Strip Mall Oasis Found at Mr. K's Chinese Cuisine

Mr K's Chinese Cuisine and Sushi
10395 Narcoossee Rd
Orlando, FL USA 32832

Where is it?

The place is small, so the toilets aren't hard to find. From the entrance, pass through the modest dining room towards the back left of the restaurant. The bathrooms are located there.

What's it like?

Mr. K's is one of those cut-above neighborhood joints -- both worth a drive and worth a visit. The food, a mixture of standard Chinese restaurant fare with some unique original dishes thrown in, is fresh and expertly prepared. The service is fast, friendly and efficient. The decor is muted and elegant, yet never ostentatious (you'll find some traditional paintings and wall hangings, and one lavish painting on the ceiling, but nothing overbearing or overtly tacky). And the prices are low. What more could you want?

The bathrooms follow suit, offering small, tidy environment that houses some understated decor and modern design touches -- some of which you wouldn't expect from a strip mall restaurant bathroom.

Beige-patterned marble tile covers the floors and walls, as do a handful of oriental items, like a bamboo wall hanging. The highlight is the ornate sink and vanity area. The sink is one of those trendy glass-wash-bowl units set atop a marble vanity counter. The mirror hanging above that station is framed by an ornate metalwork combining glass and bits of silver. The toilet is your standard white Porcelain model -- clean and functional, nothing more.

The only flaw I found was the air freshener, which was positioned atop the towel dispenser as if it were part of the decor. Placing it out of view (like Tacos El Rancho, for example) might have been a better option here, since its current position kind of disrupts the flow of the decor.

Still, this is an impressive strip all bathroom -- one that the owners truly tried to make different, unique and comfortable -- and for that they should be commended.

Marks out of 10:

9. Realistically it should be an 8, but they tried hard to offer something unique to customers and succeeded. They have to be rewarded for that!

Comments to the Management:

Store that air freshener somewhere else and you've got a near-perfect strip mall bathroom. Kudos to you!

Toilets at Small Virgin River Casino in Mesquite Almost on Par with Vegas Brethren

The Virgin River Hotel, Casino & Bingo
100 Pioneer Blvd.
Mesquite, NV USA
www.virginriver.com

Where is it?

From the main casino entrance, head into the building and towards the buffet, following the signs to get there as the layout is a big confusing and you may get lost otherwise.

Once you reach the buffet entrance, turn around, keeping the buffet entrance to your back, and look across and slightly to the left of the slot machine area in front of you. At about the 10 or 11 o'clock position, you'll see a sign hanging from the ceiling, reading "Restrooms."

What's it like?

This casino and hotel is located in the ever-growing Mesquite, NV, which was just a two casino town when I first passed through it some years ago and is now a decently sized small community with a feel that's both homey, new and Vegas-like.

This casino is definitely smaller than what you'd find on the famous Strip, and it's not quite as flashy or filled with attention getting signs and sights, but in all honesty it's not that far from those places either. There are high-end shows here -- Kenny Rogers was coming soon, I believe -- and both a decent buffet and a few other eateries inside, and the casino itself has that same odd-patterned carpet on the floor, the same confusing floor plan, the same decorative molding on the walls and the same array of loud noises from slots and people playing table games. Only difference is that it's more affordable and smaller in scale, which for many -- myself included -- isn't a bad thing.

The bathrooms follow that concept and in many ways they are on par -- at least design-wise -- with what we saw at the Venetian lobby. I was actually expecting much worse from here and was pleasantly surprised by what I was.

This is a wide room that packs in lots of features. The back wall houses about five or six toilet stalls. The front wall feature a five-station vanity and, to the right of that, along a diagonal far wall are four or five urinals. That doesn't leave much room for maneuvering in a full house but it could be worse. The urinals and toilets are both white porcelain models, but because the rest of the room is made up of dark colors, they form a pleasant contrast to the eye (similar to what's done at Sensi, for example, only not as extreme and zen-like). Off-white marble tile covers the floors, a wavy blue-and-grey-patterned marble tile covers the walls.

Most impressive here are the stall doors and urinal dividers, which are made of heavy-grain dark wood which is stained elegantly and features simply yet noble carving designs on them.

