Fenway's Restrooms

The Fenway experience includes restroom visits for almost every fan, and multiple trips for many.  What words of wisdom could there possibly be about this subject?  We’ll try to come up with some relevant musings.  Please note, however, that the following discussion is only about MEN’S ROOMS, as the women’s rooms will have to be covered by someone else.  Statistical information on the women’s rooms would be helpful in calculating “potty parity”, which is sometimes an issue in public venues.


About those trough urinals

When, at age 10, I first accompanied my Dad to Fenway Park, the biggest surprise was how beautiful and green the field was.  That’s what many people remember as their first impression, especially in those days of black-and-white TV.  But another surprise awaited me in the men’s room, where everyone peed into long porcelain troughs.  Communal peeing was something new to me.  Sometimes, but not always, a running water pipe at one end helped keep everything moving.  It was all very amusing.  As long as you had to pee, the troughs made it fun!

I have no idea when this equipment was installed, or when the troughs were replaced with ordinary individual urinals.  And were the troughs thrown away?  Do any exist?  If such fixtures were made surplus today, they would fetch many thousands of dollars in a Red Sox Foundation charity auction.

From what I’ve read online, you’ll have to go to Wrigley Field to find trough urinals at a ballpark — although those are stainless steel, and the ivy behind them has been removed.


Men’s Rooms capacity today

Just like concession stands, some restrooms become much more crowded than others.  The overall capacity seems adequate, so if your closest one has a long line, go to one of the others.  The ones on the pavilion level are rarely crowded even though they are small.  And of course if you go during the inning breaks you’ll find everyone else has the same idea.

The following is a list of the men’s rooms at the park, and the numbers of urinals (U), regular stalls (RS), handicapped stalls(HS), sinks (SK), and electric hand dryers(HD).

location                       U   RS   HS   SK   HD
----------------------------------------------------
Underneath/behind bleachers   49   14    1   18    7
Underneath Section 5          23    6    1    3    3
Underneath Section 7          28    4    1    3    3
Underneath Section 11         16    2         3    3
Underneath Section 17         29    7    1    6    3

Underneath Section 24         22    3    1    3    2
      (lower level)
Behind Section 27             25    3    1    3    2
near Gate E, under Sec. 30    25    3    1    5    3
LF corner Level 3              4    1    1    3    2
     (serving Monster seats)
Bud Deck                       3    1    1    2    2
RF level 4 under Terrace B     9*   1    1    4    2
RF level 4 under PB9           9    2    1    5    2
Above Gate D, mezz. level     29*   4    1    6    3
LF level 4 under PB10          8    2    1    5    2
LF level 4 under PB14          5    1    1    4    2
====================================================
Total                        284   54   14   73   41

* - flushless type


Towels vs. electric dryers

When you wash your hands in the restroom, do you realize something is missing?  About 3-4 years ago (can’t remember the year), paper towel dispensers were removed from almost all restrooms.  There are electric hand dryers, but no paper towels, except in the ritzy restrooms — those in the EMC, Pavilion, and Royal Rooters Clubs.  Do you miss paper towels?  I do, for various reasons.

For drying hands, there are two sides to the debate between paper and electric.  Backed by the makers of paper and makers of dryers, studies have been done comparing the two methods, and the studies are then used to lobby in favor of one or the other method.  Just google “paper towels vs hand dryers”.  The consensus seems to favor electric dryers from a strictly environmental viewpoint: less impact on the planet.  This is a worthy goal.  But dryers spray bacteria around and do a worse job at removing bacteria from hands than paper towels.

The towel vs. dryer debate, regarding drying hands, is beyond the scope of this post.  What I would like to suggest, however, is that the fan experience at Fenway Park would be inarguably improved by making paper towels available once again.  Why?  Because paper towels have many more uses at a ballpark than merely to dry hands.  They are much better for drying faces, and they are the only proper way to clean up children’s messy hands or faces, wipe sweat from the brow or neck on a hot day, or wipe moisture off a seat if it has rained (and an usher is unavailable).  In most cases napkins are a poor substitute in doing these tasks.  Napkins disintegrate when wiping off a wet seat, for example.

So I am in favor of reinstalling paper towel dispensers in restrooms, to go along with the electric dryers.  However, I suspect that if that is done, fans will choose towels over dryers and negate the environmental benefits that prompted the switch to dryers in the first place.  Maybe the best solution would be to mount paper towel dispensers in other public areas, not in the rest rooms.

Or, just remember to bring some paper towels to the game!  Just do NOT bring cloth towels to wave around during the game.  Red Sox fans don’t do that.