Public toilet

A public toilet is a room or small building with toilets (or urinals) and sinks that does not belong to a particular household. Rather, the toilet is available for use by the general public, customers, travellers, employees of a business, school pupils, prisoners etc. Public toilets are commonly separated into male and female facilities, although some are unisex, especially for small or single-occupancy public toilets. Increasingly, public toilets are accessible to people with disabilities. Public toilets are known by many other names depending on the country. Examples are: restroom, bathroom, men's room, women's room in the US, washroom in Canada, and toilets, lavatories, water closet (W.C.), ladies and gents in Europe.Gents toilets inspired by the Beatles album, Abbey Road. In Parkend, EnglandTypical male public toilet in the United StatesPublic toilet at the Vienna State Opera has recorded musicRoadside squat toilet near Toulouse, FranceSquat toilets in Beijing, ChinaOld-style public toilets in a Hong Kong factoryPublic toilet in New HampshirePublic toilet at Jozankei Hot Springs, Hokkaido, JapanPublic toilets near Kullu, IndiaPublic toilets near cinema in Bangalore, IndiaSinks in the public toilet of the Queensland Art GalleryInside of cubicle in public toilet in informal settlement in Kampala, UgandaPublic toilet by Rem Koolhaas and Erwin Olaf in Groningen, the NetherlandsInstructions posted in women's, German public toiletGents' toilets in Harrods department store in LondonPublic squat toilet in Hong KongWelsh Dragon Bar, Wellington, New Zealand; formerly a public toilet A public toilet is a room or small building with toilets (or urinals) and sinks that does not belong to a particular household. Rather, the toilet is available for use by the general public, customers, travellers, employees of a business, school pupils, prisoners etc. Public toilets are commonly separated into male and female facilities, although some are unisex, especially for small or single-occupancy public toilets. Increasingly, public toilets are accessible to people with disabilities. Public toilets are known by many other names depending on the country. Examples are: restroom, bathroom, men's room, women's room in the US, washroom in Canada, and toilets, lavatories, water closet (W.C.), ladies and gents in Europe. Some public toilets are free of charge while others charge a fee. In the latter case they are also called pay toilets and sometimes have a charging turnstile. Local authorities or commercial businesses may provide public toilet facilities. Some are unattended while others are staffed by an attendant. In many cultures, it is customary to tip the attendant, especially if they provide a specific service, such as might be the case at upscale nightclubs or restaurants. Public toilets are typically found in many different places: inner-city locations, offices, factories, schools, universities and other places of work and study. Similarly, museums, cinemas, bars, restaurants, entertainment venues usually provide public toilets. Railway stations, filling stations, and long distance public transport vehicles such as trains, ferries, and planes usually provide toilets for general use. Portable toilets are often available at large outdoor events. In many Asian, African, and countries heavily influenced by Muslim cultures, public toilets are of the squat type, as this is regarded as more hygienic for a shared facility. Public toilets are known by many names in different varieties of English. In American English, 'restroom' usually denotes a facility featuring toilets and sinks designed for use by the public, but 'bathroom' is also common especially in schools. 'Comfort station' sometimes refers to a visitor welcome center such as those in national parks. In Canadian English, public facilities are frequently called 'washrooms', although usage varies regionally. The word 'toilet' generally denotes the fixture itself rather than the room. The word 'washroom' is rarely used to mean 'utility room' or 'mud room' as it is in some parts of the United States. 'Bathroom' is generally used to refer to the room in a person's home that includes a bathtub or shower. In public athletic or aquatic facilities, showers are available in locker rooms. In Britain, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and New Zealand, the terms in use are 'public toilet', 'public lavatory' (abbreviated 'lav'), 'public convenience', and more informally, 'public loo'. As public toilets were traditionally signed as 'gentlemen' or 'ladies', the colloquial terms 'the gents' room' and 'the ladies' room', or simply 'the gents' and 'the ladies' are used to indicate the facilities themselves. The British Toilet Association, sponsor of the Loo of the Year Awards, refers to public toilets collectively as 'away-from-home' toilets. In Philippine English, 'comfort room', or 'C.R.', is the most common term in use. Some European languages used words cognate with 'toilet' (e.g. les toilettes in French), or the initialism 'W.C.', an abbreviation for 'water closet', an older term for the flush toilet. Public urinals (pissoir) are known in several Romance languages by the name of a Roman Emperor: vespasienne in French, vespasiani in Italian, and vespasiene in Romanian.