The Bathroom Diaries
Fri, Mar 6, 2009
Given my, um, problem, I consider myself to be a connoisseur of bathrooms. Â I tend to know where the best bathrooms are in an area either because I’ve used them before or because I’ve scouted them out (one can never be too prepared). Â Remember that commercial about incontinence that advertised a pamphlet showing all the bathrooms in various cities? Â Yep, I ordered one (hey -they were free!). Â
So when the CPA showed me the Sky magazine he picked up on his recent trip, I was intrigued. Â Inside was a link to a website. Â And not just any website, but a website all about bathrooms called The Bathroom Diaries. Â Who knew there was such a thing? Â On their site, they have listed bathrooms in cities all across the world from the Bahamas to Malaysia. Â They also have an award for the best bathrooms called The Golden Plunger. Â The Golden Plunger is awarded to the best bathrooms based on various things such as style, uniqueness, and beauty. Â Here are some of the winners:
The Shoji Tabuchi Theatre in Branson, Missouri. Live orchids are used to make the room smell nice (about 80,000 flowers are used each month).Â
(picture courtesy of Apartment Therapy)
The following washrooms are located in the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and feature the work of several artists who decorated the washrooms. Â
(picture courtesy of Art Museum Toilet.org)
(picture courtesy of Art Museum Toilet.org)
I have to say that this room is one of my favorites. (I believe the first pictures shows the room before the stalls were put into place.)
(pictures courtesy of Art Museum Toilet.org)
Here’s another bathroom with a Golden Plunger award. Â This one is located at the Bar 89 restaurant in New York. Â The stalls have see-through glass that become opaque once the door is latched.
(picture courtesy of Vision Decor)
Then there’s this number, the Victorian Toilets which are located in the Isle of Butes, Scotland. Â
(Pictures courtesy of Beautiful Britain)
Do you like Gold? Â Then you’ll love this toilet made entirely of gold. Â It is located in a jewelry store in Hong Kong. Â But you must pay the price to visit – you have to spend at least $200 in the store in order to use the facilities.
(picture courtesy of Rates to Go)
And last, but not least, there are the public restrooms located in Kawakawa, Bay of Islands.  They were designed by artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser.
(picture courtesy of Phil Whitehouse, uploaded to Wikimedia.)
(picture courtesy of Robyn Gallagher, uploaded to Wikimedia)
Now I’ve seen some nice bathrooms before, but nothing like these. Â It’s nice to know they’re out there. Â I’ll have to keep them in mind the next time I’m stuck at Union Station (in DC) or at a Walmart.
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Tags: bathroom diaries, bathrooms
March 6th, 2009 at 5:04 am
The see through stalls freak me out a bit. I know they are suppose to go kind of foggy but I’d be afraid that they wouldn’t.
March 6th, 2009 at 5:18 am
I must have missed that commercial! I would have ordered the pamphlet in a heartbeat!!! What a great idea
March 6th, 2009 at 5:20 am
Wow, just wow! Much better than Lowes, which is where I usually end up on the weekends.
March 6th, 2009 at 5:30 am
wow. looking at those makes my work bathroom seem beyond BORING.
March 6th, 2009 at 7:06 am
Wow–I’m with Julie, no way would I use the see-thru stalls! As for the one you said was your favorite…everyone can see you!! I’ve heard of communal dressing rooms, but toilet rooms?! YIKES!
March 6th, 2009 at 7:28 am
Wow, awesome bathrooms. Stay away from the former soviet union’s potties.
By the way, did you ever reveal which house you and the CPA chose?
March 6th, 2009 at 8:35 am
I don’t think I could pee in some of those. It would seem wrong somehow.
March 6th, 2009 at 8:40 am
now that is what i call a bathroom…my fave is definitely the same as yours…i love the tiling!
March 6th, 2009 at 8:41 am
Julie – I know, I would worry too. The question I have is if you can see (when you’re inside the stall) that they’re fogged over. hmm…
Joanna – I know, it was great! Too bad I can’t remember the name of it. It was by a company who makes medicine to help with that condition.
WofO – So true!
Jill – I think that it was before the stalls were put into place (at least that’s my guess based on the pictures, but I’m not sure). And I hope they added toilet seats too!
Margie – Really? Are they bad? I don’t know if I could go in Japan either – I hear they just have holes with no seats. Oh – and I’ll be posting it next week. I know, mean of me, huh?
Mindee – Kind-of makes you want to keep it nice looking. Maybe people are respectful and try to clean up after themselves there since they look so nice. One can hope anyway.
Briony – isn’t that one pretty? I love all the pictures.
March 6th, 2009 at 9:52 am
These are insane! That bathroom in the middle of the street that is a one way mirror freaks me out!
