Public restrooms

Submitted by BooksCatsNCoffee t3_1219hco in boston

We will be visiting Boston in mid April. I have a condition called interstitial cystitis, so I need to use a the bathroom often. Im concerned about finding public bathrooms as we walk around. How easy is it to find a public restroom? Any place we should steer clear of?

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Due-Lawfulness7862 t1_jdl1sn3 wrote

it depends on the area but usually grocery stores or stores like TJ maxx are a safe bet! Also lifehack I use the most as someone with a stomach condition is if there’s outdoor dining and it’s pretty busy, just give your coat / bag to your spouse and walk in with confidence and ask where the bathroom is lol, it works 9 out of 10 times

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BooksCatsNCoffee OP t1_jdl3xqu wrote

These are great suggestions thanks everyone! What about historic sites and parks?

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radicallysadbro t1_jdl7see wrote

There's some website that lists and gives a map of all the public bathrooms in Boston.

The ones I frequent are in the Boston Common (right in front of the froggy pond, tho it shuts kinda early some days), there's a lot at the Boston Public Library at Copley, Prudential Center.

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lotusblossom60 t1_jdljelz wrote

I did pelvic floor therapy and it helped with the pain and urgency. I feel your pain with restrooms!

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dyqik t1_jdltw2g wrote

Replying to BooksCatsNCoffee (#2,348,519)

Generally ok at the visitor centers in the historic locations during opening hours. Parks and conservation land further out of the city are a gamble.

As a tourist, I think the places you are likely to go will be ok.

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The_Lynxator101 t1_jdly9uz wrote

If your downtown consider the south station bathroom it’s pretty nice. I’m back bay go to the bathroom there. Both nice. The back bay one is closed 1-2 for cleaning though.

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_Ryna t1_jdm02yw wrote

I just walk into any hotel and use their lobby bathrooms.

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northernlight102 t1_jdm1qcp wrote

I’d recommend you get something called a “Can’t wait card” that you can show to employees in cafes etc and they will let you use the restroom without purchasing anything 👍

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smokesmokesmokes t1_jdm2iga wrote

Boston happens to be located right on the Atlantic ocean, the second largest toilet on planet earth. Just pretend like you're swimming and no one will suspect anything.

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michael_scarn_21 t1_jdm3bzj wrote

Boston is honestly terrible for public restroom access, there are big areas with nothing around. Your best bet will be grocery stores and hotel lobbies.

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StrangeWonderings t1_jdm4d18 wrote

Replying to BooksCatsNCoffee (#2,348,293)

Highly recommend the We Can't Wait app it's specifically for people with Crohn’s & Colitis. It has crowd sourced map data that includes specific directions to bathrooms inside the building and even door codes. You can also get an "I Can't Wait" card through the app.

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magikalmuffins t1_jdm8kg8 wrote

I have IC and I worked in Boston for 2 years, commuting in by train. Boston is better than NYC or Chicago in regards to bathrooms without a door code in my experience,but if there is a door code and you don’t look threatening, the employees will usually give it you quite readily.

Everyone here is giving really good advice, I’ve peed in all the nicest hotels in Boston 😂The worst part for me was always the lack of rest rooms in the train stations and the state of them if they do exist.

In short, I don’t think you have much to worry about. Just keep in mind that if you have a long journey on the T, make sure to go before you get on! The commuter rail does have restrooms in their double decker cars and it’s pretty easy to use them as long as it’s not peak commuter hours.

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spootex t1_jdmbu78 wrote

Hotel lobbies - just walk fast and with confidence - keeping your eyes on the restroom sign.

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f1Ynoeld3TRCRaw t1_jdmd42s wrote

if you're downtown, not unusual to just urinate wherever you want

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riski_click t1_jdmf1dn wrote

Anywhere. Just make sure if the drain says "No Dumping, Drains to Harbor" you only use that one if you have go #1.

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RealKenny t1_jdmkouq wrote

My time to shine! Give me an area of the city and I’ll tell you the best public bathroom

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off-season-explorer t1_jdmqt2v wrote

I’ve found if you ask politely enough most restaurants / coffee shops will let you use their bathroom without buying anything

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Mysterious_Shake2894 t1_jdmrlg0 wrote

In Harvard Square, my go-to bathroom is in Felipe's. They're open all day until really late at night.

Trader Joes usually have nice restrooms. Other grocery stores will also have restrooms but they aren't always as nice. TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and Starbucks are always some of my go-to bathrooms as well.

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Olympic_napper t1_jdmsl2n wrote

Hotels all the way! i’ve never been stopped in a hotel lobby. Some Boston favs are the Intercontinental (near the financial district), The Lenox (Back Bay), The Godfrey (Theatre District), Yotel (Seaport).

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Sayoria t1_jdmui3f wrote

Where specifically will you be staying around in Boston? If Back Bay, the Marriott in the Prudential Center has a bathroom on the second floor behind the Starbucks. I use this bathroom all the time. There are others around as well, but this one is my go-to. Always clean and in the hub of the area.

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Beautiful-Guava-1570 t1_jdmwhyo wrote

Churches---can confirm success in back bay and on the Boston University campus. The restrooms are usually in the basement/lower level.

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SingerStinger69 t1_jdmxr9l wrote

Faneuil Hall has a bathroom in the basement, and I believe there's some in Quincy Market, too. The Marriott on Long Wharf has a public restroom that you can access from the outside, on the side facing Columbus Park. They were doing maintenance on it recently, though.