Just as impressive is the vanity, which is made up of a marble counter with in-laid porcelain sinks. Standard chrome faucets and soap dispensers are fixed atop the sinks themselves. A dark-wood-framed multi-panel mirror stretches over the back of the vanity.

On the whole, it's much more than what you'd expect from a place this far removed from the Strip. For that, and for the extra steps taken to make the place seem elegant, regal and comfortable, I give it pretty high marks.

Unfortunately, there was a strong odor of urine here and some of the dividers and stalls needed a touch of repair around the hinges, which were starting to look loose instead of strong. Of course, as with the Venetian toilets, these weren't outright noticeable issues; they were only discernible upon closer inspection. Otherwise, the place was pretty clean and looked well-kept.

Marks out of 10:

8. Almost a 9, were it not for the smell and the bits of disrepair.

Comments to the Management:

It's no Wynn, but other than that, it's pretty close, if not on par with a Strip-based casino bathroom. For that you should be commended. Just eliminate the smell and tidy up the loose ends and you'll have a true contender here.

Okada Offers Oasis of Opulence

Okada
Wynn Las Vegas
3131 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV USA 89109

http://www.wynnlasvegas.com/

Where is it?

Finding the restaurant is increasingly more difficult than finding the restroom once you are there. To be honest, I have no idea how I stumbled upon this place -- we were just walking through the Wynn to see the sights while waiting for our dinner reservations at Daniel Boulud (reviewed later this week) and roamed into a back corner of the mega-hotel to find this place. Seeing that we had to use the restroom at the time, the discovery couldn't have been more opportune.

So, you may have to ask someone on Wynn's staff how to get there. But once there, and once inside, head down the hallway to the left of the greeting counter and you'll find the bathrooms there.

What's it like?

This is a classy, upscale Japanese place filled with black marble glass, curvaceous tables and lots of shiny wood fixtures. It's also not as expensive as one would assume -- most sushi and Japanese places I passed on the Strip won't let you get out of there without spending at least $20 per California roll. This one was at about half of that (decent for Strip prices, if you think about it) and boasted a pretty varied and impressive menu to boot.

Unfortunately the kitchen wasn't open on my visit so I was unable to sample the food. (I'll definitely be trying to next time I visit Vegas.) However, the people here were kind enough to let me use the bathroom. I am in their debt for this.

The facilities here offer a Zen-like approach, much like the one found at the outstanding Sensi at the Bellagio. But unlike that place, which offers amazing solace for only one person, this bathroom can accommodate more people at once while still providing an environment that feels private, spiritual, sophisticated, clean and practical.

What impresses you first about this place is the decor. The floors are covered with off-white stone tile that resemble the pattern found on a stone path in rural Japan, if you will. The walls alternate between jet single colors of black and light brown, and the fixtures (like in Sensi) stick out from the walls as if they were pieces of modern art. The urinals are small, yet functional and elegant, almost flower-like in design (as if Georgia O'Keefe has created them), and the stalls serve more like private rooms than mere stalls. The fact that everything is spotless (granted, I was here before the place opened) made it all the more amazing.

The centerpiece here is the vanity. Featuring two stations, the area boasts flat glass sinks that drain away water in soft-flowing sheets (like an infinity pool), personalized mirrors behind each sink, and two faucets that look and work like spigots from a water spring (they contain motion sensors to get the water flowing, of course, but still it's pretty neat). Metallic soap dispensers and ring towers of thick paper towels sit in the gaps between each sink station. It's elegant, sleek and functional.

Marks out of 10:

11. Heavenly on all accounts.

Comments to the Management:

Normally, I would suggest adding a divider wall between the urinals, but then that would ruin the decorative perfection of this place..... so I've got nothing......

Bathroom Showcases Pig and Whistle's Love of Novelty Signs

The Pig and Whistle Pub: A Fish and Chip Shop
40 S. Fleming Street
Sebastian, FL USA
http://www.pigandwhistlepub.com/

Where is it?

