Bathroom dance parties? Convenience store near Kings Island known for disco bathroom

Victoria Moorwood, Cincinnati Enquirer
Updated ·2 min read

Right now, at a convenience store bathroom in Southwest Ohio, someone is having a Miley Cyrus dance party.

Well, probably.

Hop Shops, a convenience store chain with locations in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky, launched its "disco bathrooms" idea in 2023. The concept? Put disco balls, colored lights and music inside store bathrooms along with a tempting "do not push" button that gets the party started.

"Do not push this red button" tempts customers into hitting the party switch in bathrooms at six Hop Shops locations.
"Do not push this red button" tempts customers into hitting the party switch in bathrooms at six Hop Shops locations.

Each participating store plays a different disco bathroom song. The Hop Shops in Maineville, Ohio, located next to a Sunoco gas station and across the street from Kings Island, plays a snippet of "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus.

Store manager Jennifer Gale hears the pop song's muffled chorus over and over again, usually followed by customers' excited screams, all day long. She said people come from all over the state to witness the unique experience.

"You hear the song. A scream. And then you hear it start to play again," she said laughing.

The Hop Shops store is located at 3189 Western Row Road in Maineville, across the street from Kings Island.
The Hop Shops store is located at 3189 Western Row Road in Maineville, across the street from Kings Island.

Hop Shops are owned and operated by Valor Oil, based in Owensboro, Kentucky.

Damon Bail, vice president of retail operations and marketing, had the idea to introduce the disco bathrooms in 2022 after seeing a video of a similar concept in another country on YouTube. Instead of a restaurant restroom, where the video took place, Bail thought a convenience store bathroom would be an even more unexpected place for a dance party.

So far, there are six Hop Shops disco bathrooms in the country:

  • Verona-Mudlick Road, Verona, Kentucky. Plays “Stayin’ Alive“ by the Bee Gees.

  • 8063 US-42, Florence, Kentucky. Plays “Diamonds“ by Rhianna.

  • 195 Mary Grubbs Highway, Walton, Kentucky. Plays “Time of My Life“ by Bill Medley.

  • 3213 Highway 227, Carrollton, Kentucky. Plays “Dancing Queen“ by Abba.

  • 3189 Western Row Road, Maineville, Ohio. Plays “Party in the USA“ by Miley Cyrus.

  • 430 Mount Zion Road, Florence, Kentucky. Plays “Dancing in the Dark” by Bruce Springstein.

Ready for your own dance party? See our experience on TikTok below.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: These convenience stores have dance parties ... in their bathrooms