On a recent, and very brief, trip to Frankfurt, Germany, I took advantage of an excellent tour of the city furnished by Frankfurt am Main tourism. The tour was both bus based as well as on foot, and was an excellent introduction to this important and, often times, misunderstood city. Amongst my more unique discoveries was one of the most expensive public bathrooms in Europe.
The posh €900,000 lavatory in question lies in the heart of the Alstadt, the historic center of the city, near the Paulskirche. The tremendous expense comes primarily from its location in one of the most visited areas of Frankfurt.
In the interest of finding some local color, I descended the lofty staircase down to the underground water-closet and was shocked by what I found. I was instantly confronted with one of the most beautiful public bathrooms I have ever seen.
If IKEA were involved in the construction of public works, surely this is what they would create. There was a central reception desk and to either side were the entrances to the ultra modern and chic restrooms, complete with complimentary wash cloths. The men’s urinals are free, but to use a stall will run the needy traveler around €0.50. No comment.
The facilities themselves were just as modern and well designed as their surroundings, and I found myself not wanting to leave. Unfortunately I received some pretty strange looks when I started taking photos, so I made a quick and discrete exit.
I’m not sure if the bathrooms were worth the lofty price tag, but for once it was a joy to use a public restroom.
A reception desk!! That’s awesome.
My favorite public bathrooms are the ones at clubs in Las Vegas, especially Tryst and Tao. They’re works of art!
Nice clean public bathrooms are always worth paying for.
They already cost 70 Cent by now. But thats a common habit in Germany. You always pay 50-70 Cent for a public bathroom. I think the bathrooms are financed with that money.
Indeed, nice and clean bathrooms are worth paying for. Most European train stations charge a fee to enter the bathroom, and while it changes from extremely cheap in Brussels, it rises to very expensive in Amsterdam if my memory serves well. Showers at Paris Gare du Nord are also very expensive!
Really good beautiful bathrooms (or at the other end of the spectrum, really bad ‘bathrooms’) have lasting impressions in the way you remember a place ;)
There is a reception desk? Does this mean they ask me if I had made a reservation? :) Joking aside. Thanks for the interesting photo story. Btw 50 cent are common in many places as more and more bathrooms are managed by private companies.
I think the fact men don’t have to pay surprised me more than the fee itself. :)
Clean bathrooms are a real find! I was in Rouen once and had to pay to use a hole in the floor. 50 cents for an actual toilet would be no issue.
Also, great to know you enjoyed the tour!
This is a great post, but I’m a little disappointed in the bathroom itself. This is another example of the importance of location, location, location, I guess. ;)
Ha yes, no gold or opulence really, although it is one of the nicest public bathrooms I’ve ever seen. You’re right though, the extreme cost of building the restrooms was due to the location more than anything else.
One of my favorite bathrooms is in the Sydney opera house.
Wow, how luxurious!