This pub is situated in a narrow store front in a shopping center that once held the area's only Kash 'n' Karry supermarket. That store is long gone, leaving a big gaping hole in the center of this strip mall really, but the other small box stores are all occupied with mom-and-pop businesses like this one.

The pub is the left corner of the mall, and its interior is pretty straight and narrow. The loo, as a result, is an easy find. From the front door, just head to the very back of the place (through the dining area and past the bar and kitchen window). Enter a hallway along the back -- the toilets will be on your right, the women's first and then the men's.

What's it like?

This is a cute little pub that's mostly a local's hangout, though it's such a charming place, and the food's good enough, you might want to make the drive to visit.

The atmosphere is part British, part Florida. Patrons here sit at antique-looking wooden tables covered with somewhat "old-fashioned" (i.e. tacky) clothes. Around them loom decorations like wooden knickknacks, beer signs, posters for soccer teams and more. Think Cracker Barrel with a decidedly British spin. Either way, it's a clean, unpretentious place to grab a beer and some food. The fish and chips here are some of the best in the area, which includes Melbourne and Orlando (believe it or not). Other noteworthy menu items include the creamy conch fritters and the chicken wings, which are fried to delicately crisp perfection here.

The bathrooms extend the dining room's decor almost to a tee. The walls and floor are colored pasty green and the walls are literally covered with novelty signs -- many of which put the user's manhood into question. I spent a good ten minutes reading everything I could find on the walls, from signs featuring groan-inducing puns to ones showing scantily-clad women with beer bottles (ahem). Clearly, this place loves its novelty signs! I only wish I'd been there for a longer visit and not just a pee -- it would have felt like a more justified use of my time, reading all those signs. Still, it's very clean and cozy, and because it's all the way in the back of the place it also provides plenty of privacy. Good show.

Marks out of 10:

8. A top-notch strip-mall bathroom with a well-expressed sense of humor.

Comments to the Management:

I think I saw a little open wall space in the back corner of the loo here -- might want to cover that up with another novelty sign, no?

Darkness Rules at Daniel Boulud Brasserie

Daniel Boulud Brasserie at the Wynn
Las Vegas Resort and Country Club
Las Vegas, NV USA

http://www.danielnyc.com/dbbrasserie/

Where is it?

This fantastic restaurant overlooks the Wynn Hotel's lagoon, which sits on the south side of the hotel. Just follow the signs to the lagoon and head to the bottom level of the hotel.

Once inside, go to the very back of the place to find the toilets. It's one of those restaurants that occupies a long, narrow space (to supply diners with solid views of the lagoon and its somewhat psychedelic nightly light show -- which features some nifty singing animatronics, fancy lighting effects, piped-in music and the like), so to get there you'll enter the restaurant, pass the greeter's counter, head through the two-tiered dining room, and enter a dimly lit hallway in the back of the place (it's adjacent to the kitchen entrance). Head all the way to the back of that hallway to find the bathrooms.

What's it like?

As I said, this is an outstanding French restaurant, offering the creations of a chef that many consider to be one of the best in the USA. The menu consists of traditional brasserie fare, with a touch of Americanism thrown in. There's a hamburger here that's stuffed with foie gras and braised beef short ribs, a succulent beef en daube, tantalizing 32 oz ribeye, delicious crock of Belgian-style mussels, an outrageously delicious homemade charcuterie platter and more. Fantastic food -- and set in a boisterous but friendly neo-Roman-inspired dining room (lots of columns and arched enclaves) that overlooks the aforementioned. (It also happens to be reasonably priced by Las Vegas Strip standards. Our meal came to $140 for four full courses with wine, which isn't that bad for this tourist mecca, if you think about it.)

Of course, the restaurant is dimly lit, and while that makes for a more elegant setting, it creates a slightly off-putting effect in the bathrooms. Because they are at the back of the restaurant, and at the end of a hallway, the bathrooms here tend to serve as a net for all the noise coming from the kitchen and dining room. This makes for a bit of a noisy bathroom-going experience.

