Hey! Bathroom
Hey! You Gotta See the Bathroom!
“Considering how we can improve both mental and physical wellbeing through a multi-sensory approach can help transform the humble bathroom into a modern day sanctuary.”
History of the Toilet
Every living organism is a machine: Consumption, turns into energy and the waste goes out the system. Same with us humans, we take what we can, nutrients, minerals, energy from the food we eat and the rest goes out to who knew, down the toilet flush nowadays. But it wasn’t like this back then.
The first toilet, 4000 BC, in Uruk, Mesopotamia remains of pit toilets were found (Sanitation, Latrines and Intestinal Parasites in Past Populations). Village of Skara Brae, 3000 BC, people used small rooms with communal drains (Scotland and the indoor toilet), in Mohenjo-Daro came the toilets on the walls of building and the waste would go into the street drains (Sanitation and wastewater technologies in Harappa/Indus valley civilization). Meanwhile in the Roman Empire people used chamber pots which then they emptied in designated areas on the streets (Some Historical Aspects of Urinals and Urine Receptacles) and the public toilets were popular with Romans, there were 144 of them in 315 AD (A Brief History of The Flush Toilet).
The modern widespread flush toilet is known to be invented by John Herrington in 1596 but it was not widely used. Water closets then created by Alexander Cumming and Joseph Bramah in around 1770 were outside the house, they weren’t that of a hit before Alexander Cumming invented the S-pipe to prevent the bad smell and sight out of the toilets (A social history of housing). The toilets moved inside as late as 1850s to their modern placement (From Turrets to Toilets: A Partial History of the Throne Room).
Importance of Design in Restrooms
As we move towards a more experience-based era in design, restaurant design is no longer based on just necessity and utility. Restrooms serve a basic human need just like eating so it is a necessity to have a restroom in your restaurant or bar in fact almost every country regulation demands it. We have seen restaurants that placed kitchens in their focal point: this serves a purpose. It becomes the main show to engage the customers in some active drama. How about the restrooms, can they be design element to elevate customer experience or is it worth the effort?
Well according to an article by Sophie Weston 43% of respondents to a survey told that bathroom is their most popular space to be during the lockdown. She also believes “Considering how we can improve both mental and physical wellbeing through a multi-sensory approach can help transform the humble bathroom into a modern day sanctuary” (Sensory Design in Bathrooms).
Restroom perception by customers is based on multisensory experience. We mostly rely on visual when assessing a restroom but other senses also play a role in evaluating the atmosphere. The first thing that we require from a restaurant restroom is the cleanliness, other than visual, smell also plays a vital part. We instantly connect the cleanliness of the restroom to the cleanliness of the rest of the place. If a restroom is clean then we almost always assume that the kitchen or any part of the restaurant is also at a good hygiene level. Bad smell may effect a good experience of a restaurant in a devastating way. It is always advised to have good ventilation and possibly an air refresher that goes well with the rest of the space. Customers also tend to care about what they hear in a restroom. The stalls should be designed to have privacy in every way, sound proofing or an ambient sound or music may do the job (Why Restrooms Matter in the Workplace).
SOUND: Dripping taps, flushes, phone talks, even splash sounds are better at a minimum for a privacy kind of feel
EYES: Lighting above eye level can cause a restraint feel and creates a formal atmosphere. Lower-level lighting can cause a sense of individual importance (Sensory Design in Bathrooms). Also automatic lights that are harsh expose customers to a state of alert but orientation lights can help a mellow mood.
TOUCH: Especially after the pandemic it is always best to have a bathroom where no touching is involved to create the best touch sense experience.
SCENT: The trick with odors is that the bathroom ventilation should be done accordingly to remove the bad smells out and replace it with good smell. Masking a bad smell is not to way to go.
Memorable Restrooms in a Restaurant or Bar
Otto’s Bierhall – Toronto (Map)(Video)
Hipopopapa – Akashi (Map)(Video)
Boca Grande – Barcelona (Map)(Video)