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jeanlouisescout t1_jdmxubx wrote

Hi! I also have interstitial cystitis (a name I much prefer to painful bladder syndrome), so I also have these problems! Go tos include LA Burdick in Harvard Square (buy some of their hot chocolate too, you won’t regret it), BPL and the Fairmont Copley plaza downton, the Boston Public Market near the North End, and bookstores when they have a cafe. Additionally, MA has a law that individuals with certain health conditions (as you may know, IC is generally protected by ADA laws defining bowel conditions) must be able to use any bathroom at any establishment that has three or more employees present. General Laws Part IV, Title 1, Chapter 270, Section 26. This includes employee only restrooms. I do have a letter from my doctor that I can present in these circumstances, but nobody has asked me for it yet (just mentioning ADA accommodations makes me feel like a “Karen,” but unless you have bladder pain, reader, you can’t understand what I would sometimes do for a bathroom).

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ReturnofSaturn615 t1_jdn4hel wrote

Dunkin’s are my favorite bathrooms, they’re always single bathrooms. Worst case scenario you have to buy a munchkin but dunkins is on every corner, easy to spot too.

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and_dont_blink t1_jdn8ztg wrote

Buying a charlie ticket and using an empty corner of the MBTA seems common. If you have IBS, people seem to wait for an empty elevator.

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vemboTonbo t1_jdn9o4h wrote

If you're in the Downtown / Financial District area, a lot of the fancier lobbies have public bathrooms.

Also, Tatte's, Flour's and Cafe Nero's usually have bathroom codes for 'guests only', that said, they're almost always too busy to actually pay attention to who's bought something. A good backup plan.

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knoxharrington_video t1_jdnautp wrote

Downtown along the water is public access area called the Harbor Walk and has so so many public bathrooms.

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DerpWilson t1_jdnb1sl wrote

Hotels, grocery stores, Dunkin’ Donuts, gas stations.

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brufleth t1_jdnplhv wrote

Replying to BooksCatsNCoffee (#2,348,519)

Boston is small, so most of these places are near common touristy spots.

They setup a bathroom on the common when the weather gets a little warmer. But the big tip is still to find the nearest hotel which should never be far away.

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DAS44 t1_jdntilu wrote

If all else fails, the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation has a page here where you can find individual states' laws about private/business restroom access for those with eligible conditions. Mass has a listing that has been explained in other links here, but this might be helpful for future trips elsewhere.

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Neat_Apartment_6019 t1_jdnxzjd wrote

I have overactive bladder. In Downtown Crossing, I use the Macy’s bathroom - it is always clean and smells nice. If I’m around Copley Square, I use the bathrooms in the Boston Public Library. (There are also a bunch of smaller community libraries which have bathrooms.) If I’m in the Longwood area, I go into a hospital to find a bathroom. In the Government Center / Faneuil Hall area, during business hours, going into City Hall is a cleaner option than using the bathrooms at Faneuil Hall. (You will have to go through a metal detector.). Same for the State House in the area of Boston Common.

If I’m on the Red Line and need a bathroom, I’ll head to South Station, which has decent bathrooms. (So does North Station, but you have to walk through the arena area and they aren’t open late.) If I’m on the Orange Line, I normally head to Back Bay station, and use the bathroom there or go across the street to the fancy mall-type place there. I’ve gone to the airport on the Silver Line if I have an urgent need.

Stop & Shop and Home Depot always have bathrooms, though cleanliness can vary, especially at Stop & Shop.

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Pharaohline t1_jdo1ysg wrote

Capital one Cafes are always a good option for restrooms too, there's a few throughout the Boston area!

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devAcc123 t1_jdof87b wrote

What part of town are you going to be around?

Hotels, restaurants, and bars all over the place, anybody asks any questions "im meeting someone", but id guess you already know how to get it done lol

Cant think of anywhere in particular that i'd steer clear of, maybe the financial district? Evertyhing kinda closes down there on the weekend, but again theres a hotel on practically every corner

One of the first things I noticed about Boston when I moved here was how much smaller it was than I expected, its a very walkable city

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Cautious-Steak-2518 t1_jdokd6e wrote

Nordstrom rack Boylston av second floor. That’s my place to poo when I’m in the neighborhood.

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NEU_Throwaway1 t1_jdor3k5 wrote

Replying to Whatsmyusername25 (#2,354,595)

Boston advertises their police and fire stations as public bathrooms so you could use the fire station in the middle of the North End. There's a BPL branch as well.

Langone Park has one of those $0.25 quarter operated public bathrooms but most of those I've seen are dilapidated and in a state of disrepair.

If you're around the perimeter, of the North End, you can go to North Station (either the station or the Star Market though the station bathroom is nasty), the Boston Public Market near Haymarket, Faneuil Hall, Marriott Long Wharf (inside is much nicer than the outside bathroom).

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bigditka t1_jdorrtk wrote

Replying to phlukeri (#2,349,347)

Boston Public Library, Quincy Market lower level, Faneuil Hall, Time-out Market in Kenmore, Boston Public Market, and pretty much every hotel and coffee shop? Most chain coffee shops, North Station, South Station and any busy bar if you just act like a customer.

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husky5050 t1_jdqrjn7 wrote

Northeastern University has many buildings that anyone can access if you are in that area.

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kobuta99 t1_jdr0lyd wrote

Agreeing with the hotels as the best bet. Not sure where you will be, but the any of the urban malls or food halls in Cambridge, Boston/Back Bay would be good alternatives too. Lastly, the bigger dept stores (think Macy's, Lord& Taylor, etc). If you are desperate, just buy a drink to use the restroom at a fast casual/ take out restaurant.

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codblopsII t1_jdr716j wrote

All the bats will let you pee! If you have to poop, do so but drink at another bar. They will never know it's you unless you get drinks after destroying the toilet

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Alarmed-Frosting8263 t1_jdsjihj wrote

You can literally just go to any Duncan donuts which there is one on every corner. Or any coffee shop really will let you use their bathroom. And also any fire house will let you go as well.

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