Step inside Mothership’s restroom (Instagram)
Bar, Art, South Park

San Diego’s Trippiest Restroom in South Park

By Frank Sabatini Jr.

We could devote an entire page to discussing San Diego’s most strikingly designed restrooms because there are so many of them. A couple of our longtime favorites include the facilities at Craft & Commerce in Little Italy, where customers are afforded audio narrations of piped-in classic literature upon entering. Even more sophisticated are the restrooms in downtown’s US Grant Hotel, thanks to copious marble and soft, cotton towels.

However, the latest on our list greets with a galactic vibe that feels as though you’re jumping between galaxies aboard some mother spaceship. Actually, in a sense, you are.

The tall, red-lighted infinity walls inside these loos are found at Mothership, a tiki bar in South Park that combines a planetarium-like atmosphere with a riot of tropical décor—and lots of island fare and rum-infused libations to boot.

Mothership is the brainchild of Kory Stetina, who several years ago founded the nearby vegan hot spot, Kindred. In creating the cosmic vibe at this newest venture, he brought in Ignacio “Notch” Gonzalez, the designer who created the colorful tiki-grotto atmosphere at Smuggler’s Cove in San Francisco.

A warning about this restroom: Spending too much time in it will leave you seeing red for a few minutes after returning to your “stun ray” cocktail.