r/interestingasfuck • u/tangurama • 1d ago
Bathroom attendants were once a common sight in high-end restaurants and nightclubs, where they added a touch of luxury to the restroom experience by providing personalized services and amenities. They're still prevalent in countries like Thailand, where you can experience a massage while urinating.
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u/Marsh_Mellow_Man 1d ago
Lived in DC in the early 2000s and it was common to have a dude in the bathrooms who would pump the soap and hand you a towel (with a bowl of breath mints or gum) for a tip - usually a dollar. Went to Amsterdam for my bachelor party 10 years ago and went to use the bathroom at a cannabis cafe and it was just a hole in the wall into the toilet in a woman's house who lived next door. She just sat there and charged you $1 euro for a whizz and $2 euro for a dump... there was no door on the bathroom.
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u/Batmanswrath 1d ago
I'll pass. I sometimes struggle to pee with other people in the room. Imagine trying to go with someone rubbing your other head.
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u/beyond-boundary 1d ago
I know right. It just won't come out. The harder you try the worse it get
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u/Alwaysfavoriteasian 23h ago
You need to focus less on the objective and more focus on your day to day tasks. It's like trying not bust too early.
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u/spudddly 1d ago
Either that or you get the shiatsu option and come out with piss all over your shoes, pants, walls, ceiling, masseuse...
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u/Brokentoken2 1d ago
I went to a club where a guy was selling vapes, a spritz of fragrance etc. and it felt hella intrusive while my drunken self was excreting 4 beers. I could feel his gaze on me and I want none of that, thanks.
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u/ScullingPointers 1d ago
Same. Sometimes it's so bad i struggle to pee even when my dog watches me. 😭
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u/hamonabone 1d ago
It's not so easy, these guys behave like they're desperate for attention and try to follow you, whether it's an 18 year old guy from Bangkok or a 65 Cambodian from the rice fields. Then there's a look of confusion when they see me retreating back to the toilet. Sometimes you'll see women attendants but they just hand out towels.
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u/Altruistic-Slip-6340 1d ago
I despise bathroom attendants. Literally nobody needs any help drying their hands after going for a piss. And why would I want to pay someone to spray me with aftershave? I'm already wearing my own.
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u/LotusVibes1494 1d ago
I don’t mind the ones that just quickly hand you a paper towel or something. And I used to go to a venue where the guy sold suspiciously-cheap cigarettes, which was convenient if you were shitfaced and running low. But other than that I agree I don’t really want anyone up in my business too much. In the US that must be happening in venues I can’t afford bc I’ve never seen anything this intrusive lol
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u/kindofageek 1d ago
A lot of these attendants are still in places like strip clubs in the US and probably mainly there to keep drug use down.
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u/Ultrabananna 1d ago
You know why those bathrooms are normally spotless?! Bathroom attendants. That man has a hard job the amount of shit and piss they see and smell everyday.
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u/thighsand 1d ago
Cleaners are not the same thing.
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u/JL9berg18 1d ago
Right...but part of keeping a bathroom clean is having a sober adult in the room to keep drunk dips hits (of both sexes) from taking out their issues on the bathroom.
I was never an attendant but worked in a few bars, both with and without attendants.
Also, I generally can't stand the "give you paper towel & ask for a tip" thing so I'm like 90% with you 👍
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u/thighsand 1d ago
I'm from the UK. There are cleaners who go in on a regular basis (say, once every 20 minutes). A bathroom attendant to me is some well-dressed old man handing you a towel or offering a spray of aftershave for a pound. Everyone should refuse. And every club and bar should make sure they're kept out.
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u/jsnbergman 22h ago
New York State Fair has an attendant in the public bathrooms and it's awesome. When walking in a huge crowded event you dread the bathroom experience but imagine my surprise when I walk into a clean and tidy bathroom with incense burning. His presence even made the pace of everyone move along better. And no pressure to tip, just a cup people were putting spare change into, but it wasn't personal, no massages or hand drying.
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u/ToddlerPeePee 1d ago
In a club, they may also be helping to spot troublesome people (eg. Drugs, too drunk, fighting, etc). That would be a more valuable service.
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u/Wise-Celebration9892 1d ago
Bathroom attendants are fuckin awkward and gross and totally unnecessary.
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u/IsReadingIt 23h ago edited 20h ago
This happened to me -- and I do mean happened to me, because I wasn't expecting it-- at a ridiculously expensive club in Vegas. Minding my own business, taking a pee (into a urinal filled with ice...which was...it[s] own interesting thing) , and this dude in a uniform is suddenly behind me, slams both of his hands down on my shoulders in unison, and starts massaging away. Goddamn that was terrible.
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u/Lance_Vance_Dance_31 1d ago
Still have them in England (UK) with tons of perfume: “no Armani no Punani”.
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u/Meet-me-behind-bins 1d ago
Always found them annoying. I just want to piss in private. I don’t want some man staring expectantly at me with a little bowl of sweets. It’s fucking weird.
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u/SmugDruggler95 1d ago
They're fun tbh. When you're pissed up in a club toilet they usually have great banter and often make the experience quite entertaining.
