Found a public bathroom door that opens inward right into the toilet

I was at a gas station off I-95 in Virginia last month and really needed to go. I pushed the bathroom door open and it immediately slammed into the front of the toilet bowl, leaving about 4 inches of space to squeeze in sideways. I had to basically crab-walk between the door and the wall, and then pull the door shut behind me, which was a whole awkward dance. The worst part was trying to leave, because you have to open the door into yourself while standing over the toilet. I ended up having to step into the shower stall area (which was also tiny) just to get enough room to pull the door open. Who designs this? Is it worse when a design is just ugly, or when it's actually impossible to use without a struggle? Has anyone else had a fight with a bathroom layout?

3 comments

3 Comments

wren3011mo ago

My buddy had a similar fight with a hotel bathroom door that opened right into the sink. He ended up with a wet shirt just trying to get out. A bad layout isn't clever, it's just broken.

max3889d ago

I've quoted "just adds a little challenge to the routine" before because that's exactly what my buddy said when he showed me the hotel room video he took of himself trying to shower without flooding the whole bathroom. He spent 20 minutes figuring out that he had to stand sideways in the shower while holding the curtain with one hand just to reach the soap, and the water still managed to soak his towel that was hanging on the other side of the door. Honestly, that challenge wasn't clever or fun, it was just a half-baked design that made a relaxing shower turn into a frustrating puzzle.

ericjackson1mo ago

Maybe it's a clever space saving trick for tight budgets. That awkward dance you described just adds a little challenge to the routine. Honestly, a bad but functional layout beats a pretty but useless one any day.