First, you must see a picture.
Taking this picture, I need you to know, turned out to be one of the more difficult things I’ve had to do recently in the name of art. There was no lock on the door, and just as I had squeezed into the corner with my camera and was framing up the shot, a gentleman burst in. We stood frozen, each as surprised as the other, for several seconds. He held the door open so that I could leave, and so I left. We exchanged no words. I came back later.
So, here we have a urinal and a toilet, sat next to each other in the restroom. There is a lock on the door. Perhaps a helpful American can fill me in on the etiquette here. Do I lock the door if I’m intending having a number two in the toilet, but leave it open if I’m having a number one in the urinal? If I walk in and someone is using the urinal, am I allowed to pee in the toilet, or is it strictly reserved for number twos? Is it acceptable for me to drop my trousers, mutter a cheery “good evening” and sit down for a crap? May I sing?
Of the various possible situations that this special restroom configuration offers, I have so far only come across one instance of dual occupancy, and that was when I was having a pee in the urinal (having left the door unlocked) and someone else came in and had a pee in the toilet. This, I have to admit, was something of a relief. Oh, and there was that time when I was taking the photo.
I treat the situation the way I treat it at work (where there is a toilet and urinal); I lock the door. If it would be awkward to share a bathroom with a pal from work it would be awkward to share it with a stranger.
The appropriate etiquette is that you should not lock the door at all. If you are alone in the restroom, you must leave it unlocked for someone else to enter. If you are not, you would be locking someone else in the restroom with you, which is clearly a distressing situation.
If you are the first to enter the restroom, you should use the toilet, regardless of what you need to do. If you are doing a #2, you are socially required to casually place your hands so as to conceal any bits that might make a later arrival uncomfortable. If you are doing a #1, you should stand at an angle to the bowl such that these bits are naturally concealed from view by a later arrival.
If you are the second to enter the restroom, you may not do a #2 at all. You may use the available facility (urinal or toilet) for a #1 provided you stand at the aforementioned angle that naturally conceals your bits. If you need to do a #2, you should leave the restroom and return when the other occupant has left.
In any case, your responsibility when entering a men’s restroom with another occupant is to clearly avoid direct eye contact with someone else’s bits, and clearly facilitate such avoidance of eye contact with your own bits. This is a remnant of the puritanical influence from the early colonists.
I obviously think too much about American social behaviors and the rationale behind them.
I haven’t seen very many restrooms like this but I would always expect there to be a lock on the door and use it.
I actually thought about this more and also thought that if another person was to be allowed entrance while someone else is in the bathroom they would have a swinging style door to enter the restroom, a door that doesn’t click and lock.
I’m an American [New Yawkah subspecies migrated to Tennessee] and I’d say adamantly that you should lock the door and be the sole occupier of the can [as I prefer to call it].
I think it may have been designed that way for a couple reasons: 1. to save on water. I suspect the urinal uses less water than the toilet. 2. to give a place for sloppy/lazy pissers to go so they won’t go all over the seat or accurate pissers who don’t lift the seat and so spray it with some splashback from the toilet.
There is no way you should share that space nor feel guilty about it. Although if that’s the handicap bathroom and there are ordinary ones around you should get out and use the normal one like a non-handicapped person should.
Far, far too much time on your hands…..
Well, you certainly should not pee on another man’s leg. So it is good that the urinal and the toilet in this particular loo have been adequately positioned to avoid this happenstance (notwithstanding a scallywag’s direct intent to employ his privates in such a dastardly undertaking).
However, I think not only should you share the room, but when you and another chap are doing #1 and the other is doing #2, if either one should loudly expel gas during their individual excretions, the other should clap very loudly in honor of this event. And take a deep breath. And smile.
I … simply don’t know. If I had to say right this minute, I would hedge and say lock the door at all times. Or not.
Etiquette, shmetiquette. I’m locking it.
Oh, and I’d probably hang a charity box outside the place, for people to donate money for a remodel. I mean, really…
One has to wonder why there isn’t a simple door separating the toilet section from the urinal section. And why on earth there’s a rail behind the toilet? Is this ficility located on an earthquake-prone area?
Or, maybe, it was designed for something else rather than simply taking a leak.
