This marvelous contraption below will be your best friend during your next trip to Paris. Meet the "Sanisette." It was invented by a French company a few years back to replace the public urinals that were once ubiquitous throughout Paris. Yes, public urinals actually existed, and believe it or not were called Pissoirs. Apparently, public urination is a problem that has plagued Paris for a while. In the 1840s, the pissoir was designed to offer Parisian gents an alternative to relieving themselves on the first building they found after leaving the bar. It was really a win-win solution if you ask me.
Not having grown up in Europe, the whole concept of a public urinal is entirely new to me, but apparently these things took off like wild fire throughout Europe. At their peak in the 1930s, there were over 1,200 pissoirs in Paris alone. Anyway, back to our modern Parisian public toilet - which is free to use, by the way! Each Sanisette contains a toilet and a sink, and completely self-cleans after every use. Once sanitized, the next customer pushes a button and steps right in. The door cannot be opened from the outside when occupied, but will automatically open after 15 minutes to discourage vagrants from moving in. Today, there are 400+ of these toilettes publiques sprinkled throughout the city. So the next time you are in Paris and mother nature calls while you're touring around, don't head back to your hotel - look for a Sanisette and thank the gods of modern sanitation that the spirit of public service has survived the centuries.
2 Comments
Justin
6/15/2014 05:05:53 pm
The public toilets are great! Unless you are in in a group, that is. It needs a "family mode" where several people can use it in succession before it cleans itself. Otherwise, Mike gets bored waiting for his tour groups.
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Kelsey
6/17/2014 03:31:03 pm
That is actually a very good point, Justin. Depending on the size of the group, it may actually be more efficient to find a grouping of nearby toilets to make the process more efficient. Michael will have to scope out the best options for the next tour group :)
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