À Détester: Les Toilettes Payantes (paid toilets)

One of Paris's 400 free public toilets — something à aimer.

In 2006, the city of Paris installed 400 sanisettes — freestanding, free-of-charge public toilettes — around the city's 20 arrondissements.  That was something à aimer.  

Now, however, there is a new trend in "public" lavatories, which I call "fleecing tourists par sanisette."  

"Point WC" is the culprit of this shady new business.  I first encountered Point WC last winter, during the biannual soldes. I was shopping at Le Printemps department store on Boulevard Haussmann, where I had just dropped a considerable sum on a luxury handbag.  Before leaving the store, I decided to stop at the women's restroom.  At first I was delighted to see that Le Printemps had revamped their worn, ugly and funky not-in-a-good-way restrooms for their customers.  I noted that the new, brightly painted men's and women's toilettes even had a name: Point WC.  Wow, I thought.  Customer appreciation.  Now that's progress. And then I walked in, and was immediately ordered by an attendant to pay up: €1, to be exact.

As I live not far from Boulevard Haussmann and my bathroom break was not urgent, I decided to forgo paying €1 to Point WC (a private enterprise, it turns out, though I'm sure Le Printemps takes a healthy bite of the profit).  The Japanese tourists in front of me, however, had no such choice.  As I left in disgust, thinking that I should have bought my handbag elsewhere, they were still rooting around in their purses looking for change.

I have since noted that Point WC has set up its lucrative camp in the Carrousel du Louvre — the underground shopping mall that is attached to the museum.  Apparently, the owners of "le WC de luxe," as they call it, feel that loud techno music, a mini-boutique selling Eiffel Tower-printed toilet paper, uniformed attendants who direct patrons brusquely to open toilets (Madame!  Allez-y!  Allez-y!) as they spray aerosol deodorant in every which direction, and a relatively clean environment is worth the €1 fee.

But judging from the comments I overheard in English, French and Spanish, I am fairly certain that most of the visitors to the Louvre are not d'accord.

I wondered, as I left Point WC, exactly how much money its owners rake in each day.  The Louvre gets 10,000,000 visitors per year — how many of them do you think miss the free restrooms within the museum itself (well, "free" with paid entry to the Louvre) and instead make the mistake of answering nature's call when they are already outside of the museum, in the Carrousel du Louvre?  Consider also, that most of the museum's restaurants are located in the Carrousel du Louvre, just upstairs from Point WC.  

Five percent?  Ten percent?  Even at five percent, that's €500,000.00 a year.  

* There are now three Point WCs in Paris: at the Boulevard Haussmann Le Printemps, in the Carrousel du Louvre and at Elysées 26 on avenue Champs-Élysées.  According to Point WC's Web site, they are planning to expand to other countries.  

Comments

[alivepixel]

When I first visited Europe (Paris included) 4 years ago, I was surprised at the lack of free public toilets. Factor in the euro conversion rate and I felt even more reluctant to pay.

As you have mentioned, tourists have no choice but to pay up because if you have to go, you have to go. And, since we are out the entire day, as well-planned as these could possibly be, it still means a few toilet trips!

I'm from Singapore and we can easily find free toilets as long as we go to metro stations or shopping malls! It was then I realized that I should not take this for granted!

I visited Europe again earlier this year and I found myself sub-consciously on the lookout for free toilets. I should really just be enjoying myself instead of concerning over such matters! haha.

Oh yea, I loved the automated self-sanitizing free toilets around Paris!

[Laurel]

Thank you for this article.

Printemps, you shoud be ashamed of yourself!

At the risk of destroying my reputation, I've been thinking of starting a facebook group about public toilets for some time.

In a civilized country, they should be free, easily accessible, and women's toilets should be twice as numerous as men's.

And now I see that it's also necessary to specify that department stores should not use them to fleece their clients.

[J.A.]

I'd join that group!

— J.A., your Foreign Parts correspondent

[joseph paff]

For many years my wife and I have permanently boycotted all businesses who do not provide clean and free restrooms. We don't usually say anything, just don't go back. Maybe if businesses knew they'd behave differently. Thanks to you for raising this--in the future I'll speak up.

[Philippa]

One Euro? Highway robbery! I remember the old English expression to "spend a penny," which is what toilets used to cost. I also remember the days when there was a concierge in public toilets in department stores and you were expected (but not forced) to tip her for handing you a clean towel. After your visit, she would check the cubicle to ensure it was sanitary, so she earned her keep. One of the many "petits metiers" that have now disappeared.

[Susan Long]

Printemps cannot change a 500 euro bill so that you can buy something from it but if you have to pee, they want your last coin. I will never visit this vile fire trap again. Ditto for the Galleries Lafayette, although in their favor, the toilet is still free there.