We’ve all been there. You’re walking happily along the streets of Paris when suddenly, without warning, your bladder announces that it needs to empty itself, and the sooner the better. Some of you will look for a bush in one of Paris’s public gardens (if you happen to be there), or try to sneak into some café, hoping the waiter won’t catch you. The luckier ones among you might find one of those “spaceships” (that’s what Paris’s public restrooms look like), and if you’re extra lucky, it won’t reek of urine (or worse).
So today I want to tell you a bit about the history of public restrooms in Paris, which begins in the 17th century. We’ll find out which famous preacher lent his name (without knowing it) to a chamber pot, which emperor’s name was given to public urinals, and of course, where you can find public restrooms in Paris when nature calls.
When the Famous Preacher “Donates” His Name to a Portable Chamber Pot
Let’s start our journey in search of Paris’s public restrooms in my favorite neighborhood in Paris, the Marais. Walk down Rue Saint-Antoine until you reach a beautiful Baroque church, Saint-Paul – Saint-Louis (the exact address is 99 Rue St. Antoine).
While you’re marveling at the breathtaking beauty of this church, let me suggest taking a walk among the various chapels until you reach the statue of Louis Bourdaloue.
Chances are, if you just show up at this church, you’ll walk right past this statue, since there’s nothing particularly special about it compared to the other impressive statues and paintings inside. But let’s stop here and give the man his due. It’s not every day you get to meet the talk of the town among 17th-century Parisian nobility.
To understand Bourdaloue’s importance, you need to realize that entertainment options at the time were quite limited (no television or Facebook yet). You could, of course, go watch an execution at Place de Grève, but chances are all the good spots were already taken.
Another option was to go to the opera or the theater, but that was fairly expensive (or you’d buy standing-room tickets, and the people sitting above you could throw orange peels at you). The last option for cheap entertainment in Paris was… going to church to hear a sermon.
And speaking of sermons, the best preacher of that era was our friend Bourdaloue, who preached at the Saint-Paul – Saint-Louis church. Think of a sold-out solo stand-up show by your favorite comedian: that’s what Bourdaloue was like. He was so good that on Sundays, Rue Saint-Antoine would simply get blocked by the carriages of noblemen parked along it.
No one was willing to miss even one of his sermons. The problem was that these sermons lasted two to three hours, and since the church was a fairly cold place, this put real pressure on everyone’s bladder. So what do you do? How can you relieve yourself without missing a single word of Bourdaloue’s sermon?
For men, it was fairly simple. They’d slip into some hidden chapel and do what needed doing while everyone else was focused on the sermon. For women, of course, it was trickier, because of the dresses they wore, which turned any attempt to pee into a complicated logistical operation. But don’t worry. French ingenuity came up with a solution: someone invented a small chamber pot that could be hidden under the dress, letting them relieve themselves without anyone noticing. Since this pot was first used during one of Bourdaloue’s sermons, someone decided to name it after the preacher, and the name stuck.
And so the women of France kept using this portable chamber pot until the end of the 18th century, with no need at all for public restrooms.
From Barrels of Urine to Spaceships
So, having covered the 17th century, let’s skip straight ahead to the 18th. Back then, Parisians would relieve themselves under any shady tree or on any sidewalk, which helped turn Paris into the smelliest city in the world (don’t believe me? Read “Perfume” by Patrick Süskind).
Paris’s police chief, de Sartine, tried hard to stamp out the practice and even issued an order banning public urination. To make things easier on the public, Sartine placed hundreds of empty barrels around Paris, which became the city’s first public restrooms.
Since barrels full of urine weren’t exactly the most hygienic thing one could imagine, the prefect of the Seine, Count Rambuteau, decided in 1834 to install the vespasiennes, public urinals that let men urinate standing up behind a metal screen meant (in most cases) to hide them from public view (no one gave women a second thought at the time).
The vespasienne was named after the Roman emperor Vespasian, who imposed a tax on public urinals in ancient Rome and became famous for the saying “money has no smell.” Vespasienne urinals existed in Paris until the end of World War II and served, among other things, as an advertising platform (whoever pasted posters on the vespasienne walls made quite a bit of money). These urinals also became a meeting place for Paris’s gay community at the time (think of them as a 19th-century Grindr).
The vespasiennes reached the height of their fame during the occupation of Paris, when members of the Resistance used them as meeting points and to pass messages. After World War II ended, the city of Paris decided to shut down the public urinals for hygiene reasons, and today you can barely find a trace of the vespasienne (I last saw one while walking through the 14th arrondissement. If it’s still there, it’s near La Santé, the only prison still operating inside Paris).
In place of the public urinals, Paris decided in the 1980s to install public restrooms shaped like spaceships, and they’re not exactly beloved by Parisians…
Recommended Public Restrooms in Paris
To wrap up, since we’re on the subject of restrooms, let me recommend two public restrooms with a unique charm. The first is near the Madeleine church, and in my opinion, it’s the most beautiful one in all of Paris. These are public restrooms built in Art Nouveau style in 1905, and as you’ll see in the photos, they’re not only impressively hygienic but also charming. Unfortunately, the last time I visited, the restrooms were closed (probably for renovations). I hope that by your next trip to Paris, you’ll be able to visit them.
The second is in the mall beneath the Louvre Museum. These are ultra-modern public restrooms with every possible luxury. For 3 euros, one of the staff will lead you to a huge, spacious stall and hand you a remote that lets you control the music, the toilet seat’s temperature, and other aspects of the “sitting” experience. There’s no doubt it’s a royal experience well worth the price, since this is probably the only way most of us will ever feel like royalty on the throne (at least for a few minutes). Don’t miss it.
And finally, if you’re traveling in Paris right now and suddenly find yourself in need of a restroom, I’m sure this map will help you (restrooms in green are free, while those in orange require payment).
Planning a Trip to Paris?
If you’ve read an article about public restrooms in the City of Light, chances are you’re either traveling in Paris right now or planning your next trip there. In that case, I highly recommend my Paris guide, where I’ve gathered all the information you need to make the most of your visit to the French capital (recommendations for places to stay, attractions, walking routes, restaurants, and much, much more).
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