To sit or not to sit? Best bathrooms at Saddleback College, scored

Finding the right bathroom is difficult when juggling between privacy, cleanliness and overall comfort. Even so, there’s no need to worry. I’ve gone and done it so you don’t have to.

All of the bathrooms listed will be rated out of ten based on six categories: artistic style, cleanliness, smell, accessibility, findability and privacy. 

The Library

Bathroom number one: Second floor of library, just to the right of the front doors. 

Artistic style: 7/10. 

It was very neat looking with muted colors and an assortment of grays, but it was slightly depressing. I’m not sure if it was due to the darker coloration, or the strangely “abandoned” feeling it carried.

Cleanliness: 7/10. 

One of the toilet seats had paper on it, but the counters were very clean, as were the walls. 

Smell: 7/10. 

The smell was … neutral. There was no overwhelmingly good smell, but nothing horribly bad, either. 

Accessibility: 8/10. 

It was pretty easy to access but had no automatic opening doors. 

Findability: 10/10.

It was very easy to find. As soon as you walk into the library, they are just to the right, sandwiching the elevator.

Privacy: 7/10.

There were only a few stalls and no fans, so others could hear you. The gap between the door and the wall is very small, though. 

I have to give an honorable mention, because there was a private sink in the large accessible bathroom stall. You don’t even need to leave the stall to wash your hands! 

Overall, I would rank this bathroom a 7/10. They were very easy to find and function as needed. 

Bathroom number two: second floor of the library, farthest end from the front doors.

Artistic style: 7/10.

It has the same style as the other bathroom on this floor: muted in coloration. 

Cleanliness: 7/10.

There were some small pieces of toilet paper on the floor but nothing memorable.

Smell: 7/10.

This bathroom also had a neutral smell, nothing particularly bad and nothing particularly good.

Findability: 8/10.

It was also pretty easy to find, but you have to walk further than if you chose to go in the ones at the front. 

Accessibility: 7/10.

There were no automatic doors but it was easy to get into. Stalls were a bit small. 

Privacy: 8/10.

There was a quiet fan running and the cracks in the door were very small. I found there to be a reasonable gap under the doors.

Overall, it’s a very decent bathroom. It may be average but on the good side of average. I would give it a 7/10.

Bathroom number three: Top floor of library. 

Artistic style: 7/10.

It had the same colors as the rest of the library bathrooms. 

Cleanliness: 8/10.

The floors were clean, toilets were clean, everything was pretty clean. 

Smell: 9/10.

It had a good fruity smell, but I’m unsure if that was on purpose…

Accessibility: 6/10.

The bathroom is small overall and the stalls are a bit cramped, meaning you have to squeeze in. There were no automatic doors, either. 

Findability: 6/10.

You have to walk to the back of the top floor, all while being quiet because everyone is reading quieter than a feather dropping. 

Privacy: 6/10. 

The cracks on stall doors were a bit large, but there was a quiet background fan that added privacy. 

Overall, this bathroom was not my favorite due to the location and the smaller size. It feels like clearing a bunch of levels in a video game just to get back to your home base, if your home base was a toilet. 

Bathroom number five: Private bathrooms on the bottom floor of the library.

Artistic style: 6/10.

Honestly, I found the colors to be pretty drab with all the muted tones. One wall was also more blue than the other one.

Cleanliness: 7/10.

Cleanliness was pretty good but there were a few pieces of tissue paper on the floor. Upon closer inspection (and use), the floor was grimy. 

Smell: 9/10.

This bathroom had the same fruity smell as the previous bathroom. I managed to find the culprit, which was a “tropical paradise” air freshener. I guess that fruity smell earlier was on purpose!

Accessibility: 5/10.

It was a very large bathroom, but my joy was immediately squashed because the soap dispenser didn’t work… The automatic toilet wasn’t really doing its job, either. Gross hands for the win, I guess.

Findability: 5/10.

I’m going to be honest, this place felt like a back room level. For those unaware of what that means, I suggest you look it up (it’s worth the search). Everything is white and there were no signs anywhere that I could see that pointed to the bathrooms. 

Privacy: 7/10

There was a very faint fan, but you could hear people outside clearly, so the walls weren’t soundproof. In fact, I was led to this bathroom by the sounds of toilets flushing, not by any signage.

