Is one of these ‘America’s Best Restroom’?

Monica Burton | February 27, 2017

There are those bathrooms that you enter and find unexpectedly pleasant, and then there are those that are so unbelievable that you insist that everyone you’re with make a trip to the restroom whether or not they have to go. The finalists for Cintas’ America’s Best Restroom Contest were just announced and, unsurprisingly, they tend to fall into the latter category.

At Da Marino Ristorante Italiano‘s restroom in New York, for example, you’d think you were entering an ancient Italian shrine if not for the presence of a toilet. Statues adorn the stone walls of the candle-lit bathroom. Faint opera music and a stone fountain complete the sanctuary vibe. Really.

The restroom at Da Marino Ristorante Italiano. From BestRestroom.com.

The creators of Gitane Restaurant in San Francisco and Vanity nightclub in Las Vegas (both finalists) take extreme pride in restroom design. Gitane’s restroom is decorated in a black and white geometric tile design that contrasts with the soft, feminine prints hanging above it, while in the restroom at Vanity Night Club, flat screens hang over the urinals against faux reptile-skin walls—and that’s just the men’s room. In the whopping 2,000 square foot women’s restroom, you’ll fine gold plated faucets, gold laced curtains, a $40,000 chandelier and individual vanity stations paired with red-velvet seats. And if that’s not extravagant enough to win your vote for America’s Best Restroom, maybe the cocktail waitresses will change your mind.

The restroom at Vanity Nightclub. From BestRestroom.com.

Some of the finalists, however, highlight function over form. There’s the restroom at Virginia Tech’s Lane Stadium that runs ads in the specially-designed, two-way mirror. And the restroom at Buc-ee’s convenience store in New Braunfels, Texas isn’t a design standout, but it does offer 83 spotless stalls.

The restrooms at the Hollywood Bowl theater in Hollywood, California are both attractive and highly functional. The color palette is simple: a bright green floor leads people in from the outside and helps define the boundaries of the space. In one of the largest restrooms, there is a green light/red light system to indicate when the stalls are occupied. These restrooms are also figuratively green: waterless urinals, dual flush toilets and automatic faucets save water, while hand dryers save on paper waste.

The restroom at Hollywood Bowl.

In racking my brain for the best bathroom I’ve seen first-hand, I land on that of Qi Thai Grill in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Here, a clawfoot tub serves as a communal sink in the center of a black tiled room, and along one wall, sculptures in a glass case lined up against an infinity mirror provide a sight worthy of Cintas recognition.

Have you seen any restrooms comparable to these finalists? Who would you vote for? Sound off below! The winner will be announced this fall.