Invisible House and its viral $10K bill

Guest says photo on Tik Tok was just a selfie. Owners call it an unpermitted shoot.

- BY ALEX WIGGLESWORTH

OWNERS say the guest's social media account exploded when the image went up.

A $10,000 selfie has captured headlines.

In a series of now-viral videos posted to TikTok, entrepreneur Sean Davis alleged that a luxury short-term rental in Joshua Tree sent him the five-figure bill after someone in his party took a photo in the bathroom and tagged a brand on social media. Tabloids ran with the tale.

But it’s not exactly true, according to the owners of the mirror-walled monolith that’s known as the Invisible House. They say they charged Davis production fees after he was caught staging an unpermitted photo shoot for his clothing company on the trademarked property back in June of 2021.

“His intention was to shoot some stuff there and he thought he could get around calling it a production,” said owner Chris Hanley, a film producer whose credits include cult classics “American Psycho” and “The Virgin Suicides.” He spoke by phone from another architectural property he owns on Lamu Island in Kenya.

Davis said he was surprised his videos generated so much attention, given his modest following.

The co-founder of John Geiger clothing and footwear said he reserved the Invisible House for a company retreat but had hoped to make the most of the booking by also shooting content in the surrounding environs.