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March 8th, 2011

Poor Bathroom Layouts

I totally don’t get public bathroom design. I don’t.

The bathroom we have here at work has 3 stalls and 2 urinals. The urinals are right next to each other, and they in turn are next to the stalls. As just about any guy reading this Ping knows, there’s an unspoken code of bathroom etiquette when it comes to public men’s rooms: never, ever take the urinal next to a guy unless there’s at least one more in between you. However! The very design of the bathroom forbids this from happening. Most guys, including yours truly, end up taking a stall in lieu of a urinal.

It’s really too bad, but if this bathroom had a slightly different design it might be less socially awkward.

Other recent bathroom adventures:

  • A restaurant near my home had a stall with… a urinal in it! With a complete door and everything.
  • I experienced an older bathroom which had a full sink and mirror in the handicapped stall (which was the only one available when I needed it.) That might just work!
  • My Catholic grammar school removed all of the doors from all of the stalls in all of the boys’ bathrooms. I think they did this as a “preventing hookie” tactic.

Posted in Toilets

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