Weird observation about public restrooms

Haven't really noticed that BUT when somking was still allowed in restaurants I used to get peeved over having to walk through the Smoking section to get to the non smoking !! Made no sense to me at all !!

Bonita of Bwana

Absolutely -- there's a GOOD reason.  You don't want men gawking into the women's rest room on their way TO the men's room.  It takes away any reason to 'loiter' near the women's room if the men's is beyond it!

yup, callie. if it doesnt matter for the layout, then you should arrange women's bathrooms in the back.

from my experience though (and almost all my interior design experience comes from restaurant design) the order is more random, simply because restrooms arent the boggest priority in restaurants and you can only use so much space for them. men's bathrooms usually have urinals, whereas women's bathrooms should have a bit more mirror space, if possible, so often the location is just dictated by what works best for the layout...

I think it is strange when places don't make it absolutely clear which door is to the women's room and which door is to the men's room. 

At one Texas restaurant they decided to get cute.  One restroom door had the picture of a Pointer and the other had the picture of a Setter - nothing else, just the pictures of the dogs. 

At one U. of Houston building they got really cheap.  The restroom doors had either "WOMEN" or "MEN" on the doors, but the signs were made with label guns - the kind that make 1/4 inch high labels.    These restrooms were along outside corridors, so the labels got exposure to the weather. 

The women's rooms had couches and I used to study in one where the "WO" in "WOMEN" was curled up on the door.  One day an older man in a nice suit walked in.  I explained; he apologized and left. 

I wish that I had had a camera!        The guy's shocked expression when he saw me was priceless.           I can just imagine what was going through his mind. 

janet, i know what you mean. cant tell you how many times i stood in front of the restroom doors and went back and fourth with this big question mark all over my face.... some of them are funny, but COME ON! there's some things i REEAAALLLLY dont wanna see!!!!!

janet_rose

At one Texas restaurant they decided to get cute.  One restroom door had the picture of a Pointer and the other had the picture of a Setter - nothing else, just the pictures of the dogs. 

Ha!  I get it (setters=sitters, teehee!), though the words "pointers" and "setters" would have been helpful, I imagine....

Bonita of Bwana

Haven't really noticed that BUT when somking was still allowed in restaurants I used to get peeved over having to walk through the Smoking section to get to the non smoking !! Made no sense to me at all !!

Bonita of Bwana

I hear ya!  This makes about as much sense to me as the "smoking/non-smoking" sections they used to have on airplanes. There's a funky little restaurant in Old Sacramento where the mens and womens restrooms are right next to each other.  The one that says "men" has an arrow pointing to the other door and vice versa. I'm thinking that after a couple of mojitos those signs make for some fun times in there.

Joyce

calliecritturs

Absolutely -- there's a GOOD reason.  You don't want men gawking into the women's rest room on their way TO the men's room.  It takes away any reason to 'loiter' near the women's room if the men's is beyond it!

I had never even considered this. Thanks for the insight!

fuzzy_dogs_mom

Bonita of Bwana

Haven't really noticed that BUT when somking was still allowed in restaurants I used to get peeved over having to walk through the Smoking section to get to the non smoking !! Made no sense to me at all !!

Bonita of Bwana

I hear ya!  This makes about as much sense to me as the "smoking/non-smoking" sections they used to have on airplanes. There's a funky little restaurant in Old Sacramento where the mens and womens restrooms are right next to each other.  The one that says "men" has an arrow pointing to the other door and vice versa. I'm thinking that after a couple of mojitos those signs make for some fun times in there.

Joyce

 Hey Joyce, Which restraunt are you talking about??  =)

Golden Tails

 Hey Joyce, Which restraunt are you talking about??  =)

Its been awhile since I've been there, but I think it's Fanny Annes Saloon in Old Sac. - if it's stll open. Even stone cold sober, I almost went into the wrong bathroom.

Joyce

aerial1313

Ha!  I get it (setters=sitters, teehee!), though the words "pointers" and "setters" would have been helpful, I imagine....

The Setter was sitting and the Pointer was pointing. 

fuzzy_dogs_mom

Its been awhile since I've been there, but I think it's Fanny Annes Saloon in Old Sac. - if it's stll open.

Fanny Ann's Saloon
(916) 441-0505
1023 2nd Street Sacramento, CA 95814     map

janet_rose

aerial1313

Ha!  I get it (setters=sitters, teehee!), though the words "pointers" and "setters" would have been helpful, I imagine....

The Setter was sitting and the Pointer was pointing. 

Where was that?  I'm curious!

My OCD public restroom observation: why do they label them Men and Women (or a variant thereof, like Chicos and Chicas, etc).  Shouldn't all of them say Male and Female?  12 year old girls aren't women .  And where do transgenders pee?  Sheesh, I've thought about this one too much.

scrubsfiend

  And where do transgenders pee?  Sheesh, I've thought about this one too much.

I'm pretty sure transgenders get to pee in whatever bathroom they most look like they belong in. See?  You're not the only one who ponders strange things.

Joyce