There are food guides. There are neighbourhood guides. And WE Vancouver has guided you through the finest cultural and culinary events this city has to offer.
Now we’re exploring the final frontier of city guides: The best public washrooms in Vancouver.
Bookmark this page. You can thank us later.
Criteria for making this list include: number of stalls; privacy of the stalls; “knock ratio” (a.k.a. the number of times you’re likely to be interrupted during a lengthy visit); accessibility; cleanliness and ambience.
Remember, this is far from a complete list. We urge you, the sophisticated people of Vancouver, to share with us your most beloved public toilets. By public, we mean any poopr not in a private residence. All stores, restaurants, venues and city-run facilities are eligible. We’ll be updating this story as often as possible to provide you with the most accurate guide for where to pinch in a pinch.
Holt Renfrew (Downtown)
Unquestionably the Queen Bee of department stores with regards to its wares, there’s no exception with Holt Renrew’s restrooms either. They’re spotless, with chic, modern bone-white décor that feels more “upscale cruise liner” than it does “obligatory department store water closet.”
The stalls offer floor-to-ceiling doors, which means you can linger for an extended period of time, if need be. Plenty of care and attention have clearly gone in to maintenance here. The facilities smell like roses. I mean – roses? That’s impressive.
JJ Bean (Main Street)
These bathrooms are bigger than some New York apartments. Seriously. There’s enough room here for your morning sun salutations, a few downward facing dogs and a two-to-five minute shavasana. That’s right, because these bathrooms are also exceptionally clean and private.
The doors have frosted glass and face east, so if you time it right, you can soak up the morning rays while getting down to business. It’s a perfect compliment to your morning Americano. But remember, there are only two stalls and they're gender neutral. So beware...if you're wary about such things.
Georgia Hotel (Downtown)
These are arguably the ritziest bathrooms on this list. Cream-coloured walls, closet-sized bathroom stalls with complete privacy, and fresh towels at the marble sink for drying up.
The hotel has several bars and restaurants, which means these bathrooms are very accessible. Stop in for glass of single malt at the Prohibition Pub on the way out (if you can afford it).
Shangri-La Hotel (Downtown)
If the Georgia's is ritzy, the Shangri-La’s lobby restrooms are downright fancy. There’s no foyer to the facilities, so each stall is a spacious room unto itself off the lobby – two for men, two for women. The facilities include floating marble sinks, mirrors shaped like the Gherkin in London, and freakin’ chandeliers. The solid oak paneling adds a whole other level of luxury normally reserved for, y’know, actual hotel rooms people paid for. Not that we’re complaining.
Cactus Club (Broadway)
All Cactus Club restrooms are impressive, but the Broadway and Ash location sets the golden standard in this city. Possibly in the world. No joke.
TVs at the urinals? Quality sound system playing the finest in contemporary pop music? Couches and a fire place? You really can’t beat it.
The restrooms might seem tricky to access, as they’re located down a flight of stairs. Simply tell the hostess you need to use their ATM (also located downstairs). Or, you can say you’re doing research for a story about Vancouver’s best bathrooms. But that might seem creepy.
Honourable Mention: Hotel Vancouver (Downtown)
An absolute classic, located right centre of the city. Walk past the Gucci store, turn left just before the hotel lobby bar and you have access to an abundance of private stalls and sinks so clean you’ll want to eat off them.
Or this used to be the case, anyway. The hotel bar is currently under construction, slated for a November completion date, so the restrooms are currently out of order.
However, we had to include it on this list because, for 30 years, these facilities have been top notch and very accessible. We can’t imagine this will change with the renovations. We’ll see.
