Magazine: Spreading the word has no smell

Toilet rooms of bars and restaurants have to be perfectly clean, but at the same time they can also play a major role in shaping the image of the place. Original or shocking ideas may even be good promotion. For instance it is a good idea if there are accessories in the toilet room that make usage easier for the disabled.

Both women and men appreciate if there is enough room in the toilet booth to place their belongings. Women also visit the toilet room if they wish to redo their makeup or hair: in Western European toilet rooms they can find the necessary accessories for this (paper towel, mirror with a magnifying glass, etc.) and if there is enough room they also like to sit down on the bench for a little chin-wag. In the Pink Barbie Doll in New York there is a bar in the women’s room, behind which stripped-to-the-waist male bartenders are mixing the cocktails. A couple of years ago Quo Vadis in Dortmund had double toilet booths built, remembering that women like to go to the toilet in pairs. In Villa Flora in Munich mirrors in the men’s and women’s room are mounted on the two sides of the same wall: the surprise comes when guests realise that one of the three mirrors is actually a window to the other side! Rumour has it that quite a few couples got together after seeing each other for the first time through this mirror. A daring idea: it was quite a scandal when Sex in the City in London installed pissoirs in the toilet room in the shape of women’s lips.