Korean public toilets

I was going to hold off on writing this until I had a ton of pics of some of the public washrooms they have here, but I had a pretty brutal experience in one today so I figured that was a sign or something. Here's a restroom to avoid: near Line 4 at Seoul Station Subway...unreal. As soon as I walked in I noticed the floor was dirty, which is normally ok, a little dirt isn't the end of the world. Then I noticed a pungent odor...really brutal, actually. If I didn't have to go so bad (#1) I might have bolted, but instead I just let it go...man, did I regret that. I tried breathing through my hanky, but it didn't work, the smell permeated everything. I was getting light-headed from lack of oxygen and barely made it out of there. Man, I think they cleaned that place last when Park Chung Hee was in power (1961-1979). Ugh!

Below are some interesting shot. Take special note that they were all taken from the hallway of the building, not inside the restroom. Thus, anyone walking by could not only see the empty stalls (which is a faux pas in the West as it is) but also the user of it if it is occupied. Some also have a fantastic view from outside, just in case you want two audiences.


All of these pictures were from the hallway, not inside the actual bathroom!

The one below is interesting. This bar in Daehak-ro is the only place you can dance in the whole district (or so its sign says) but it's also the most interesting bathroom. There is a door/window right beside the urinal that opens out to the alley. It lets in a nice breeze, but makes one feel like a bit of an exhibitionist.


On the left: that's a door/window that looks into an alley...and anyone can look in. On the right: in Lotte Department Store there is a bathroom manager and worker...posh!

Many buildings have bathroom attendants but here they not only have a check-list sheet (as they have in the West in many places) but also the picture of the attendant that cleans it (I guess in case you want to pick them out of a crowd: "Hey, don't you clean my office's bathroom?") and in the one above there is a "manager" and attendant responsibile for the cleanliness of the washroom. If only they were at Seoul Station on Line 4's, I might not have almost lost my lunch.