We all have to do it. Whether we’re on the road to a new, exotic location, or just off to visit Grandma, it’s not always easy to satisfy that urgent need without #collateral damage.
Let’s be frank. It’s seldom a happy time for the ladies, even without the added detriment of the line. Yeah, there is always a line for the women. Gents get off with a much less intrusive visit. There is that shy thing, but that’s a #cultural topic for another time.
Whatever you call your particular destination— bagno, bano, water closet, loo, do-ko, or bathroom, it can be a mind-altering excursion. I’m sure you’ve stepped beyond the threshold to have filthy, smelly, and repugnant stuff bombard your brain, and that’s not even considering the toilet paper or lack thereof. Who knew you could fill the throne literally to the brim, as can be encountered in #off-the-beaten-track, #bizarre locales?
So, with great relief, from the land of the bidet (be wary of Googling- How to use a Bidet, but you might want to view the entertaining – youtube.com/watch?v=7FBzTPPeZjM), the French come to the rescue with just the thing to reassure the anxious traveler. Right (actually left) around the corner from the Eiffel Tower (with your back to the Tower face the Palais de Chaillot across the Seine, turn left on the Quai Branly) is one of the marvels of the #Bizarre #Travel world, a sanisette.
So what, you say, is a sanisette? In the photo, you can see it is also known as a public Toilette. (See Madame Johnson, my two years of High School French were not wasted, maybe the English Composition, but not French.)

Look closely at that photo. It is suspiciously deceptive. There are buttons to be pushed and lighted messages to read. There is even a nice display on the side that appeals to the Attention Deficit Disordered among us as we approach the door. Look at the detail on that map. Wait, did I just lose my place in line?
Thanks to a 2006 liberation campaign, this modern, self-cleaning, unisex wonder is free. No admission charge. No more fishing for small coins, or facing the awkward indecisiveness about that shifty individual at the relief station entry, one piercing eye on you, and the other on the tip jar (still to be found in Charlotte International).
To make it even better, many s are handicap accessible.
How does it work? How can I be prepared?
Walk up to the front and face the sliding door.
Find the button (it will likely be green). Push it.
The door will whoosh open, like the door on the #Starship Enterprise.
Step in, activating the sensor in the grid floor, which closes the door behind you and locks it.
What you see will look much like the photo below.

You may need to wipe down some damp, but sanitized, surfaces.
No free #Wi-Fi here, so when you are finished with whatever you went in to do, open the door and exit.
After you exit, the door closes and the #magic happens.
The entire interior (save the protected areas for supplies) is cleaned and sanitized by a motorized mechanism. Even though you can’t see beyond the closed door, it is highly unlikely that any part of the process is done by #trained squirrels. It is rumored, however, that someone left a #selfie-stick, with the video recording, in one during the cleaning cycle. Strange blurry images resulted before the cell was overcome by blasting sanitizer.
When the cycle finishes, a green light on the outside signals the sanisette is ready for the next user.
Now let’s hear some of your best #Bizarre #Travel #Tales from the never-ending highway.
Remember, to keep it sanitized.
See the blog at https://outcasts-tlh.com/
Photos courtesy of the World Wide Web, even though I was there, I just didn’t have the wherewithal to take a picture while I waited. Look at those cool little Towers on a wire rope those guys are selling. Why are they running away?