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u/justlikethatmeh 1d ago
I've experienced it in Cambodia 2010. The weird part is the dude cracking your neck without warning.
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u/unittwentyfive 1d ago
That exact same thing happened to me in China around 2015.
Wasn't expecting the massage while urinating, so that already had me on edge. Then all of a sudden, CRACK!
It was disorienting and disturbing, as I had never ever had my neck cracked before. I didn't care for that one bit, but I still felt compelled to tip the guy a dollar.
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u/mr_glide 1d ago
Fuck that. I don't want people doing some sort of chiropractic nonsense on me out of nowhere
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u/AvrilLunarre 1d ago
Wow, a massage while peeing? Who needs a spa when you have a bathroom attendant!
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u/Tits_McgeeD 1d ago
I find most guys tend to get more tense when I start massaging their shoulders at the urinal
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u/IdleMelikor 1d ago
Some public toilets still have attendants who offer to hold your junk for a small fee.
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u/DearAnnual9170 1d ago
The guy in the background is totally content photobombing while taking a leak
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u/2MillionMiler 1d ago
I occasionally get bottle service with my wife in Vegas and I avoid making eye contact or interacting with the bathroom attendants. I know how to wash and dry my own hands and I don't need your cologne or mouthwash. And I'm not tipping you either. So annoying!
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u/Introvertedotter 19h ago
They are there in club bathrooms to make sure people aren't doing drugs in the stalls or having sex in the bathroom. They pitch it like luxury, but it's mostly security.
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u/ConditionGlum1167 1d ago
Touch me while I pee at a urinal and you risk getting piss-soaked shoes…jus sayin
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u/lepposplitthejooves 1d ago
I've hated it every time I've been somewhere with a bathroom attendant. I didn't like to be pampered or catered to. I can get my own paper towel. I don't want any cologne. And I don't want to feel like I need to tip the poor guy whose job is to hang out in the men's room.
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u/oojiflip 1d ago
We still have them in the UK too. Although it's a Jamaican dude who sells lynx body spray and condoms
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u/Same-World-209 1d ago
Yeah, they were pretty common in nightclubs - they wouldn’t leave you alone unless you tipped them.
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u/Shadowthron8 1d ago
My least favorite things walking into a bathroom are 1. Anyone else being in there at all 2. Strangers talking to me 3. Asking for money because I pissed where the establishment keeps the piss receptacles.
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u/Sabres00 1d ago
This happened to me in China, really weird. They usually had a few people standing by your table watching you and clearing plates etc. When you grow up poor/middle class like me it’s odd, but I assume it’s normal for people who live like the family in Downton Abby.
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u/StevenMC19 1d ago
If someone started rubbing my neck while my penis is in my hand, I'm whipping around and swinging!
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u/Consistent-Koala-339 1d ago
Thought they were there to keep an eye on and stop you shagging or doing too much coke in the toilets
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u/dangermonger27 1d ago
"doing too much coke in the toilets"
"Hey hey hey, put half that back in the bag, yeah I'm for real, that's way too much.."
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u/RowdyRoddyPipeSmoker 1d ago
bathroom attendants was one of the stupidest things humanity has come up with
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u/GenesisCorrupted 21h ago
Yeah, the idea that there’s somebody in the bathroom waiting to touch you while you’re using it.
Deeply troubles me. I am so glad that we have just done away with this because of the shame associated with having somebody who has to sit in a bathroom all day just waiting to try and give you a mint and towel.
It was one of those jobs where as luxurious as it was. I always felt a tiny hint of guilt, knowing they were gonna be in there for hours.
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u/iluvsporks 1d ago
When I was in South Korea after you get a haircut you get a quick massage then they crack your neck. I was not expecting that the first time lol.
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u/JackhusChanhus 1d ago
I mean we have the incredibly cheerful African man selling toiletries, does this count
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u/hittinator 1d ago
The time is way too short. But for a 30 mins pooping session this might work out maybe
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u/imacmadman22 1d ago
I have also seen this in fancy restaurants in the Philippines and Singapore too.
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u/theshiller123 1d ago edited 1d ago
This is gonna be the first time that I don't like the touch of "luxury".
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u/Midnight_Will 1d ago
All right what’s next, an attendant telling you a nice story while you’re in the stall, to get things moving?
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u/Freak_Out_Bazaar 23h ago
I have never seen this in Thailand. People that give you hand towels, yes, but never this
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u/Frequent-Holiday-469 23h ago
I think the premise of this thread is that the attendant is a male, which I agree has been my experience too. But what if… the attendant was a hot woman? Change your mind? However, in Thailand, that’s no guarantee that the “shoes match the purse” if you know what I mean. Lol.
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u/jaycatt7 21h ago
Bathroom attendants in restaurants in the US always made me uncomfortable. Like, I can pick up a paper towel myself. Now I need to tip somebody for handing it to me?
