Restroom Review: Student Recreation Center (Men’s)

Background Info:

I often find myself at the Student Rec Center, using the campus’s facilities in order to suppress the beer belly my stomach wants to plop out, or to be the only guy in the room of girls in the Zumba class. With such active activities going on everywhere, an excellent restroom is a must. Thankfully, the Rec houses two restrooms, one for men and women, but are they excellent? Read on for the review of the men’s restroom.

The Layout: The restrooms are also the locker rooms for the gym. There are actually two sections of restrooms in the locker room, each with two toilets and a urinal. However, sometimes the far end section of the locker room will be closed off due to a UCR basketball game,  locking in along with it one of the two restrooms. Considering how crowded the gym can be throughout the day, 2-4 toilet stalls seems too small, compared to some libraries that have more. Score: 3/5

The Restroom

Cleanliness: The urinal and toilets must be manually pressed in order for them to be flushed – we all know what this means (you might find a pleasant surprise waiting for you in the toilet bowl). It’s no surprise that people simply don’t flush in public restrooms, whether they are just too lazy, or they fear warts growing on their hands if they push the lever. Because the restrooms are paired with the locker room, what you get is a room that smells like a mixture of rotting sewage, body odor, and Axe body spray – three terrible smelling things. Thankfully, the restrooms are maintained by the hour by the SRC staff, so the floors are kept fairly dry, and paper towels don’t litter the ground; bravo SRC staff! Score: 2/5

Beware: Manual flush!

Amenities: The stalls surprisingly house two toilet paper dispensers for a total of four rolls ready for use; this made me feel confident I would never have to resort to using binder paper if the time ever came. Toilet seat covers were also accounted for above the toilet. The faucets were not motion sensored, and soap dispensers were filled, making hand washing very easy. For some reason, unlike the toilets, the paper towel dispensers were motion sensored. Thankfully the sensors on these were very efficient and quick to doing its job. Score: 5/5

Double the toilet paper, double the fun!

Privacy: Because there are so many people who use the Rec Center and it is combined with the locker room, you can forget about ever doing the “number two” in peace. In fact, there is nothing private about this restroom at all, as numerous times I have witnessed older proud men proudly strutting their way to the showers…NAKED. The worst part is their backs are almost guaranteed to be hairy. Score: 0/5

My eyes...

Closing Statements: Though it isn’t the best public restroom experience had, its the only choice. Thankfully, it isn’t just a row of porta-potties.

THE VERDICT:

3/5 Toilets – Poopable