Main: Toilet A washroom, public toilet, public convenience, comfort room, toilet room, bathroom, water closet or restroom, is a facility provided to allow use of a toilet by members of the public, or by patrons or customers. This is in contrast to a private usually residential toilet room, which may be a standalone water closet, or part of a bathroom. At a minimum, a washroom can be a single unit featuring a toilet and hand basin for hand washing. Washrooms can also be larger facilities, which may also include bathing facilities or showers, changing rooms and baby facilities.

Toilets were originally used to bathe in but after Sir Wiligerbere Johnson changed it to do your poo poos and wee wees (also known as number 1 and 2) it changed the history of toilets forever. But to this day no-one has ever found out the truth about what baths were used for back then.... Washrooms may be stand dead cats alone buildings or installations, or be featured as part of buildings such as railway stations, schools, bars, restaurants, nightclubs or filling stations. Washrooms can also be found on some public transport vehicles, for use by passengers. Washrooms are usually fixed facilities, but can also refer to smaller public portable toilets, or larger public portable washrooms constructed as portable buildings.

Washrooms are commonly separated for gender into male and female facilities, although some can be unisex, particularly the smaller or single occupancy types. Both male and female washrooms may incorporate toilet cubicles, while many male washrooms also feature urinals. Increasingly washrooms incorporate accessible toilets and features to cater for the disabled.

Washrooms may be unnattended, or feature a janitor (possibly with a separate room), or attendant, provided by the local authority or the owner of the larger building. In many cultures it is customary to tip the attendant, while other washrooms may charge a small fee for entrance, sometimes through use of a coin operated turnstyle. Some venues such as nightclubs may feature a grooming service provided by an attendant in the washroom.

Terminology

Gender and public washrooms

Separation by sex is so characteristic of public toilets that pictograms of a man or a woman are used to indicate where the respective toilets are. These pictograms are sometimes enclosed within standard forms to reinforce this information, with a circle representing a women's toilet and a triangle representing a men's facility. Symbols such as the DOT pictograms have been criticized for perpetuating gender stereotypes; however, there may be no practical alternatives.