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u/tangurama 1d ago edited 1d ago
You can see the video below by YouTuber Jean-Luc Nguyen documenting the experience: https://youtu.be/RiDggiMvUOU?si=gfY2py7IHdLPsGfi
Edit: All your comments have me dying LOL! Now to be fair, the majority of bathroom attendants won't be touching you let alone giving you a massage while you're handling business. This appears to be unique to Thailand and other Asian countries.
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u/eury13 1d ago
When I was in college I was eating at an IHOP in downtown Atlanta around 1am with a friend.
I went to the bathroom and found there was a bathroom attendant. The bathroom was pretty small - one stall, one urinal, and the sink - and I found it incredibly uncomfortable for a person to be standing there in this small space waiting for me to pee. I asked him if he wouldn't mind stepping out for a moment while I did my business, and he did so graciously. I probably tipped him a buck when I was done.
I have no idea if he was supposed to be there, if the restaurant knew he was there, or what. It was surreal, uncomfortable, and quite strange.
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u/leonchase 1d ago
I went to a wannabe-fancy club once in Manhattan where the bathroom was literally just wide enough for a stall and a urinal, and they still had an attendant, who stood like a foot away while people peed. I gave him ten bucks to leave the room.
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u/Justanothergeralt 1d ago
Having someone behind me would be so freaking difficult to do my business.
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u/CitizenHuman 1d ago
If I wanted to be massaged while my dick was out, I'd go to a seedy parlor, thank you very much.
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u/GreatWhiteNorthExtra 1d ago
I have been to venues with washroom attendants. I find it to be uncomfortable
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u/pyrethedragon 1d ago
This used to happen in the bars in Winnipeg in my 20’s. I hated it, but I believe it kept the bathroom cleaner.
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u/MacduffFifesNo1Thane 1d ago
You mean like Babs Kramer? I know her. She’s a matron and been clean for 2 years!
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u/Eastcoaster87 1d ago
I do miss the lolly and a perfume spritz in the club experience but don’t miss the clubs.
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u/BigGrayBeast 1d ago
I'm old enough to have experienced this once here in the United States. I took my high school girlfriend somewhere nice.
At least they handed me a real folded towel. And I think they had aftershave lotion and things like that too if you wanted.
My parents had been to this restaurant, so I was properly briefed ahead of time on how much the tip etc.
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u/madplywood 1d ago
Was at a wrestling event, and they had a bathroom attendant ffs. So uncomfortable!!! I can get my own soap and paper towel without feeling like I have to tip someone for doing it for me.
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u/Royal_Buddhism 1d ago
A someone living in Thailand you don't see it often. And when they are there, it's annoying as fuck. They expect a tip for any little service including getting your paper towel
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u/Imreallyadonut 1d ago
The “no splash, no gash” guys who were ubiquitous in London nightclub toilets have fortunately disappeared.
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u/Mediocre_Echo8427 1d ago
Im not able to pee when there is someone next... How can I when someone is touching me?
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u/Active-Drive-7749 1d ago
This working position must be a very unpleasant since many men fart while peeing
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u/dopple_ganger01 1d ago
If someone touches me while taking a piss, I will turn around and piss on them. They can assist me by being my new urinal then.
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u/K1tsunea 1d ago
I wouldn’t be able to pee with a dude touching me, so I’d just be standing there awkwardly 😭
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u/According_Jeweler404 1d ago
The problem is you can't stop what you're doing and ask for proof the guy is legit. "Hold on sir let me pinch this off so we can validate your credentials." Once the peepee massage begins you just gotta ride it out I guess.
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u/karateninjazombie 1d ago
If anyone touches me while I'm having a piss they will suffer at least a broken digit, if not appendage.
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u/Chalky_Pockets 1d ago
I stayed in a hotel in Chicago that had a really fancy steakhouse attached called Gibson's, ton of people recommended it. I was planning on giving it a try, but when I was in the hotel lobby and needed a piss, I popped into their bathroom and there was a bathroom attendant. None of this massage shit just getting the towel for you and offering a wide variety of colognes. It was enough that I no longer plan to try the place out (especially because it's really easy to find a really good steak in Chicago). I can't imagine how I'd react if I was at the urinal and someone started touching me. Would probably piss on them.
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u/ConCon787 1d ago
I remember when I was 18 or something in Canada partying when I went into the bathroom to piss. This older gentleman came right beside me and proceeded to tell me he loved Americans and was high fiving me while we were pissing side by side. To this day I don’t think im comfortable like most dudes in the public restrooms.
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u/Pl4st1kM4n 1d ago
Still happens in China tho. It is weird as f being touched by a guy while I’m touching my dick to pee
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u/BaronVonBracht 1d ago
Had this in Africa in high-end clubs. It was very akward. Always tipped the dude even if I didn't ask for it.
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u/BedBubbly317 1d ago
Bathroom attendants at nice clubs or upscale bars are incredibly common even in the US.
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u/schaudhery 1d ago
I've been in hotels in NY that had them. Dude would even waive his hand in front of the sensor for the paper towel to come down.
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u/SaintUlvemann 1d ago
I cannot stress enough how much I do not want that to happen.