The Bathroom Rating System – Barcelona

Prior to moving from the US to Spain, I had traveled to Europe three times with friends and family. On my first visit in 2002 to Malaga, Spain, I was prepared for less than par bathrooms but found our moderate hotels and reserved restaurants were equipped with nice, fully functioning toilets. In fact, I even thought the bathrooms to be a little better here in Europe because of the private stall with a door that goes that all the way to the floor. How the US came upon the scarce partitioning system should be left for another rant…

But then on my next visit in 2011, I encountered Italy and the Tuscan region with its little villages. Finding a bathroom was a feat in itself. In order to use a facility in a restaurant or bar, one has to eat or purchase a product. There were so many wine stops just so I could use the toilet! And these stalls were…well, yuck. Bathrooms were small after thoughts, so toilets were tucked away in a corner and usually a step up to hide the plumbing with a tiny corner sink. There is usually barely enough room to turn around, and the smell is always disgustingly sweet urine and mold. I had to keep reminding myself that these buildings were hundreds of years old and constructed well before indoor plumbing was really a thing.

In fact, in a rural town in the hills of Tuscany, we stopped to tour around. And, lo and behold, the coffee that morning had kicked in and now I was in urgent need to “drop some kids off at the pool”. The local shop owner indicated there was a public restroom in the center plaza and I spotted it as a round, metal building with a closed door and a money machine. It was 1€ to use the facility and I was wary of what was inside so I tested it. I pushed my euro in and the door magically slid open. It revealed a hole in the floor and the odor nearly knocked me over. That’s it. A hole. No toilet, no sink, and there was no way I could make a solid deposit there because, even if it was so urgent to squat, I had no way of knowing of how long I had before that door would open again. And there was no paper. Needless to say, I held it, excruciatingly, but I timed my coffee better every morning after.

Fast forward to 2018, and my family and I made a leap by moving to Barcelona (the story of that brave leap is for another time!), but after living here for nearly two years and encountering hundreds of bathrooms, I have developed a rating system. This code has become normal conversations between my friends and I as we meet for coffee and tapas in many different areas. I include the rating system in my emails to future visiting friends and family so they can be prepared for their vacations – from the hole in the ground to the spectacular.

First, here in Europe and Barcelona, there are a couple of rules to go over before the ratings begin. It is customary to purchase a coffee/water/beer at the counter of the bar cafes prior to using the bathroom. This is generally a cheap expense (1-2 euros) but look for more clean, modern and well lit bars/cafes/restaurants for a higher rating. Also, keep in mind that paper and products are often not placed in the toilet, as the infrastructure can’t handle it. So, one may have to deposit used toilet paper in the trash bin provided in the stall.

The scale is basically a set of stars, ranging from 1 to 5 stars. There are instances of zero stars (see public hole above) and you should run from these. So, without further ado, I give you the bathroom rating scale:

1 STAR – The bathroom must have a toilet and a toilet seat. I do not know why Europe has an aversion to toilet seats. I have priced them and they are expensive, so I surmise that they are either stolen or never replaced once broken. The toilet seat is negligible for the stand up and squat urinators, but for the times that a #2 is imminent (or a few too many glasses of wine), a toilet seat is really quite needed. If there is no toilet seat, the overall rating is reduced by 2 stars.

2 STARS – The bathroom must have toilet paper. I carry tissues in my purse at all times because this basic necessity is probably only found half of the time. I always put the used tissue in the trash bin .

3 STARS – The bathroom must have hand soap by the sink. I find that Spain has adopted the motto: Germs are good. But, seriously, finding soap to wash your hands before eating or after going to the bathroom is found less than half of the time. Update: Since Covid-19, I carry hand soap with me at all times.

4 STARS – The bathroom must have paper towels in which to dry your hands. Often, a hand “dryer” is found by the sink but I find this contraption more of a mouth breather and the stale, lukewarm air is gross. So, more often than not, I dry my hands on my pants/shirt.

5 STARS – The bathroom must have a working and lockable door with enough space inside the stall to turn around, squat, and bend over to wipe. I am not a small girl , and I have found my knees touching the door in front of me more than once. Straddling a toilet is just not easy when wearing pants.

Next time you are out for coffee or drinks, don’t forget to rate the bathroom and tell your friends. It is nice knowing in advance what kind of preparation you may need, and I found it super helpful for tourists and travelers. May your experience always be 5 stars!