Every so often, you encounter a bathroom that takes your breath away (not just because it could use some air freshener). From the world's most scenic rest stop to a urinal that holds a literal piece of history, these are some of our favorite loos.
LessIt's not every day that you encounter a penis drawn on a bathroom wall and call it art. But that's absolutely the case at this LGBTQ community center, where a bathroom on the second floor is home to the last major mural that artist Keith Haring painted before his death. The piece, titled Once Upon a Time, was created in 1989 for a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.
As part of a project to enhance Norway’s scenic highways, this sleek rest stop area was built along the roadside. Next to the marble benches and amphitheater steps stands a striking, wave-shaped public restroom made of frosted glass and concrete. It offers just about the most breathtaking view you could hope for while relieving yourself.
Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser's works are held in the collections of MoMA, the National Gallery of Art, and other museums. But you won't find his final project in any gallery. A public restroom covered in the artist's signature multi-colored tile collages and undulating lines in a small town in New Zealand.
This 315-square-foot Beaux-Arts building in Bryant Park hides a rare restroom oasis. Inside, guests are greeted by fresh flowers, paintings of the park made by artists-in-residence, and even bathroom attendants, all set to a soundtrack of curated classical music in the background.
This is the only one of Amsterdam's urinals that has earned national monument status. The toilet, built in 1926, overlooks the canal outside a building that once housed the new wing of City Hall.
The origin of this two-story outhouse in Cedar Lake, Michigan is something of a mystery. Some say it was once connected to a hotel, while others say the second floor was intended to offer women a bit of privacy.
Pieces of the wall that once divided East and West Berlin can be found all over the world, but there aren't many places where you can relieve yourself on one of these relics. (Not without getting in trouble, at least.) A large piece of the Berlin Wall is attached to the wall of the men's bathroom in this Vegas casino.
An underground public bathroom in Düsseldorf's city center went unused, unloved, and for 10 years, nearly unnoticed. In the early 2000s, a scrappy band of local artists saw potential in the abandoned space and transformed it into Reinraum, a community art center and performance venue.
The five-foot-tall Art Deco-style marble urinals at this Minneapolis bar are in complete working order, despite being more than a century old. Pulled out of the now-defunct West Hotel in the 1940s, it's rumored that at some point Al Capone once relieved himself in one of these beauties.
Opened in 1910, the Hermitage Hotel is located in the middle of downtown Nashville, and features a number of gorgeous period flourishes. But none are so applauded as the hotel's Art Deco-styled men's room. The lush bathroom is walled in gleaming lime-green-and-black leaded glass tiles, has lime-green fixtures, and terrazzo flooring.