Traveling: Public Restrooms

Which do you prefer?

A. Individual bathroom (one toilet, one sink, per gender)

or

B. Several stalls in a public restroom.

My family and I traveled last weekend and since we were trailing a boat, we were limited on restaurants/parking lots. My family chose Chipotle, I always skip eating while traveling so I didn't mind. But the hunt was on because I needed a bathroom and I HATE single bathrooms with a passion (Subway only has one as well). Just when you sit down to use it, inevitably someone is knocking and they won't stop until you open the door.

So I went next door to Starbucks, single bathroom again.

I finally politely asked if I could use the women's restroom at a Ethan Allen furniture store, it had 3 stalls - sweet!

I always wonder how restaurants get get away with offering one toilet, per gender. What if employees need to use it?

Post Edited (Marsky) : 6/5/2013 1:52:35 PM (GMT-6)

First of all I pretty much ignore the gender signs for individual bathrooms. I mean I'll try the women's first but if the women's is occupied and the men's is not, I use the men's. I can't think of a remotely reasonable idea why a person should have to wait in that scenario.

I happen to slightly prefer individual bathrooms because you don't have to hear/smell what everyone else is doing (and vice versa). I know this sounds a little nutty but I hate listening to someone who is obviously constipated or sounds like they have painful urination or a UTI. My heart really goes out to them! The sounds of explosive diarrhea are old hat to me so that doesn't bug me

In my city there are some cafes that have ZERO bathrooms... I don't know how that's legal... I *do not* patronize them!

I actually prefer single-stall, and screw anyone who knocks when I'm still in there! I had my first flare when I lived in a dorm with multi-stall bathrooms, and it was embarrassing that people could come in and hear/smell everything :(

I'm a firm believer that single-stall bathrooms shouldn't have gender markings on them. At my old college, they actually banned gendered single-stall bathrooms during my sophomore year, which was awesome. It was great--there was usually a line for the ladies' room in the library, and then there wasn't!

 "I mean I'll try the women's first but if the women's is occupied and the men's is not, I use the men's. I can't think of a remotely reasonable idea why a person should have to wait in that scenario."

yikes ! women actually CHOOSE to use a MANS restroom ? are you nuts ? i mean there's disgusting and then there's the men's room !

 

Have you ever seen these "Can't Wait" cards? IDK if I can post a pic here but http://cms.walsall.gov.uk/just-cant-wait-card.jpg

I had to travel during my first flare and got one of these just in case I had to cut into a line for a bathroom somewhere.

I never used it, and am not sure what would happen if I tried but I felt better somehow having it.

Marsky, its funny you mention pittsburgh. Thats where i live and soooo many stores do not have or offer bathrooms even if you are shopping in them. I remember my aunt was having the runs and she stopped at a gas station. The bathroom was for employees only and she begged the cashier to use it. He said no so she ran across the street to a pharmacy, but on her way she let loose. Im not sure why so many stores are like that in pittsburgh. I wont even go shopping in some areas of town because of their no bathroom policy. Not sure where you were, but the south side is notorious for not letting customers use bathrooms so ive had to stop shopping their. It gives me anxiety and i dont think its fair to do that to people.

bananagirl - not sure where in Pittsburgh we visited but it was near an outdoor produce market along train tracks, near a tunnel and an outdoor park. Does that help? Also, side note my one daughter is a juggler and she discovered a toy store with juggling props, near this downtown shop area with no public restrooms signs. I forget the name of that store but we just about had to drag her out of it (she was in college at the time, president of her juggling club, she still juggles). We were actually visiting my other daughter, while participating at another of her internships (I can't remember that suburb either, sorry for the lack of specific details). I felt instantly for your aunt, running from place to place, begging to use their bathroom. When I'm trying in vain to find an available toilet to use I sometimes hesitate to tell the clerk why, I make up some sort of urinary problem then they sometimes say - oh sure, go ahead. If you said I'm about to have explosive D, I'm sure they'd say - no, can't use it, not cleaning up that crap after you leave. All of this convo reminds me of the scene in Dumb and Dumber, the one character had been given Ex-lax as a prank but ends up using a non-working toilet. My God, I had tears rolling down my face. Haven't we all been there?

I'm about to buy a camping toilet seat with disposable bags. lol But then where you prop it up and start to use it? We don't have a van. Put it on the floor of my back seat area, of my sedan? Lovely! Reminds me of taking trips as a young child, my dad would pull over to the side of the road for #1, my mom would put a blanket around me, to hide me from oncoming traffic. YES, I am an ancient person, this is circa 1960. lol

Well, thanks everyone for your replies. Makes me feel less alone.

To date, my favorite public restrooms remain gambling casino's. Especially if they offer a buffet style restaurant (ewwww, imagine why!). Anyway, hubby plays blackjack once or twice a year and entices me with the buffet, I get a night off from cooking (out of 365 days a year, I cook about 355 days, yup, you read that right, we began eating at home in 1997). First time I went to use a casino's womens' restroom, I was floored and I know I had a huge smile on my face! 20 stalls? In separate rooms, with permanent walls between? HEAVEN! And these # of stalls are located several places through out the casino, so I'm guessing there are 60 stalls available? Catch me now, I'm about to faint!

Interstate rest stops are my second favorite, especially if they offer 2 ways into the women's restroom, which means there are 2 sides and about 15 or more stalls.

handfullofrain - cute nick BTW - you're a braver soul than I am. True, most knockers are total strangers to us, but I tend to stress out if I know someone is knocking and knocking. Another note to make - I need to often flush more than once, hence I have a mess on my hands and I've learned to flush more than once, so the toilet doesn't clog. If the knocker hears the first flush, they think I'm about to walk out. And when you stay in there, the knocking increases, hey I need to use the bathroom, are you done yet? I hate this too. Which is why I avoid single bathrooms such as the ones Subway and Chipotle offers like the plague.

I tend to mentally rate certain bathrooms, as far as how long I have to do my business before somebody inevitably knocks on the door, and when time allows choose accordingly. Seems to me that single bathrooms at gas stations give me about 4-5 minutes before a knocker inevitably comes along. Coffee shops (like the ever present northeastern Dunkindonuts shops) give me about 5-6 minutes, so I generally prefer them over gas stations. The multi-stall bathrooms are like nirvana, as I can kick back and enjoy my bm without fear of interruption which gives me more time to play a cellphone game, or check the headlines at leisure while I make sure I'm good and empty before cleaning up -- it's nice. As far as hearing other people go, or being ashamed of my own noises, I don't care, I do what I gotta do and make all of the noise I need to in order to get it done. And my inner-child gets quite a chuckle when somebody in the stall next to me is making a lot of noise; sorry it is just pretty darn funny at some primal level.

I don't care as long as I can use it! Speaking of events. I bought tickets for a festival at x2 the price for the VIP section. Why? It stated "private washrooms". Maybe there will be less lines?