Last week we looked at a restroom located inside a boba shop. It required a code, but it was clean and fully stocked which is sometimes more than one can ask for in the city.
This week, we'll look at an almost exemplary example of a public restroom that basically ticks all the boxes and, suffice to say, was an unexpected park bathroom experience.
On one of the coldest days since returning to Seattle earlier this month, a friend and I went on a walk to Volunteer park. About a mile and a half away from Seattle University, the park is home to the Seattle Asian Art Museum and the Volunteer Park Conservatory.
Every time I visit, I'm amazed that something like this exists in the city. The trees are full and tall, the air is clean and the atmosphere is always so calm. It is, without a doubt, a beautiful park with great views of the city and the Space Needle.
Having come to this park a few times before, we decided to deviate from our usual route and walked down E Highland Dr. towards the amphitheater.
To our pleasant surprise, the amphitheater had been remodeled and reopened in June of last year. The new structure features three gender-neutral stalls and a new concrete stage.
Unfortunately, the bathrooms were all locked and my excitement was short-lived. It might have been due to the cold temperatures or that they haven't been unlocked since the reopening but mark my words, I will be back one day for a full review!
MY RATING OUT OF 5: 5
MY REVIEW:
From the outside, the bathroom doesn't look five-star worthy though it's definitely cute and quirky with its Swiss influence. Fun fact, the 'comfort station' was designed by John Olmsted of the Olmsted Brothers architectural firm who was hired to design the park in 1904!
At first glance, you can see quick paint jobs cover what I assume is graffiti and some of the bricks near the seating area between the men's and women's rooms are falling apart. Yet the experience inside was unexpected, to say the least.
It may be too soon to give out a five out of five, but sue me! This bathroom was one of THE best park bathrooms I've ever had the pleasure of using. Not only was it clean, but it also had warm water, a changing table, hooks for your bag AND a working hand dryer! Literally, what more could you ask for?
Before moving forward with the review, I would like to add that as someone who identifies as a woman, only women and gender-neutral bathrooms will be reviewed. This unfortunately means that gendered bathrooms like this one will not account for the men's restroom which could very well have different ratings.
With that addressed, back to the potty talk! In addition to the incredible features listed above, the restroom was well-lit, had a handicap stall and was stocked with toilet paper and soap. It was also not very smelly which is always a plus!
If I were to find something wrong with this bathroom, and this would be me nitpicking, it would be there are only two stalls. In reality, this is not really an issue as there are no hoards of people needing to use the restroom.
This exceptional bathroom can be found near the Volunteer Park Conservatory next to the playground. While it's no Bloomingdale's restroom, it's definitely the premier bathroom of all park bathrooms.
If this is any sign of how Volunteer Park manages its utilities, I am excited to see what its new amphitheater bathrooms have in store! Hopefully, they won't be an unexpected experience...in a bad way!
very informative and thoughtful review! to many more exemplary potty stops 🥂
always love a fun fact in my bathroom reviews! hope you find more 5/5 potties!!!