Toilets Too Close for Privacy

During the Winter Olympics in Sochi, BBC correspondent Steve Rosenberg took a photo that would become a viral sensation. It was a picture of a pair of toilets sitting too close for privacy, no partitions dividing them. Many anti-government activists used the image to get their point across: the alleged exorbitance of the Winter Olympics.

You’re probably used to seeing one toilet in a bathroom or, at least, cubicles dividing closely-placed toilets. However, the twin toilets aren’t anything new as far as history is concerned. In ancient Rome, public baths featured loos several inches away from each other. Like the twin toilets, Roman communal toilets hardly had partitions, let alone enough distance, for privacy.

The communal toilets weren’t only present in public baths; they were also a necessity in other facilities, like forts, all across England. The toilets had no flush mechanisms; they only consisted of a hole in the seat, which led to a chamber where body waste would be flushed by running water. The public toilet could seat up to 30 people at a time.

The design remained relatively the same today; toilets in public restrooms are divided by full partitions. Reliance on the natural flow of water gave way to sophisticated flush systems that get rid of waste with just one push of the lever or button. Perhaps, homes didn’t need that many toilets, which explains why the twin toilet photo appeared odd for many.