Gotta be fresh…which room do you pick?

The Tech explores the pristine, the deprecated, and the critters that chase us around MIT’s bathrooms.

By Joanna Kao 
and Robert McQueen Apr. 5, 2011

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CORRECTION TO THIS ARTICLE: This feature on bathrooms at MIT omits attributions for several contributing Tech staff members. Campus life staff, Aislyn Schalck, and Ethan A. Solomon contributed reporting.

With over 1000 bathrooms on campus to explore, The Tech went out of its way to show you the best of the best. From antibacterial flushers to Dyson Airblades and automatic doors, MIT hosts a cornucopia of places to do your business.

W20-572a (Unisex)

Stalls: 1

Sinks: 1

This single-occupancy bathroom located next to the Athena cluster on the fifth floor has the newest amenities of any bathroom in the Student Center. There are motion-sensitive lights and a two-option, antibacterial flusher. The only downside? A leak stain in the ceiling — but that should only be a problem when it’s raining.

33-306 (Women)

Stalls: 2

Sinks: 2

If you’re looking for a new place to sleep, this women’s restroom in 33-306 may be a good spot to check out. It contains a three-person couch with an attractive blanket bearing the name of the pro golf great Arnold Palmer. For privacy, there is even a lock on the door to the bathroom. The bathroom also has two stalls, two sinks, two chairs, and a cool painting.

35-330 (Men)

Stalls: 3

Sinks: 1

Urinals: 2

Upon entering the bathroom in 35-330, you’ll notice an odd contraption to your left — a birdie, as some affectionately call it. The birdie, which is not in working order, is a large fountain-like fixture that releases water from the top when activated by a ring around the bottom which hand-washers can step on. The rest of this bathroom is pretty normal; it contains three stalls, one sink, and two urinals (that are uncomfortably close together).

Bldg. 32 basement across from Rm. 082 (Men and Women)

Stalls: 4 (Men), 10 (Women)

Sinks: 4 (Men), 5 (Women)

Urinals: 4 (Men)

Think you don’t have time to shower because you never go back to your dorm? You no longer have an excuse with the showers located in the basement of the Stata building. Located across from the TEAL classroom (32-082), this bathroom — which requires an MIT ID to enter and is equipped with an emergency phone — contains a working shower, although the shower head can be a challenge to detach if that’s how you shower. The men’s restroom also has four sinks, four urinals (with dividers between them), and four bathroom stalls (one handicapped stall). The women’s bathroom has five sinks, 10 stalls (two handicapped stalls), and a mirror at the corner that makes it easy to see if there are people in the bathroom.

66-047 and 66-147 (Women)

Stalls: 2 (first floor), 1 (basement)

Sinks: 2 (first floor), 1 (basement)

If you’re looking for cockroach companions in the bathroom, check out the basement of Building 66. The women’s restrooms contain vanity mirrors similar to those in theater dressing rooms. The bathroom on the first floor has two stalls and two sinks, and the bathroom in the basement is single occupancy.

50-002 (Women), 50-009 (Men), 50-353 (Women), and 50-350 (Men)

Stalls: 4 (Men’s basement), 3 (Women’s basement), 4 (Men’s third floor), 3 (Women’s third floor)

Sinks: 6 (Men’s basement), 4 (Women’s basement), 5 (Men’s third floor), 2 (Women’s third floor)

Urinals: 5 (Men’s basement), 3 (Men’s third floor)

Next time you have an exam in Walker, check out the bathrooms in the building! The basement is extremely spacious, containing six sinks, four stalls, and five urinals in the men’s room and four sinks, three stalls, and two chairs in the women’s room. The men’s room even has a chalkboard above the urinals for those thoughts that pop up when you don’t have paper conveniently lying around.

The third floor contains remnants of what used to be a shower room and lockers. The rest of the restroom is rather disgusting, with paint peeling from the walls and overly marked-up stall doors. On the bright side, both the men’s and women’s rooms are extremely well lit.

Barker Library Fourth floor (Women)

Stalls: 3

Sinks: 2

Toilet paper is never scarce in the women’s bathroom on the fourth floor of the Barker Engineering Library. There is a large box of toilet paper and paper towels sitting next to a large couch right by the door. The bathroom also sports coat hooks, cute posters, and a small table. It has three stalls and two sinks.

E14-189 (Women)

Stalls: 4

Sinks: 2

The rumors are true: some Media Lab restrooms have emergency whistles. This spacious restroom has two remaining whistles located on hangers in the stalls; the others seem to have gone missing. It also has four stalls, two sinks, and is quite expansive.

E15-198 (Women) and E15-199 (Men)

Stalls: 2 (Men), 2 (Women)

Sinks: 2 (Men), 2 (Women)

Urinals: 1 (Men)

Guess what? Automatic doors! Yes, this was the only set of restrooms we found with automatic doors, and they were in the Media Lab (surprise, surprise). They’re also decorated with artistic posters, two stalls, one urinal (men’s room only), and two sinks.

E15-098 (Women) and E15-099 (Men)

Stalls: 4 (Women), 4 (Men)

Sinks: 3 (Women), 3 (Men)

Urinals: 3 (Men)

Hands meet Dyson? This restroom is one of the few restrooms on campus that sports a Dyson Airblade hand drier, capable of blowing air up to 400 mph. The rooms also feature full-length mirrors, four stalls (one handicapped), three sinks, and three urinals (men’s room only). Toiletries here are also only 10 cents instead of the regular 25-cent price.

E14-662 (Men) and E14-698 (Women)

Stalls: 3 (Men), 11 (Women)

Sinks: 3 (Men), 5 (Women)

Urinals: 5 (Men)

The Media Lab sports an impressive men’s bathroom with five urinals and three stalls. Each stall boasts a fire alarm, air vent, and green-handled, antibacterial flusher. The Media Lab’s “look” translates to this restroom quite well

The women’s room is easily the largest and most impressive bathroom we found on campus. Twice as large as normal and sporting 11 stalls, this bathroom is designed for large crowds. Each stall has its own fire alarm, coat hook, and air vent. A huge mirror spans five sensor-triggered sinks.

This information was compiled by the staff of Campus Life, Aislyn Schalck, and Ethan A. Solomon.