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Luxury toilets -
POINTWC
This was a treat after having experienced several
disappointing public toilets recently.
When you walk in you are greeted and told that it will
cost 1,50 euro. Don't fret about paying; it will be worth it.
Welcome to the cleanest toilets in Paris. They are cleaned after
every visit. PointWC averages 15,000 visitors per month. During a
marketing study, the average stay was two minutes for each visit and has now
been recorded at 2 and 1/2
minutes.
These are modern stalls, each with a different theme:
chic, high tech, BCBG*, Glam Rock, kid, etc. (*Bon Chic Bon Genre)
In one, "Kids", you have a toilet for mom and one for the
little one.
If you need to change a baby, pull up the changing table
and Eric Salles or someone from his team will provide you with a
changing mat and large, soft towel.
I wrote
an article about places to change a baby's diaper and other child
care information.
If you need to freshen up, ask for the "BCBG" room and they
will bring you a padded stool. Inside the "BCBG" room is a vanity mirror
and sink; it is also large enough for a wheel chair.
If you need decorating items for your bathroom (or
wine), they have
them for sale.
If you need an hygienic product, diaper, fake nails, etc.
the machine can dispense it for you.
Want a cup a coffee? Make your choice from the vending
machine.
PointWC is a real oasis in a corner of a shopping gallery
and worthy of your visit.
Two of the stalls are designed with not only families in
mind for those with limited mobility.
“We have worked with the
Association Française des Paralysé de France to build the. two
cabines that are larger for a wheel chair…. Our staff has been
trained to help disabled people,” said Mr. Salles.
“Handrails will be
installed very soon”, he said.
 POINTWC CHAMPS-ELYSEES
26 Champs-Elysées (in the gallery)_
Métro: Franklin Roosevelt (line 1 ou 9)
Telephone : 01 42 56 35 25
E-mail :
welcome@pointwc.com
Open :seven days a week from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Buy the book on line
Now you can buy for 2,80
euros a
36-page booklet on line with maps and
addresses of all the sanisettes in Paris.
Philippe Dorcourt is the author of
the
Paris-Pause-pipi guide available in French and
English.
The most recent edition is January 2007 and can be paid
for with either PayPal or your credit card, ordered and downloaded
online.
When you download the book is only takes 9 pages since it
is printed in book format.
The Sanisettes
Paris introduces free
public toilets
I have
compiled a list of the free
public toilets taken from the Paris mayor's office website. If you
are not close to a department store, this list below might be handy to carry
around.
More free
toilets are planned and should
eventually number up to 200 with some handicap accessible.
The Paris pay
toilets were first introduced into Paris when Jacques Chirac was
mayor. Since February 2006, the city of Paris provides "sanisettes"
around Paris free of charge.
The city rents
the current 420 sanisettes from JCDecaux at a cost of 1,192 euros per
sanisette.
If you want
something more precise in finding these sanisettes, be sure to
check out the
Paris Pause-pippi Guide.
While out
sightseeing, one important thing to know is where to go when you need to
go without having to pay for a coffee or soda.
Philippe Dorcourt has
published the addresses and maps of where the sanisettes are located,
which I can attest to is very helpful to know where exactly to find them
instead of wandering around looking!
For 2,80 euros you can download the guide from his
website. It is 36 pages but produced in booklet form and will only use 9
pieces of A4 or 8 1/2" x 11" paper.
The guide is available in either English or French with
little anecdotes. You can sample the guide on line before buying.
You can pay using either a credit card or PayPal.
Be sure to check it out at the
Paris Pause-pippi
website.
Originally following in the footsteps of
Vespasian from the early 1st century, Paris
introduced outdoor paid toilets around Paris in the late 20th century.
As part of the the 21st century kicking off , the
sanisettes and metro station toilets join the department stores in
providing free access since February 1, 2006. An additional
200 are expected to be introduced during 2006 and 2007, including new designs and
handicap accessibility.
Some of the metro facilities are interesting from an
old-fashioned appearance viewpoint. If any of my readers have found a
significant one, please send me the location information.
The following list comes to you from the
mayor of Paris' website.
Sanisettes parisiennes (Public toilets)
36
toilettes publiques (accès gratuit) : (free access)
- 12
Sanisettes open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. de 6 h à 22 h,
- 24
lavatories open 10 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.
