Aesthetics and quality are equally important in bathroom design.
Many of us have had one too many borderline-traumatic experiences with murky, vandalized, odorous public restrooms and know that all these problems are tied back to what types of materials are used, especially when installing toilet partitions. The era of luxurious, full height toilet partitions is arriving.
To celebrate the pursuit of better bathrooms, we've compiled America's finest public restrooms, selected via Cintas' America's Best Restroom Contest 2014.
Talk about being dedicated to the Green Movement. These hidden away bathroom stalls are part of the most visited public garden in the country and are integrated into the longest green wall in all of North America. With special translucent glass installed within each to bring in natural light and reduce the costs of electricity, these one-of-a-kind installations will make you reevaluate your stance on public restrooms once and for all. While pricey, glass toilet partitions are among the best you can get.
Decorated to the hilt with child-sized installations, bright colors and doll holders inside each of the bathroom stalls, the American Girl customer restroom is anything but ordinary and turns something considered not so desirable into something fun.
The Bowl Plaza resembles a toilet with a fountain-like structure serving as the bowl in its design for a public restroom.
Public restroom are, in many cases, places of social interaction, and this couldn't be more literal than in the popular Mexican restaurant in D.C.'s Georgetown area. The Prohibition-style décor—there are actual metal washbasins—is only the tip of the iceberg. Instead of a mirror behind the sinks, there's a window into the opposite bathroom, creating a watering hole vibe for hand-washing.
The ritzy restrooms at the Missouri theatre blend stately lounges evoking a timeless ambiance.
Tucked away inside a tiki-themed restaurant in Florida, the Mai Kai restrooms shine above most others—literally. The gold-gilded walls and décor give the posh bathrooms the feel of a palace throne room, rather than the porcelain kind. It even comes complete with nightly attendants ready to serve customers at a moment's notice. It gives a whole new meaning to the term "royal flush."
This Pacific Coast café earns its esteem from taking a symbolic approach to its decorating strategy. The public restroom mimics a tropical oasis with beach-like walls and floors, providing an escape that makes you forget you're in a bathroom.
The L.A. shopping center bathrooms, primarily for restrooms, feature opulent touches like floor-to-ceiling marble and dark wood finishing.
Tiki Lounge—Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
This Amazonian-style bathroom features stone encrusted walls and seashell wash basins sourced from Bali, Indonesia. Local artists meticulously crafted it, dedicating over 200 hours to perfecting every detail. The best part? The sinks are actual built-in waterfalls.
Trail Restroom—Austin, Texas
The eco-friendly restroom, nestled within a nature trail, serves as both a restroom facility and an art installation. Its minimalist design harnesses natural light and energy, conserving park resources and raising awareness for visitors.