Rob Roy - Seattle, WA

Like your parents basement in the 70's, Rob Roy has strong drinks, cool decorations, odd art work, leather walls, mirrored ceilings, and great bathrooms! OK a great bathroom might not be what you remember of your parents basement but it is of mine!

Growing up in Idaho I shared a bathroom with my older sister, the downstairs bathroom! Which meant it was down the hall from the bar my parents had set up in our basement. A huge roll-around bar that was stocked full of cheap booze and a bar light painted with the words BAR - brilliant! Our house was always in the middle of remodeling which meant so was our bathroom. Before the remodel the bathroom walls were covered in gold fuzzy wallpaper that put sleazy hotel rooms everywhere to shame. When my mom had had enough of the sleaze she made us tear down the wallpaper. This left a wall covered in white dried adhesive. What to do now? Paint? No of course not. She let us, and our friends, graffiti the walls with different colored markers. Remember that pizza joint in your neighborhood that used to let all the customers sign the walls? (Don't worry every town had one!) Well that's what our walls looked like. Drawings, sayings, obscenities (we were clever with how we disguised it) and youthful dreams splashed on the walls like a senior yearbook!

How does this have anything to do with Rob Roy? After sitting with friends having drinks in the 70's basement inspired bar area, I made my way down the fuzzy wallpaper hallway to the restroom in Rob Roy. I expected what my bathroom was like in high school and I wasn't disappointed. Granted it wasn't as youthful looking or as cheep but the men's restroom in Rob Roy also "allows" it's visitors to mark up the wall with drawings, saying, obscenities (not as cleverly disguised) and drunk inspired dreams!

But that's not the only thing Rob Roy has going for itself in the restroom. They had the fantastic idea of putting orange, lime, and lemon slices in the urinal! Bright sunshiny slices making the urinal almost - dare I say - pretty. As I used the urinal I realized what I'd be doing all day Sunday; cutting slices of fruit to put in my toilet. Wait...that wouldn't work as well. Still, I love the idea. The juxtaposition between the colorful fruit and the dark graffiti walls puts this restroom in a class of it's own. It's not the fanciest restroom I've been in but it certainly impressed me!

Score Card

Cleanliness = 3

Originality = 4.5 (it's all in the fruit)

Design = 2.5 (most of the design comes from the drunks)

Privacy = 3

Fruit = 4.5 (can I score twice on the same thing? Hell yes it's my blog!)

Rob Roy Total = 17.5 (out of 25)

Final Thoughts: Rob Roy's got it going on - if it was my friends basement I'd be there every weekend just so I could sneak cheap vodka and piss in fruit!

www.robroyseattle.com

Quinn's Pub - Seattle, WA

Friday after work + nice weather = happy hour with friends!

I hadn't been for a long time but I knew Quinn's Pub on Capitol Hill in Seattle had a great menu, strong drinks and of course a great restroom. I remember it having everything I wanted in a restroom, so I was excited to try it again. When I showed up my friend Jason already had a drink and was sitting at the bar. I sat down, ordered and made my way through the normal "hello-how are you-I'm good-great to see you" conversation all the while eyeing the hallway to the restrooms. I didn't want to be rude so I sucked down my first, then my second Sidecar on the rocks before excusing myself. With phone in hand (for the camera) I made my way through the restaurant, down the hallway and into my own private oasis!

Quinn's restrooms have several things going for them. To start the awesome hallway. There are only two restrooms so you might find yourself having to wait in line but that's OK. They made it almost spa like with wood planks stacked on top of another along the main wall. Then the two restroom doors are frosted glass with a simple 'WC' decal on each. No need to separate the males from females here - we can use either one!

Inside a large mirror against a brick wall greets me and as I close the door I realize my experience will be as I remembered it; pretty close to great. Even if you are only going number 1 (which I was) it still makes for a perfect setting. The white and black tiled floor adds just enough character that the rest of the decor is a mere compliment to it's clean style. I look in the mirror and for a brief moment think "I look good" but then I come to my senses and realize the lighting in here makes EVERYONE look good - or it could have been the two drinks I downed prior to looking at myself. Either way I smile at the mirror, "this is a good one for the blog!"

Then everything changes when I wash my hands. The soap dispenser...a ketchup bottle? Really? OK it's not red but it's pretty darn close to being at the next BBQ filled with mayo (see photo above!). Maybe I'm missing something because some might see it as clever or cute? Eh, I don't know it's not working for me. Still it's a great bathroom and everything else it has to offer I'm willing to look over the squeezable soap bottle.

Score Card (1 through 5)
1. Cleanliness = 4

2. Originality = 4 (the soap dispenser people...)

3. Design = 5

4. Privacy = 5

5. Hallway = 4

Quinn's Pub Total = 22 (out of 25)

Final Thoughts: Quinn's will be hard to beat. I'll use the restroom there even if I don't have to use the restroom!
http://www.quinnspubseattle.com/

Restroom #1 - Work

We've all had this experience - it's 2:00 pm, you've enjoyed your huge Subway Turkey sub during lunch time and just finished your grande Iced Cinnamon Dolce Latte and suddenly you feel it coming. You hope you could hold out until after work or, if you're like me, try to figure out another place close by that has a restroom you could use. Too late, you must go NOW. I try to avoid going number 2 in any public restroom - seriously. It's almost an emotional issue if I have to go and at work to boot, but like Annie says "when you gotta go, you gotta go"! After a few "fake pees" because someone else was in the restroom when I went in to poo (rule #1 of pooing in public: make sure the restroom is empty) I finally secure a spot in a stall after everyone leaves. I force out all I can as quick as possible before someone enters again - but sometimes I'm not so lucky and some ass (excuses the pun) has to come in and pee or worse, use the other stall! I will sit there as long as possible and wait until I'm alone again to finish and well you know, clean things up. This has happened a few time while at my office which is why for my first rating I pick the restroom at my office.

Score Card

I work in a clean, nice high rise in Seattle but there is only ONE Men's restroom with only two stalls. Therefore the score immediately comes down. Size is huge for me - when I say size I'm talking about the size of the restroom here - so the smaller it gets especially when it's not private I have no choice but to score low.

Cleanliness = 4.5 (cleaned several times a day)

Originality = 2 (nothing special here)

Design = 3 (for an office restroom it's not so bad)

Privacy = 1 (much to small to be anything but a 1)

Other = 0 (hey it's work...what more can I score on?)

TOTAL for Work Restroom = 10.5 (out of 25)

Final thoughts: I use it because I have to and they do try to make it enjoyable but mark my words - I don't enjoy it...ever!