March 6th, 2009 at 9:57 am
Never knew these types of facilities existed…..love the thought of all the flowers and their flowery smells but hope it wouldn’t be too overwhelming. The clear glass doors are beyond me even with the door latched – don’t know if I totally trust it becoming opaque enought to suite my sensibilities. Makes me realize there is a lot I can do in my bathrooms to jazz them up more!!!
March 6th, 2009 at 10:23 am
Wow! Wow is all I have. This is bizarre and amazing.
March 6th, 2009 at 11:26 am
Man, they really went all out on these bathrooms! I guess they figure you might as well enjoy it, even if you’re only there for a few minutes.
March 6th, 2009 at 11:56 am
Kristina – I know, I think I would like to see it (just because I’m curious), but not actually use it.
M to TDDAT – it does give some good ideas. I like the idea of using fresh flowers in there which I’ve never really done. Although I wonder how many I’d have to have in order to smell them.
Stephanie – isn’t it though?
Madison – I know, gotta love it!
March 6th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
Funny blog today! hee hee, But there is Art everywhere!!
This reminds me of when we were in DC this past summer on July 4th.
My Daughter had to go to the bathroom so badly. We were walking over to the Lincoln Memorial and they had port-a-potties every where, but they were all locked, except for one. Someone evidently had to go and broke the lock off, so she went in that one. N-a-s-t-y! She came out gagging it was so bad! I had to go, but there was no way that I was going in there. Well, we didn’t have to go to far and reached the Lincoln Memorial and low and behold there was a nice, air conditioned and clean bathroom. If she had only waited, but if we were smart we would have sent off for a list of bathrooms!
March 6th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Those are some of the fanciest bathrooms I’ve ever seen!
-FringeGirl
March 6th, 2009 at 8:20 pm
…and lower the lights, and each and every one of those bathrooms are transformed into something out of a horror movie! D:
Seriously though, that’s amazing. I once saw… um, a website or article, I can’t recall which – about the toilets with the most beautiful views in the world, haha. XD
March 6th, 2009 at 8:44 pm
Who knew bathrooms were so interesting… wow!!
Haha.
March 6th, 2009 at 8:44 pm
Oh and I really like the stalls that change to opaque… although it might be hard to trust.
March 6th, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Wow, who knew? I too have seen some nice public bathrooms (along with some really raunchy ones), but I have never seen anything like these. Makes me want to drink a couple of glasses of water.
March 6th, 2009 at 9:56 pm
What a FUNNNNNN post!!!! I LOVED these! Wow! I think the first, with all the flowers, has to be my fav. Thanks for this!
March 7th, 2009 at 9:43 am
Wow! I’ve seen amazing toilets on HGTV before, but these are astounding! 80k orchids? I hate to be a party pooper, but use some spray and donate that money, why don’t they? And a gold toilet? Good grief!
Tabitha, thanks for visiting my blog! Come back any time.
March 7th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
These are great!! I once used a ladies room in a dance club where the window to the outside of the room was one-way glass. There were lots of people standing around just across the glass from the sinks but they couldn’t see us inside washing!
These all sure beat my experience in the Path train station under the World Trade Towers in NYC in the late-80s. Had to squat over a toilet seat in a stall with no door in front of a (hopefully) sleeping homeless person. When you gotta go, you gotta go…but sometimes you really wish you could wait!
March 7th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Hah! I’ve used stalls with the see through/foggy glass before at a restaraunt in Canada. We didn’t know that they would go foggy though so we had a plan that one of us would go to the bathroom while the other one stood in front of the door blocking the glass and then we would switch. Of course when the door closed and it went foggy, we fell into a huge laughing fit.
March 7th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
FYI: Metro stations all have bathrooms – you only have to ask the station manager to unlock the door for you. While they are old and grungy looking, they are generally tolerable in an emergency. But, the Pentagon stop does not have a public restroom and they don’t care if it’s an emergency. Hotels and banks are better bets.
March 7th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
I am fond of the bathroom in Harrod’s in London. There is attendant who directs you to the first available stall, who tidies up constantly [wiping mirrors, counters and throwing used paper towels away etc.] and who tells you to have a nice day on your way out. It is the cleanest public bathroom I have ever used. Bliss!
March 8th, 2009 at 6:22 am
I’ve been to the Kohler museum in Cheboygen. The bathrooms are the best things there. The problem is that everyone wants to check out the bathroom of the opposite sex–we did–so you have to kind of have a lookout if you are actually, er, using the facilities!
March 9th, 2009 at 8:39 pm
Imagine paying $200 for a bathroom use!?! I thought $1 was bad enough. Finding toilets is one of the things I absolutely hate about travelling. Too many bad experiences there – I’m glad to see there are no turkish style loos in those pictures.