In the process of reviewing bathrooms, it is easy to get jaded. There are over 150 bathrooms on the Hilltop Campus of Washington University, and the lack of creativity and distinctiveness can lull those who attempt to visit all of them into a state of indifference to the little things that differentiate one bathroom from another. Occasionally, though, a bathroom appears that is so shocking, so amazing, so different from all other bathrooms, that it reminds this reviewer of why he wanted to go into bathroom reviewing in the first place. The men's room in the basement of Prince Hall is one of these bathrooms.

There are many aspects of this bathroom that are flatly baffling. When one first enters the bathroom one is confronted not with the bathroom itself, but with an extremely strange vestibule area that features a large garbage can, an office chair, and a doorstop-cum-Dadaist-sculpture made from innumerable coat hangers on some kind of rack that looks specifically designed for them. Once one leaves the vestibule and enters the bathroom proper (which is extremely large) one encounters five more chairs - all of entirely different styles and colors (see photo for three of these). The mysterious sculpture and abundance of chairs led one reviewer to speculate on this bathroom's being a meeting place for some sort of secret society, a thought that seems just as valid an explanation as any other for this bathroom.

The actual bathroom features are no less distinctive. It features one broken-down sink and one extremely good infrared-triggered sink, a well-placed mirror, and one of Hilltop's few automatic paper towel dispensers (see photo). The toilet stall dividers are painted a neutral gray, which flakes off to reveal a startling deep orange color (again, see photo). A window provides adequate lighting for most of the day.

Like the other Prince basement bathroom, this bathroom is one of the most intriguing on campus, and is worth a visit - not only for its appeal as a spectacle, but also for its above-average facilities. Indeed, this bathroom is a clear critic's favorite, and, if it were visited more, it would certainly be a favorite among the bathroom-using public as well.