In America (Michigan at least) you would lock the door and use the device of your choice, they are both there for your preferential usage…
oh so funny, i haven’t laughed so much, this is good, thank you
In America using the bathroom is considered to be a more private ritual and while some other cultures may find this situation acceptable, I know for fact I would feel very uncomfortable if I walked in on someone using the toilet to number 2. My response would be to say excuse me and come back at another time unless I really, really had to go, then all conventions would be thrown out the window. I would then quickly go about my business avoiding eye contact, wash my hands and get out as quickly as humanly possible. I do believe there are situations where such a bathroom layout is acceptable such as in a private residence between a sibling or with a spouse.
No you are all completely and utterly wrong. The toilet is strictly for dire number two emergencies and the handicapped. The bars behind the toilet are the proof that it is for the handicapped.
The lock on the door is to be used at absolutely all times in a single occupancy.
I’ve always thought that for restrooms like those, if you came in first and you need to do a #1, you use the urinal. If a person enters and you’re using the urinal, they’re free to use the toilet for whatever purpose.
I love this post! As a woman and a Brit, I’ve not encountered this setup, not having been in any male toilets in the U.S. (actually that’s a lie – I’ve been in the gents under the bar in the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo, and I suspect most women who’ve been there have as well). But I have been in a unisex toilet in France where the loos were behind doors but there was a line of urinals to negotiate before reaching them, and that was pretty off-putting.
If I walk into that type of bathroom layout and it’s empty, I won’t lock the door if I’m just going to use the urinal. It won’t bother me if someone walks in while I’m peeing. Then it’s his call whether he wants to use the toilet, wait for the urinal, or go back outside until I finish. I walked into that type of bathroom at a gas station recently with a guy standing at the sink. I hesitated at first, and he said, “It’s cool. You can come in.”, so I did and used the urinal with him standing there at the sink. It’s a public bathroom. I don’t need privacy when I need to go.
The urinal uses less water to flush… which is what a European would think of .. us Americans regularly forget these kinds of simple things.. ie: euro toilets often have two flush options… so, lock the door, and depending on your impending eco output needs, choose your weapon.
If you are the first to enter a “One Man – Two Man” Bathroom as described above, you need to lock the door behind you if and only if you are the first to enter the bathroom. Those other people can wait.
Imagine if you were doing your business and someone came in after you and then locked the door. This would not only create an awkward situation, it could potentially create a life damaging scenario. Always be on guard in a “One Man – Two Man”
I have unfortunately walked in on a rookie One Man Two Man occupant dropping deuce, I told him to lock the door and light a match.
The purpose of the “One Man Two Man” is to provide us Americans the option where to complete the #1 task [Toilet or Urinal]. The #2 task should only be completed in the toilet, not the urinal. Consider it a luxury bathroom or a bathroom upgrade that offers plenty of leg room and choices.
As a man, if I enter first, I can choose whatsoever means (urinal or toilet) leaving the door unlocked because the other means is free for the next users. If I decide to use the toilet I will keep the pant not hanging to the floor, but covering the pelvic region. When I am finished, I will take care to zip my pants turning my back.
The second user, that will come later, can choose to use the free means or to leave caming back later. If he decide to remain, it is advisable to lock the door because in this case the toilet room is occupied.
Anyway the both means are requested to be used for peeing and not for other purpouse, for respect for the nearby user.
When one of the two occupying will leave first the restroom, should leave the room unlocked for the free entrance of the next user.
In my opinion.
I just used one like this today. I sat on the can & a guy walked in & started to leave. I said “hey, if you just have to use the urinal you are more then welcome to” so he came back in & did. This was an odd set up in that the urinal was on a wall about 2 feet ahead of the toilet so he could kind of hide if he wanted to but not much but he had a perfect view of me. I told him about the time in college when a group of cleaning ladies walked in on me & a buddy using the toilet in college together (first time I ever used an open stall–actually no stall, side by side toilet, & especially with a buddy). Anyway, talk about embarrassing then. Anyway, the guy tonight wanted to know how my evening was going & wished me well & thanked me & took time to wash his hands etc.. & never looked away & I did not cover up either.
I never lock doors since my neighbor had a heart attack in the bathroom. By the time they got the door off, he was dead. So today I was at a fast food joint having a nice crap when a couple of guys walked in. They pretended not to notice me but they both did their business. The layout was just like above. And as far as covering my jewels, I don’t care, let them look! After they left I was kind of excited with a semi-hard-on, so I relieved that too!
