About a month ago, I came across the Squatty Potty online and it looked like a good idea. I wondered if I could DIY something similar. Much to my delight, the creator of the Squatty Potty offered to send me a sample unit to test.

This is the Squatty Potty, as seen in front of my toilet. The model that I tested is the 9 inch tall Squatty Tao Bamboo, shown here. They also make plastic and MDF versions. I chose the bamboo version because it is so very aesthetically pleasing. To me, it looks like one of those fancy meditation stools that you see at retreat centers. It classes up the bathroom, no?¹

It is very hard to discuss the Squatty Potty without talking about bathroom functions. I am attempting to write this without using the word "poop." Oops, I just said it. Fine. I give up. The Squatty Potty is a stool designed to help you poop. The human body was designed to eliminate (you like that? I didn't say "poop") in a squatting position. This video explains everything:

I realize that the video is a promotional video produced by the Squatty Potty people, but I actually spoke with a gastroenterologist at a major medical center in Manhattan today, who confirmed that their claims about squatting are true. She told me that she recommends eliminating in a squatting position to all of her patients who have pelvic floor problems. The doctor also went on to say that "ineffective pushing" actually lands a good number of patients in surgery for anal fissures.

If only everyone had a Squatty Potty.

I am not saying that because the Squatty Potty people were kind enough to send me a shiny new unit to keep. I am saying that because I have been using the Squatty Potty for three weeks now, and I feel incredibly healthy. I have had a host of digestion problems for years, and in addition to eating a high-fiber natural diet and seeing the aforementioned gastroenterologist, I feel like the Squatty Potty completes my treatment plan.

Also, I never feel bloated anymore. Literally. Never. Feel. Bloated. I might not actually be skinny, but I feel skinny. Simply eliminating with the help of the Squatty Potty gives you that "I just went on a 10 day juice cleanse" feeling. That is as close to publicly discussing my actual experience of pooping that I'll get. Trust me — try it; you'll like it.

As a home improvement website editor, I see sooooo many furniture items. After a while, they all blend into a big puddle of Stuff You Don't Need to Buy. However, the Squatty Potty is different. My experience using it has been so good that I think that every single bathroom should have one. Also, the owners of the company are really nice people, and the Squatty Potty is made in Utah, which is in America. And buying products that are made in the U.S.A. feels almost as good as using the Squatty Potty.

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1. My bathroom needs aesthetic help. Instead of hiring a skilled New York tile pro or a decent remodeling contractor, the building management chose to hire a handyman to retile the bathroom, who left grout smeared all over the tile. That is what the white stuff is on the wall behind the toilet. It's ceramic tile grout. Otherwise, I love my apartment, so I live with the grout-smeared bathroom walls. And also otherwise, the management company is alright.

Updated February 22, 2018.