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[title]Excusing yourself to use the restroom at a NYC restaurant, bar, museum or hotel can actually lead to a journey of discovery and fun.
The bathroom can be a moment to impress, surprise and set a venue apart from everywhere else—sometimes even its main theme—in a personal way. Think about it: When you’re alone, separated from your group to do your business, your attention is held captive. Some places just use that to their advantage to deliver a memorable experience.
And now that we know where all the best public bathrooms are in NYC thanks to Teddy Siegel from the viral social account Got2GoNYC, we’re hunting down the coolest ones. Luckily, accounts like @toiletfantasies and @poopersguide have documented this underrated art form but we’re sifting through so many beautiful, edgy and captivating designs to find the toilets with the MOST.
Think we missed one? Tag your favorites at #TimeOutNewYork.
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1. Lisson Gallery (Chelsea)
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Some bathrooms are art gallery-worthy, sure, but rarely do they contain actual art. This one does and it’s part of an exhibit. Artist Hugh Hayden’s work is displayed in Lisson Gallery’s bathroom in “Hughmans.”
According to the gallery, “Hayden reengages with the concept of the bathroom stall in order to investigate experiences of revelation, intimacy, desire, and sexuality—this time through the lens of the collective experience.” You can experience it by simply walking into a stall and reconsidering your relationship with privacy and public spaces.
Find it on West 24th Street in Chelsea
2. Summit One Vanderbilt (midtown)
@timeoutnewyork Findings the best views for your next poo in NYC 💩 #nycbathroom #nyc #newyorkcity #foryou #summit1 #publicbathroom #nycviews ♬ Instrumental - Vibe - pedrin cria
The Summit One Vanderbilt is known for its immersive mirrored experience inside the observatory, but did you know it’s bathrooms have some of the best views of uptown Manhattan? You can come out of your stall after doing your business and get a view better than you’ve got at your own apartment. Take a beat in there.
Find it near Grand Central in midtown
3. Xanadu Roller Arts (Bushwick)
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Xanadu is NYC’s newest roller rink (a true unicorn these days) bringing funky and groovy roller culture to Bushwick, from its otherworldly decor and fun food to even its bathroom. Dubbed “Club Flush” by its owner (the same owner behind Turk’s Inn), the all-red restroom has its own soundtrack that a DJ spins for patrons so they can dance as they wash their hands. The best part is that there’s no carpet so you can keep your skates on as you pee. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Xanadu has a cool bathroom—its owned by the same person behind Turk’s Inn, which also has a sweet water closet.
Find it on Starr Street in Bushwick
4. Baroness (Long Island City)
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You thought you loved 1996’s Titanic with Leonardo Dicaprio and Kate Winslet? We don’t think your fandom goes this far. At Long Island City’s Burger & Craft Beer Bar, Baronness doesn’t pull punches when it comes to its restroom. You totally descend into Titanic madness inside and it even has the Heart of the Ocean. This one takes the award for most unhinged.
Find it on Vernon Boulevard in LIC
5. The Flower Shop (Lower East Side)
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The Flower Shop continues its 1970s house party vibes in its bathroom. This beloved hangout offers a little glow-in-the-dark experience to those using the toilet. On the walls are naughty posters (one featuring the Kama Sutra and another showing Popeye and Olive Oil making out) and painted patterns that glow under black lights.
Find it on Eldridge Street on the Lower East Side
6. Little Ways (Soho)
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This is Flower Shop’s upscale sister restaurant led by chef Michael Hamilton, who cranks out delicious chicken schnitzel and tiramisu. Its bathroom though is essentially perfect for influencers (and those hoping to catch a glimpse of themselves from every angle imaginable). It’s mostly covered in mirrors creating an infinity room illusion that you can get lost in while washing your hands or posing.
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And downstairs, you can find a bathroom completely covered in pebbles. It’s like you’re peeing inside of a sandcastle.
Find it on Broadway in Soho
7. The Mouth (Williamsburg)
@timeoutnewyork We’re on a mission to find the coolest bathrooms in NYC, any suggestions? 🧼#nyc #nycbathroom #foryou #stickers #coolbathrooms #mirrorselfie #brooklyn ♬ Yasashi - CXSPER
In this bathroom, you’re actually encouraged to add your own sticker to the walls. This restaurant and bar connected to Brooklyn Art Haus is covered in stickers of all shapes, sizes and statements. They’re on the walls, the sink, the dryer and even the toilet! Best of all, you can add your own anywhere you like. It’s encouraged!
