I have had this thing about the lighting quality of public restrooms in the United States ever since visiting Amsterdam. There, the facilities are all-gender. The stalls have doors that go all the way to the floor and the lighting at the sinks is quite flattering. They are the ultimate “clean, well-lighted spaces.”
As I travel across this country, the quality varies greatly. Some are diamonds. Some are diamonds in the rough…and most are just rough. I am now going to report back what I have found. Admittedly these observations are male-based, because visiting the restrooms marked FEMALE is frowned upon.
Much of the lighting here in the USA, is soul-sucking. There are still a lot of fluorescents being used, and those that have LED are using a cool color temperature with a low Color Rendering Index (CRI). This deadly combination leaches the color out of your face and makes these rest areas feel like the set of one of the "SAW" movies.
![bad men's room lighting](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Bad%20Mens%20Room%20Lighting.jpg)
This is your typical men’s room illumination scenario (shown above). Recessed fluorescents draining all the life out of you as you enter. It has a prison-like quality. Have I been to prison, you ask? The answer is yes. But it was women’s prison and that is a story for another time.
Who decided that this was the default way to illuminate a public restroom? Now is the time to break the cycle of abusive lighting.
![back lit mirrors in a restroom, Randall Whitehead](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Back%20Lit%20Mirrors%20at%20Airport%20sinks.jpg)
I am happy to report that there are some bright spots of decent lighting. These mirrors at the sinks are back illuminated (shown below). Its not a huge amount of illumination but it does evenly illuminate your face.
I can’t tell you how pleasantly surprised I was when I saw the lighting for the newly remodeled Harvey Milk Terminal One at San Francisco International Airport. There was tasteful cross-illumination at the bank of sinks, as well as a full-length back lit mirror. There were also these wonderful ovoid LED pendants at the entry. What an amazing difference well designed lighting can make.
![men's room lighting, the lighting doctor](/sites/default/files/inline-images/SFO%20Terminal%203%20Mens%20Room.jpg)
![men's room lighting, randall whitehead](/sites/default/files/inline-images/SFO%20Mens%20Room%20back%20lighted%20mirror.jpg)
![public restroom lighting, the lighting doctor](/sites/default/files/inline-images/SFO%20Mens%20Room%20Pendant%20Lights.jpg)
![public restroom lighting, the lighting doctor](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Infinity%20Light%20in%20Bathroom.jpg)
I would have to say that my favorite men’s room is located in the Eight4Nine restaurant & lounge in Palm Springs, California. It is a black & white dream. The 12’ high walls, stalls and ceiling are painted a high gloss black. Hanging below recessed ceiling fixture are a series of striped umbrellas, which capture the illumination and simply glow. The umbrellas are hanging on hooks that allows them to be taken down and cleaned easily. It is a simple and elegant solution. I was enthralled.
![innovative public restroom lighting, randall whitehead](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Black%20and%20White%20Umbrella%20Bath.jpg)