Don't get me wrong: These are elegant facilities. The walls and floor are single color slabs of sleek color. The toilet stalls (like at other Strip-restaurant hotel bathrooms) are fully separated rooms. The vanity is a stylish metallic counter featuring two trough-like sinks and a giant mirror behind it. The urinals are mounted to the walls in a way that heightens the sheerness of the walls (like they are in Okada, also in the Wynn). The decor is spare but appropriate -- dried tree branches dangle beside the vanity and in a few other spaces, adding to the minimalism portrayed here.

Yet it's dim and loud, and when those characteristics are coupled they make the place feel a little too busy for business, if you know what I mean. The effect is even worse when another person is in the room with you -- all that noise and dim lighting make you feel like you're surrounded and ultimately prove to be a bit suffocating. This is a classic case of design not being able to overcome the obstacles against it.

Marks out of 10:

7. A very nice bathroom. It just falls prey to the elements around it.

Comments to the Management:

The decor is great, as are the facilities. You just need to create a greater sense of isolation here. Dim lighting alone doesn't do it.

Toilets at Caesar's Palace Offer Strong First Impression But Little Else

Caesar's Palace Las Vegas Hotel and Casino
3570 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, NV USA
www.caesarspalace.com

Where is it?

Like many of the other mammoth hotel and casinos on the strip, getting to the bathroom from the street requires some serious footwork. And that feat is all the more daunting at this ginormous hotel because getting to the lobby of the hotel from the Strip itself requires what seems like a half-mile hike. Not easy in the often oppressive Las Vegas heat.

Once inside you still have some distance to go to before reaching this toilet. First, pass through the ornate main lobby (rivaled in spectacle only by the lobby of the Venetian and Wynn down the street, if you ask me) and head towards the casino. On the way, look for Cleopatra's Barge Nightclub, which is a bar that is set on a ship in a large indoor moat.

Before reaching the entrance to Cleopatra's, you will see a hallway open up on your left that's on the back end of the slot machine section of the casino. Go down that hallway and you'll spot a sign for the bathrooms hanging from the ceiling.

What's it like?

These bathrooms make a strong first impression. Once you take the turn to go in, you'll enter a small foyer area, pass through a second door and then finally enter the bathroom proper. Quite an elegant beginning, if you ask me.

The tile on the floor in the foyer is black and white, but in a wavy, hourglass-like pattern instead of the traditional checkerboard. The walls are beige/off-white and a feature plenty of molding from top to bottom -- to the point where you might think you're entering a cruise ship stateroom or something similar.

Once inside, the decor gets decidedly simpler. Beige tiles (with some black fleck highlights) cover the walls and rather standard wide white tile covers the floor, as does some black tile highlights -- like a wider version of what we saw at Steak n Shake Winter Park, really.

Of course, the elegant woodwork and crown work continues here, although in a more muted way.

The highlight of the bathroom is the ornate vanity, which is enormous and stretching and consists of elegant cabinetry on its lower half, a long black marble counter, about sink or seven white porcelain sink stations fitted in and the same number of individual mirrors hanging over each sink.

If that weren't enough, some fantastic small tile patches separate each mirror station from the next. It's a very decorative-looking vanity indeed.

Only the automatic faucet and automatic soap dispensers seem out of place -- partly because they are ordinary in appearance and feel like they should be more over the top (like how the Wynn has them, for example) and partly because they are a bit worn down. I know the hotel has done a major renovation of late, so seeing this was a little disappointing -- knowing that little or no money was spent on making the bathrooms completely jaw-dropping, just good enough to make a strong first impression and nothing more.

The room itself is roomy, with each section getting an area to itself (a design idea that's similar with the setup of our recent visit to the new 24 Fitness in Orlando). The urinals have a chamber all to themselves, almost like a little cave just for them, and the toilet stalls line the perimeter of the place.

There are about 10 urinals here and about the same number of toilet stalls. The urinal room is reminiscent of the awful ones we found at the Florida Turnpike rest areas at Ft. Drum and Port St. Lucie -- only those were much more disgusting than these by far.

The urinals here are your standard white porcelain models, nothing special, but they are immaculately cleaned and the room itself is tidy and neat and flowery smelling (and cool, thanks to the pumping A/C). Plus, the wallpaper on the upper walls here tries to look like cracked stone -- it's all cracked and crackly -- which is a nice effect (not as neat as the wallpaper in the Luxor bathrooms, mind you, but not bad).