Find it on Marcy Avenue in Williamsburg
8. Oxomoco (Greenpoint)
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Michelin-starred Oxomoco has some of the best Mexican food in NYC but also one of the coolest bathrooms. Sometimes you just need a little disco moment and Oxomoco delivers in its bathroom with a tiny disco ball that bounces its light off tiled mirrors.
Find it on Greenpoint Avenue in Brooklyn
9. Pier 17 (The Seaport)
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It’s not every day you see boats while you take a leak! Head inside the Rooftop at Pier 17 to find a clean restroom with floor-to-ceiling windows that look out to the Seaport and its many historic boats, redefining the meaning of “poop deck!”
Find it at the Seaport
10. The Center (West Village)
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This center for the LGBTQ+ community was established in 1983 and is now the second-largest center of its kind worldwide. Unsurprisingly, it has a very cool bathroom that features artwork by Keith Haring. Created in 1989, “Once Upon A Time” celebrates sexual liberation just before the onset of the AIDS epidemic. It heavily features the male member among other drawn body parts in his signature style. You can see it any time the Center is open, though it is not a functioning bathroom any longer.
Find it on West 13th Street in the Village
11. 5ive Spice Taco & Banh Mi (Nolita)
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Hiding your bathroom behind a shelf makes it cool in our book. This hotspot for Vietnamese-style Tacos, pho, banh mi and more knows how to keep it interesting and keep people guessing. This bathroom door looks like your typical display shelf, except it has a “pull” sign and door handle on it. Once you enter, it’s your standard restroom, but the tricky entry makes it worth adding to this list.
Find it on Mulberry Street in Nolita
12. Boobie Trap (Bushwick)
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It’s no surprise that this Bushwick bar and breastaurant has a boobie-inspired bathroom. Every you look there are boobs—the bathroom ceiling is tiled with rubber knockers lit by a chandelier of Barbies, the gold zebra-printed walls are nailed with ’90s troll dolls and plastic dinosaurs, and a neon sign boldly proclaims fuck off from behind the bar. Play rounds of childhood favorites like Monopoly on tables with built-in boards or snatch nudie coloring pages and crayons from the bartender, who will be dressed in a cheerleader’s uniform. (rewrite)
Find it on Bleecker Street in Bushwick
13. Russ and Daughters Cafe (Lower East Side)
This Lower East Side staple since 1914 that serves old-world standbys like borscht, smoked-fish platters and egg creams actually has a cool bathroom. It’s wallpapered with those tickets you take at the counter. It’s both retro and ingenious.
Its second bathroom is completely decorated with sesame seeds.
Find them on Orchard Street on the Lower East Side
14. Bar Belly (Lower East Side)
This cocktail and oyster bar has one of the best happy hours in NYC inside its minimally decorated space, but it also has one of the best bathrooms. It’s even more industrial than the dining room with corrugated steel walls, exposed lightbulbs and a rustic wooden door that makes you feel like you’re peeing in a hidden bunker in the great outdoors.
Find it on Orchard Street on the Lower East Side
15. Public Hotel (Lower East Side)
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It’s no surprise that the stylish Public Hotel on the Lower East Side (home to The Standard ) has a bitchin’ bathroom. This one on The Roof has a view of Manhattan that you can gaze upon as you wash your hands.
Find it on Chrystie Street on the Lower East Side
16. Motel Morris (Chelsea)
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Motel Morris serves American dishes and 1960s motel culture. It’s decorated with nostalgic touches like a deep-blue lacquered bar, chenille banquettes and all-pink bathrooms. Inside, you’ll find pink floral wallpaper, a cute pink vintage telephone and lounge seats for the best bathroom selfies you may want to invite your friends in for.
Find it on Seventh Avenue in Chelsea
17. Elsa (Cobble Hill)
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The Cobble Hill reincarnation of the former East Village favorite is mostly industrial-glam. In fact, the Brooklyn space was based on the style of French designer Jean Royère, Art Nouveau and the Vienna Secession movement and can be seen in its curvy molding, wrought-iron light fixtures and its abstract logo of a topless woman. But, its bathroom feels glamorous but also a bit futuristic. It’s basically decorated with mirrors that are underlit to create a super cool effect in the mirror.
Find it on Atlantic Avenue in Cobble Hill