Where is the hand washing station? I believe this is a handicap accessible restroom that should be locked when in use by a single occupant.
Definitely lock the door. The urinal uses less water, so use that to urinate in. Many Americans do realize that, but it might be more of a west coast thing, we have lived through water shortages and consider conservation a necessary activity.
The bars around the toilet are there for handicap access. Probably the owner chose to install this kind of bathroom so they did not have to install a separate handicap one, or you wandered into the handicap bathroom.
Again, lock the door. I neither want to walk in on you, nor do I want you to walk in on me. Simply treat this configuration as though there was just one toilet in there. You got there first, they can wait.
Well –
this is not a rare configuration in this Bavarian city of Nuremberg.
Take Wohnungsamt ground floor: Corridor – lockable door to the right into a room with urinal, toilet without cubicle, and handwash. Most men peeing leave the door wide open – women have to pass to the women’s restroom next door. This as well has no cubicle.
Quite a number of toilets standing aloof, cubicleless. Exceptions, to be sure, but not really rare. Locking is always possible, but few men lock the whole if they only pee. Myszka March 1st, 2014
angel.garcia2001@googlemail.com
This may be too late, but could some kind soul define the terms “number 1” and “number 2”?? They may be different on either side of the pond, and of course in Scootland …
🙂
TOTALLY LOCK THE DOOR!!!!!!!!
I ALWAYS CHECK FOR A LOCK.
THIS IS MY BATHROOM MOTO…
NO LOCK NO USE.
You should definitely leave the door open. If you enter and no one is inside you are free to do a number 1 or 2. However the toilet is strictly for a number 2 and if you only come for a number 1 you should use the urinal. The only exception is if there’s a guy at the urinal. If there’s a guy at the urinal you can also use the toilet for a number 2. However if you enter and a guy is using the toilet you can only do a number 1 and if you need a number 2 you should come back later
Leave unlocked if pissing, so that someone else can piss or wash hands if needed. Lock if shitting, fucking or doing drugs.
I’ve seen this set up many times in small food places and gas stations. I leave the door unlocked when I use the urinal. That gives other men the option to use the toilet.
Baycill, that is how a real man acts. We are both guys so come on in and take a piss if you have to no big deal. Not like these other ‘guys’ or should I say pussies.
Surely two people of either sex or both sexes can use the room together if just urinating. Depends how high the urinal is for ladies of course!
Thank you Clide. I still use ones like this
Ok guys, I googled this topic because of a situation that happened at the beach last Month. I was on the beach and needed to take a #2 asap. I walked up to the pier men’s room to find a toilet, pisser and sink. NO lock! I said what he heck and dropped my trunks leaving me basically naked with no shirt and flip flops only.
Suddenly the door swung open and a man with his maybe 4 year old son came in apologizing, but said his son had to pee now! I smiled and said ok, sure. He held his son up to the urinal direcly beside me to pee. His boy said he had to poo, not pee! Dad pulled his shorts up and then I expected them to step out. Dad started talking about military latrines and propped up directly in front of me in this 6×7′ room talking away… I was really embarrassed sitting there naked exposing my wiener and all with this guy fully clothed and is talking away. The door opened again and this man said “full house”!we laughed … I was done with my business and said I was rapping it up. He said I he would stand guard…well he stood there at the door( inside still) as I stood up awkwardly wiping myself, my wife has never seen me on the toilet, much less naked and cleaning myself. I pulled up my trunks, washed my hands as the man told me to enjoy the rest of my vacation. Is this just male bonding or sort or just weird!!
I Saw he and his wife and son later at our hotel pool and he spoke. I was a bit humiliated how he had seen me earlier..
It’s not weird. Everyone poops dude. Life is more fun when you’re not as uptight. If you ever find yourself in that situation just go with it. Anyone that would ever walk in on you has done the same thing you’re doing.
Seth. Sounds like a friendly fun experience.
What if the restroom is for both sexes. Do you still leave it unlocked if you’re just peeing? What if a female walks in, she will def get a good look at your man hood. Lol.
Honestly, I dont lock the door. I hate it when people lock the door on a bathroom like this and I really have to go. I feel if there are 2 places to go, 2 people should be using them. It’s more efficient anyway. I’ve had people walk in and they like profusely apologize and I’m just like nah, it’s cool come on in.