In Search of the Perfect Loo

Here at National Geographic Traveler, we're always looking for stories that promise an intriguing conceit and/or superlative claims. So, when intern Allison Busacca (a self-proclaimed hater of unsanitary bathrooms) pitched this potty post, we had to give her the green light. She reports:

The sixth annual America's Best Restroom Contest, sponsored by Cintas, a bathroom products provider, recently ranked the top five public restrooms across the nation that, due to high cleaning standards and technological advancements, help make the entire restroom experience a little more enjoyable.

Taking home first place is Wendell's restaurant, in Westerville, Ohio: 'I think [customers] look at it like this,' says Rich Belding, Wendell's general manager, 'If the restroom, which they can see, is dirty, what is the kitchen, which they can't see, like?'
 
Finalists were selected by Cintas officials based on exceptional hygiene, style, and open public access. The winners are then chosen by the voting public. Any public restroom is eligible for the award, not just Cintas customers, says account manager Jessica Bensten. Previous top-five winners are eligible for reconsideration after one year.
 
Wendell's bathrooms, which are cleaned every hour, follow two themes: sports for the men and martinis for the ladies. 'The men's room has everything from race cars to golf,' Belding says. 'In the women's room, we supply feminine products, lotions, and hairspray—there's a waterfall too.' Both bathrooms have televisions, and keep a steady supply of Scope and hand towels on their granitite countertops. Belding says he believes Scope to be one of the selling points in the contest. 'I've had other people drive from other states just to get a look.'
 
Rounding out the top five:
2) All Season's Bistro, East Lansing, Michigan: deep plum walls, customized paintings, and old world tiles in stylish bistro decor.
3) Hemenway's Seafood Grill & Oyster Bar, Providence, Rhode Island: inviting elegance, fresh flowers and modern stainless steel.
4) Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City, New Jersey: marble floors, contemporary, stainless steel faucets, and choice of hand towel or dryer.
5) Quad City International Airport, Moline, Illinois: automatic toilet seat covers and sinks; open, clean and convenient.
 
Previous winners include the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, the restored Main Building at the University of Notre Dame, the Grand Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, and the Fort Smith Regional Airport in Fort Smith, Arizona. All past champions become part of the America's Best Restrooms Hall of Fame.
 
Nominations for the 2007 America's Best Restroom contest can be submitted from now until the end of December. The winner will be announced in April 2007.

IT appreciates a nice loo, and while we haven't decided who we'll officially nominate for next year's contest, our top contenders (in no particular order) are the twinkling-star-celinged facilities at Rum Jungle in Vegas, the hyper-clean LDS Conference Center in Salt Lake, Philly's Continental Mid-Town with its two-way mirrors, and Butter in New York, where the light that comes on when you lock the stall's frosted-glass door turns it opaque.