Of course, as we saw in the Venetian toilets, all the nice touches aren't necessarily in order. Like the hole in the wall found there, the wallpaper here is losing its adherence and is pulling away from the wall in spots, particularly around the urinals -- which of course just undermines the effects and makes it look cheaper than it is.

Also, the dividers between the toilets are a bit small and flimsy looking -- and really don't do much to provide much privacy.

The toilets are separated by neat stall doors that make more solid use of the elegant woodwork found elsewhere, though the actual stalls are nothing more than stainless steel. The stalls are roomy though nothing spectacular in terms of size -- good enough, if you will. They are also pretty clean, though one of the ones I popped into has some seriously frayed toilet paper hanging from the roll holders -- as if someone had sprayed them with water and then left them to dry.

Like the Venetian, the walls hold some nicely framed paintings and prints, mostly of Greek and Romanesque statues (like a picture of Michelangelo's David and such). A pleasant touch to give some elegance to the walls, though nothing spellbinding (and really artwork has to reach the level of what we saw the Mansion on Forsyth Park in Savannah to be spellbinding, I think.)

Also, the place manages to block out the hustle and bustle of the casino floor that's right outside -- you barely hear it once inside. Still the place could actually use more wow, strange as it is to admit.

Marks out of 10:

7. A good first impression but its offerings are inconsistent once you get past that first impression and in the end you just wish there was more here.

Comments to the Management:

Fix that wallpaper and update those faucets -- and then start working on making these toilets more spellbinding. Will all the renovations that took place here, I expected to walk in on something rivaling the Wynn but in the end got a younger sibling to the Venetian toilets.

Expect Foul Odors and Mildew Galore from this Horrid CVS Pharmacy's Bathroom

CVS Pharmacy
4717 EAST HIGHWAY 80
SAVANNAH, GA USA
www.cvs.com

Where is it?

Head to the back of the store. Once there, you'll see a small hallway opening just left of the pharmacy counter. Go down there and you'll find the bathrooms.

(Or, as you'll learn below, you can just close your eyes and follow the foul smelling air to its origin.)

What's it like?

This straightforward pharmacy and convenience store is located in a new-ish shopping center in between Savannah's historic district and Tybee Island, which house the city's oceanfront neighborhoods. From the outside, it looks clean and predictable -- a strip mall store from start to finish.

Inside, you get the same impression. The store houses a dozen or so aisles, each containing a variety of health-related and non-health-related merchandise. It's a clean store, well lit and unassuming. A standard chain store, through and through.

Head towards the bathroom, and you think you'll experience the same strip mall store nonchalance. But once you enter that hallway, things turn on you pretty quickly. The sharp smell of feces tinges the air, along with the undercurrent of ammonia.

Step in further, and things get worse. The stink gets much more foul the closer you get, ultimately becoming horrifically malodorous once you step inside. (The fact that I found the door ajar while approaching the toilets didn't help, and, as mentioned above, at a certain point in the store you can literally follow your nose to the bathroom.) Piercing, hold-your-nose stink, that's what this is. Someone-just-died-in-here stink -- also an appropriate description.

On a scale of bathroom stinkiness, I rate this one below (meaning, they are more foul-smelling) such putrid-smelling locales as the recently reviewed Pulkovo International Airport, Russian Museum and Hermitage Museum, all in St. Petersburg, Russia, Total Wine Raleigh-Triangle, or even the Awful Waffle House I visited in Walterboro, SC. And that was one of the worst bathrooms I visited this year!

What's ironic is that inside, the place looks clean on the surface. White drywall walls, bland gray linoleum floor, white toilet and sink. Nothing flashy, but nothing that would make you think it was this smelly.

Yet standing in there less than 3 seconds, I realized that my olfactory senses would not adjust quickly to the stench around me and I quickly hurried up with my business so I could leave.

I wish I could say that the smell was the only fault I found here. Sadly, it wasn't. While the place seems clean on the forefront, a closer examination revealed plenty of disgusting elements: The toilet itself had some strong hard water stains in it, the sink had much mildew in it, and the trash can beside it looked like it had been used repeatedly as a receptor of vomit. Just disgusting.

