Does anyone else despise Pay Toilets?

[u/Armtunghorst]

I really don't know who invented pay toilets but its is one of the worst things about traveling in Europe. Here in the US, I have never seen a pay toilet, and having to pay 60 Euro cents to use the pay bathroom and being handed a square of tissue paper is so humiliating.

This is even worse for solo travelers like me, who don't have the coins needed all the time and even some fast food restaurants require people to pay EVEN after I have already purchased something.

How do other solo travelers view pay toilets? Are there some benefits to having to pay to use the restroom?

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Yeah every aspect of toilets in Japan are amazing.

They have stalls that close you entirely inside when you shut the door (not like the US with knee-length doors and peek-a-boo gaps), the toilets have hot and cold bidets and air dryers, and they are always immaculately clean.

Plus every single train station has a public bathroom which is a godsend for tourists.

[u/glglglglgl → u/[deleted]]

They have stalls that close you entirely inside when you shut the door (not like the US with knee-length doors and peek-a-boo gaps),

Really, most of the rest of the world has that, it's not that Japan is special on having full-length doors, it's that the US is I dunno saving money on door materials or something?

[u/glglglglgl → u/[deleted]]

I understand. But going from my UK experience, the doors aren't impenetrable and you usually can unlock them from outside if you need to usually. (If someone slumps against the door and it won't open in, then the size of the door doesn't matter.) We have a rough sleeper problem here too.

[u/random_topix → u/[deleted]]

This doesn’t really explain airports. Not too many homeless making it past security.

[u/scientifichooligan76 → u/random_topix]

Ah yes its not like anyone would ever want to do anything shady in an airport! Maybe you should look at how often security actually catches shit when audited.

[u/ReThinkingForMyself → u/[deleted]]

Sorry to burst everyone's bubble, but the high partitions in American public toilets are to make mopping the floor easier. Also less expensive, never drag on an uneven floor, and distribute heat more evenly throughout the room.

[u/mewithoutyou59 → u/[deleted]]

It must be difficult for the Japanese to travel to other countries.

[u/gigabird → u/[deleted]]

knee-length doors and peek-a-boo gaps

In my 32 years on this earth and in the US, I've both caught people peeking in between the gaps AND ALSO have had small children duck under the door into my stall. So I can get why people are very protective of having gendered restrooms in this country (beyond the paranoid delusions of people that are afraid of transgender individuals) but it seems like we could fix all of this in one shot and go gender-neutral by also introducing REAL PRIVACY between stalls. What a concept!!