hot Octopus, said in a statement, "At Hot Octopus we are all about looking for a new solution to improve everyday life and we feel we've done just that with the new 'Guy-Fi' booth. We hope the city's men enjoy using the space we've created in whatever way they want." 

     A rep for the company later said, "The brand is not actively encouraging people to masturbate in public as that is an illegal offense." Um, yeah! You think? Can you imagine walking by that booth and rubbing one out in there? I mean the only thing separating you and the public is a black curtain. Basically, that's not too private. Isn't masturbation more of a private thing? Unless, of course, you're some sort of pervert to whacks off on women's legs on the subway or something. Hmmm.....Maybe these "Guy-Fi" booths will prevent that. Either way, what the hell?