Ironically, I saw a slew of cleaning supplies sitting on the far wall opposite the toilet, sink and trash can (which were set into the same end of the bathroom) -- and all of it, apparently, looked unused. Also, there was no toilet paper or hand towels to be found in the bathroom, leading me to think that if one had to endure a longer visit here, he/she would ultimately suffer the consequences.

Finally, While there was no TP near the toilet, there was an abundance of fliers for a martial arts tournament taking place nearby in the coming weeks sitting on the toilet tank. Unfortunately, the fliers were made of thick paper stock, making it a poor choice for use as a wiping element.

Marks out of 10:

2. Foul smells, dirty and lacking necessary supplies. A popular store like this should know better.

Comments to the Management:

First of all, put a spring hinge on the bathroom door, so people don't have to smell the foulness emanating from this place as they approach the pharmacy. That's supposed to be a sterile environment, after all! Next, clean the place, for goodness sakes! The supplies are right there! Sure, the walls and floor were clean, but the sink, toilet and trashcan were atrocious. In fact, just get a new trashcan instead of cleaning it -- not worth keeping. Ick. And put up some air fresheners!

Outhouse Review #1: Red Rocks Canyon -- Yup, It's an Outhouse

Red Rocks Canyon
Las Vegas, NV USA

http://www.redrockcanyonlv.org/

Where is it?

This national conservation area, located on the south end of Las Vegas (about 15 minutes from the Strip, via HW 215), offers visitors a chance to drive through the recreation area on a 15-mile car loop, with many marked stops along the way. The outhouse visited here is at the third stop on that loop.

What's it like?

It's an outhouse, that's what it's like. Did you expect something else?

This is a single-toilet structure, set in the back of a parking lot that leads to walking trails into the rocks behind it. Outside, there are wonderful views of the multi-colored stone and scorched desert, as well as solid vistas of Vegas beyond it. Inside, it's a white room with a compost toilet and a toilet paper holder, nothing more. It's somewhat clean but also somewhat -- it's an outhouse, essentially.

The inside of the place could use another coat of paint, just so it won't look so run down. Also, it would be nice if they included some Purell or something of the like inside to sanitize your hands with after the fact. And it's very stuffy inside, since there's no real ventilation and it's sitting in the middle of a desert (my visit was in late September, and it was hot then, but I imagine it's brutal inside this place in the summer -- hot enough to cook in, at least).

But then, as I said, it's an outhouse -- basic facilities for those in dire need, nothing more -- not a comfort castle in any means, so what can you expect? As an outhouse, it's above average. As a bathroom, it's surprisingly more clean than a number of restaurant and gas station toilets I've visited -- as well as a few homes. It smells a bit off, but it's an outhouse, so I guess it's supposed to. At least the view outside will make you forget any misgivings once you've finished your business, right?

Marks out of 10:

6. Not bad for an outhouse. (Did I mention it's an outhouse?)

Comments to the Management:

Needs another coat of paint and a Purell dispenser. Otherwise, not bad. The second best of the three outhouses visited on this trip -- and loads better than the one I visited in Winter Park on that strange occasion.

Serviceable Jack in the Box Holds Few Surprises

Jack in the Box
330 N Sandhill Blvd
Mesquite, NV USA 89027

www.jackinthebox.com

Where is it?

When facing the order counter, look to your left and you'll see a corridor stretching behind the kitchen and into the back of the place. Head down that hall and you'll find the bathrooms there.

What's it like?

This fast-food chain, popular in the West, offers decent fast food fare like burgers, fries and the lot, with the menu focusing of late on sandwiches put on ciabata bread (apparently it's America's new bread of choice, because it's chewy instead of soft and tasteless, like Wonder Bread). It's not a high-end dining place at all, but it's cheap and decent enough to satiate the hunger pangs while you're on a multi-hour drive to Vegas, like I was at the time of my stop.

