Hair Straightener in a Public Bathroom

When I was in Kichijoji recently I was very surprised to see a hair straightener in a bathroom in Kirarina Keio, a stylish mall by the station. I don't think I have ever seen a hair straightener in the bathroom of a mall before, or maybe I just never noticed it before.

As awful as it is, my first thought was if that was in a bathroom in my home country it would stolen. But as safe as Japan is, on closer inspection, this hair straightener was locked in the case. In order to unlock the case you have to download an App called "Re: Cute", and fill in your personal details. Apparently, they offer a hair straightener / curling iron rental service and it would seem there are other bathrooms in Japan that also have one of their appliances.

If you have the App, you can use any of their appliances around Japan. You scan the QR code on the box and the box unlocks. Once you have finished with it, you return it to the box and complete a return process in the app.

Have you seen a system like this in any other public bathrooms around Japan? Have you ever used the app?