1er
arrondissement
- rue Coquillière, angle rue du Louvre DVT Manufrance - Sanisette
- rue de l'Arbre-Sec, angle quai de la Mégisserie - Sanisette
- Place du Châtelet (M° Châtelet) - (lavatory)
- Place du Palais-Royal (M° Palais Royal) - (lavatory)
- Face 2, quai du Louvre (M° Pont-Neuf) - (lavatory)
2e
arrondissement
- place de la Bourse DVT - Sanisette
- 15, bd St Denis (M° Strasbourg Saint-Denis) (lavatory)
4e
arrondissement
- Face 5,
place de la Bastille (M° Bastille sortie rue Saint-Antoine) - (lavatory)
- place Edmond-Michelet (près du centre Georges Pompidou) - (lavatory)
- place de l'Hôtel de Ville (M° Hôtel de Ville) - (lavatory)
- place du Parvis-Notre-Dame - Côté statue Charlemagne (M° Notre-Dame) -
(Lavatory)
- square de la Tour Saint-Jacques - Face 6, rue Saint-Martin -
(lavatory)
5e
arrondissement
- boulevard
Saint-Germain (M° Cluny) - (lavatory)
- face 47, bd Saint-Germain (M° Maubert) -(lavatory)
6e
arrondissement
- 149, bd
Saint-Germain (parking Saint-Germain) - (lavatory)
7e
arrondissement
- avenue
Joseph-Bouvard (Champ de Mars) -(lavatory)
8e
arrondissement
- angle avenue
George-V et avenue Montaigne (M° Alma Marceau) - (lavatory)
- avenue des Champs-Elysées côté espace Cardin - (Lavatory - châlet de
nécessité Ambassadeurs)
- 16, place de la Madeleine (M° Madeleine) - (lavatory)
- angle avenue Marceau et Champs-Elysées - (M° Etoile) - (lavatory)
9e
arrondissement
- face 38, bd
Haussmann - (M° Havre Caumartin) - (lavatory)
- face au 53, bd Haussmann - (M° Havre-Caumartin) - (lavatory)
- angle bd des Italiens et bd Haussmann - (M° Richelieu-Drouot) -
(lavatory)
10e
arrondissement
- square Henri-Christine (République) - Sanisette
- 85, bis boulevard de Magenta - Sanisette
- square Alban Satragne (face au 107ter, rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis) -
(Sanisette)
11e
arrondissement
- bd Ménilmontant, face n° 41 - Sanisette
- angle bd Richard Lenoir et bd Voltaire - Sanisette
13e
arrondissement
- place de l'Abbé-G.-Hénocque DVT n° 4 - Sanisette
- rue Bobillot, angle rue Martin-Bernard - Sanisette
- boulevard de l'Hôpital, vers entrée de la cour de la gare d'Austerlitz
- Sanisette
14e
arrondissement
- devant le
147, rue Vercingétorix - (lavatory)
15e
arrondissement
- avenue
Ernest-Renan (M° Porte de Versailles) - (lavatory)
16e
arrondissement
- avenue du
Président-Wilson (M° Trocadéro) - (lavatory)
18e
arrondissement
- boulevard Barbès
- Sanisette
Along the
tree-lined promenade between Clichy and Barbès the toilettes are
numerous; some are much cleaner than others.
If you find
one not to your liking, you do not have to walk far to find the next
one.
19e
arrondissement
- rue de Belleville face n° 4 - Sanisette
Anecdote
The concept of pay toilets originated during the
rein of the Roman emperor Vespasian (7 AD - 79 AD; reined from 69 AD to
79 AD). The first public toilets in Paris were called "vespasiennes".
According the Latin historian, Suétone (and our Dougga
guide), Vespasian's son, Titus, was reluctant to collect money for the
use of public toilets. He was told by his father, the emperor Vespasian,
who had instituted this method of collecting government funding, “non
olet” or “money does not smell”.
While touring in Tunisia, we visited the remains of a
Roman city. Our guide told us this story when we came across the public
toilets in Dougga.
Charles de Gaulle/Roissy Airport
Airport toilets are free.The nicest one that I found at
CDG is between hall 2A and 2C (just after the food court).
Walking from 2A to 2C, after the food court, take the
escalator down to the "Groups" area. It always seems the cleanest and
least frequented.
La
Pissotière de l'Impératrice
Grand Vin de
Bordeaux
Appellation
Bordeaux Contrôlée
Viticulteur à
Marsas (Girornde)
Buy the wine
at
PointWC on
Champs-Elysées
The story from
the label:
In 1809, the
Empress Josephine, while accompanying Napoleon campaign to wage war
against the Spanish, felt a pressing need while passing at the edge of a
vineyard.
Since then this registered parcel of land known as “Congaillard”
produces wines that enjoy an honorable reputation.
While
searching information about a wine in honor of the
Empress
Josephine, I came across a link with
photos of toilets or where people relieve their need in different
countries and different settings.
Best
bathrooms in the world
If you are
traveling and interested in searching for information, I came upon the
Best Bathrooms in the World . The Bathroom Diaries' theme is:
"When Nature Calls, even intrepid travelers prefer a comfortable reply."
Click on the
country links to reach the cities. The list is a bit out of date since
there is reference to closed facilities and prices are in French francs.
Promenande Plantée
William wrote and asked about toilette locations along
the Viaduc des Arts and Avenue Daumesnil, the Promenande Plantée.
There are three toilet locations. One
is a regular toilet about mid-way as the
route crosses over rue Villiot Rambouillet.
Two additional facilities are the free
sanisettes, street level: Boulevard Diderot and on the triangle of rue
de Lyon and rue Biscornet.
The last Vespasienne
The Count of
Rambuteau’s job during the Second Empire was to implement hygienic
theories.
Under the Rambuteau's term, the
sewer network was modernized, ornate fountains were installed in parks,
gas lampposts increased from 69 to 8,600, trees were planted along the
boulevards, and in 1843 counted 478 public colonne vespasiennes
along the Paris sidewalks. |
May 2008