This location, in a new strip mall set in the boom town of Mesquite (which just five years ago -- on my last pass through -- consisted of nothing more than two casinos and now consists of a vast array of home developments, shopping malls, golf courses and other entertainment venues) is a bit tricky to get to, because of the way the road winds around the city (feels like a roundabout, and thus you drive through it as thus, but it really is just a windy road). Once inside, you'll find a clean restaurant filled with sparkling tiles, linoleum tables and booths and a stainless steel order counter with light-up menu overhead.

The bathrooms offer more of the same generic-ness: White tiles on the walls, with lime green tile accent lines; white fixtures; off-white/beige stall dividers;, grey floor tiles with black borders. Nothing too creative, mind you, but clean and serviceable enough -- especially in terms of fast food restaurant bathrooms, which at times can be pretty awful. One odd thing of note: The place was missing a mirror over the sink. What's that all about?

If found some little wear and tear on the fixtures, but that's to be expected. Everything was in working order and nothing was installed crookedly or leaking. (It's still a relatively new establishment, I gather, so how bad can it be?). Unfortunately, the noise factor is a little heavy, especially in the way the restaurant's entrance door sensor rings (it chimes every time the door opens or closes) and carries down that hallway leading to the toilets. It was so distracting and invading and continuous that for a while I thought the place was being flooded with customers and that my private time in the bathroom would soon come to an end. Later though, when I exited and went to the counter to order some food, I found out the door wasn't quite shut all the way and the desert wind was actually responsible for blowing it open repeatedly. The place was empty, outside of myself and the employees.

Marks out of 10:

7. Almost an eight, were it not for the missing mirrors and that incessant door chiming.

Comments to the Management:

Install some mirrors and fix that door!

Wynn-derful watery wonderland

WYNN LAS VEGAS
3131 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Las Vegas, NV USA 89109

http://www.wynnlasvegas.com/

Where is it?

This elaborate and enormous hotel on the Las Vegas strip has a number of public restrooms throughout. The one visited here was in the hotel's shopping mall, next to a clothing store called Mojito's. Because of the many distractions around me, I'm afraid I'm not sure how I exactly got to this bathroom - perhaps it found me? If you're curious, I suggest following the signs to the shopping area and looking for the bathroom next to Mojito's. You won't be disappointed.

What's it like?

Thanks to my visits to the J.W. Marriott Grand Lakes in Orlando and the Bellagio in Las Vegas, I thought I knew what luxury public bathrooms were. But I was wrong. My visit to these facilities at the Wynn changes every preconceived notion I thought I had about mass-accommodating public restrooms. These may just be the greatest, most luxurious public toilets on the face of the earth.

This stretching room comes filled with marble, from the maroon and off-white checkerboard pattern found on the floor to the single-unit marble slab that make up the line of urinals (and urinal dividing walls) to the dark slabs that make up the trough sinks and vanity. It's a sight to behold, construction-wise and decoration-wise. I almost forgot I had to pee when I got in there, so stunned I was by the beauty of it all.

The sinks are the most attention-getting items here (unless you go for a pee and give yourself a chance to eye the marble work there), since they are what you first see when you walk in. Enormous, ornate, stylish, with automatic soap dispensers and spigot-inspired faucets and sinks that carry away excess water like reverse waterfalls. Above them is a line of towel dispensers (heavy paper, not the cheap stuff) and large mirrors framed in decorative brass. Amazing stuff.

Further inside is that aforementioned mammoth single-unit slab of urinal marble, as well as a half-dozen or so stalls, each divided with the same thick stone and offering a sound barrier (both literally and figuratively) for privacy and comfort -- a literal castle wall that surrounds you while you to do your business.

What raises the bar on this place all the more is that it's an open space. No door separates the bathroom from the bustling shopping area outside and while walking in you wonder just how quiet and private it can be. But step in further and suddenly you're in another world. All that marble, gleaming and super clean, makes all the difference, absorbing the sound and making the place seem isolated and fortified.

Better still, a cleaning attendant, mop and bucket in hand, stands guard at the entrance, patrolling the place 24 hours a day.

Marks out of 10:

12. This is an outstanding achievement in design, management, cleanliness and comfort. Bravo!

Comments to the Management:

I plan to move here during my next trip to Vegas -- please hold the back stall for me, if you will.