Public Restrooms

Public Restrooms may seem an odd topic to blog, but there are some interesting differences between the US and Europe.

In general, German restrooms tend to be cleaner. In most of the big department stores there will be attendants stationed near the restrooms. Also the Germans do not think anything of a woman entering the men’s room to clean while it is occupied and being used. Many restrooms also have self cleaning seats (you find this most at Rästhofs along the autobahn). When the toilet flushes, a squeegee is extended from behind the seat, and a small bit of water is sprayed as the seat is turned and cleaned with the squeegee….I find this very civilized.

In the US, at some time research was done to indicate the minimal size for partitions in restrooms. So, partitions tend to be about 18 inches off of the ground and end just over 6 feet off of the ground. For most Americans, 6 feet or so means that you cannot see over the top. It also means the amount of material used in the construction of the partitions is minimized and therefore is less costly. I am also fairly certain that installing these partitions is a fairly simple job. The larger the construction job in the US, the more cost containment is an issue. If for example you are building a large office building or a stadium where there are lots of stalls, the cost difference can be significant.

In Europe, this is not the case. Even a modern toilet stall tends to come almost to the floor or all the way to the floor. So, being from the US, I have been socialized to be comfortable with stalls that have a gap between the floor and the partition. At times, the stalls in Europe can be so small as to be a little claustrophobic.

Restrooms at Autobahn rest stops are also different. The rest stop itself is usually outsourced by the Gov’t to a company that runs the fuel, food and store and in that regard is very similar to the US. The restrooms though are outsourced to another company. I have identified two companies that do this. One company tends to do the autobahn and some just off of the autobahn and other company that you tend to see off the autobahn and in some of the busier shopping districts. On the autobahn, most of the restrooms are handled by one company. You pay to use the restroom, 50 cent euro, get a coupon good for 50 cents Euro at any of their rest stops. Just as a quick note, these restrooms tend to have very low partitions and not walls.

One of the most interesting things I have seen in a restroom is at a restaurant called Hemingways (in Heidelberg) where they have advertisements that are projected in the mirror. So as you are looking at the mirror, you see an advertisement in the corner and the advertisement changes. I have also recently seen advertisements on the top of urinals and a the ad lights up as you pee.