Overall, this was one of my least favorite bathrooms. The vibe was just … not it for me. With the darker colors, no soap, permeable walls and the location being on the first floor of the library, it just wouldn’t be my first choice. 

Bathroom number six: Outside of the library, facing the fine arts building.

Artistic style: 7/10.

It was basic, just like the other ones inside the library. It had dark and muted colors. However, I must add, the lights were VERY dim; There were only a few working and it felt dystopian.

Cleanliness: 5/10.

There was some dirt and a few leaves on the ground, and all of the toilets had the seats up, for some reason. The walls and countertops were clean. 

Smell: 7/10.

It had a neutral smell, almost a bit earthy. 

Accessibility: 7/10.

It was pretty easy to access and the inside was very large. The stalls were a bit small, and the opposite gender’s bathrooms were on the other side of the Library. 

Findability: 7/10. 

It was sort of a maze to find them, especially depending on where you’re coming from. Leaving out of the back of the library leads you straight to them. Alternatively, turning left before walking into the library’s front doors would lead you to them as well. I believe it needs more signs, because someone might think they’re maintenance doors … cough cough. 

Privacy: 7/10. 

There was no fan, and I felt like the cracks were just a bit larger than the ones inside the library.

Overall, it felt very outdoorsy and the dim lights added to the uniqueness. Even though it may have been a bit creepy and the gaps were larger on the stalls, it wasn’t all too bad. I would give it a general 7/10. 

The Gateway building

Bathroom number seven: Private bathrooms on the first floor of the gateway building.

Artistic style: 6/10. 

Simple, white and gray coloration gives off the impression of order and richness. It sort of felt like a box, though, which is why I’m keeping it at a six out of 10. 

Cleanliness: 10/10.

There was only one small piece of paper towel on the floor. The toilet seat was clean, everything looked good as new.

Smell: 10/10.

It had a super nice smell just like the private bathrooms by Fine Arts. I prefer bathrooms that don’t use an overwhelming fragrance but instead use a milder scent. 

Accessibility: 10/10.

The doors open for you!

Findability: 9/10.

It’s located on the bottom floor of the building, right there at the base of the stairs.

Privacy: 9/10. 

It was completely private, but there was no fan, if you consider that a problem. 

Overall, this was a pretty nice bathroom. It had great privacy, smell and looks. I’ll give it a 9/10, only because many people flood through the gateway building’s stairs, meaning that the bathroom would have constant attention.

Bathroom number eight: Public bathrooms on upper floor of Gateway building. 

Artistic style: 6/10. 

It had the same design as the downstairs bathroom with neat white tile and gray tile flooring.

Cleanliness: 8/10.

It was very clean. Even the seats were clean. There were only a few pieces of tissue paper by the dispenser on the floor. 

Smell: 10/10.

Again, it had the same wonderful, floral, rich smell as the downstairs one. 

Accessibility: 10/10.

There was a button to open the doors 

Findability: 9/10.

It was just on the right side of the upstairs. I felt like it needed to add more signs to show where they are, though. 

Privacy: 7/10.

The stalls had some fairly large cracks that people could peer through. The gap from the floor wasn’t terrible, though. 

Overall, I would give it a 9/10 rating. A pretty pleasant bathroom experience. I only refrain from giving it a 10/10 because of the gaps in the doors. 

Fine Arts

Bathroom number nine: Private bathrooms outside of the fine arts building.

Artistic style: 8/10.

It was simple with a red door and white tiles. It had a very neat look to it that I liked. 

Cleanliness: 8/10.

It was very clean and had a sanitary atmosphere, but there were a few pieces of toilet paper on the floor and one on the toilet seat, which was lifted. 

Smell: 10/10.

It had a wonderful coconut soap smell, coming from who knows where. It felt like a nice day at the beach! 

Accessibility: 10/10.

The doors can open automatically, as with many bathrooms on campus, which was a win. 

Findability: 6/10.

It was a bit of a maze to find them if you come from one of the fine arts music rooms, unfortunately. It was also positioned both in front of the “wonder” sign and somewhat close to this small alleyway. There were not many signs to find them.

Privacy: 10/10.

It’s one whole bathroom to yourself with a toilet placed far away from the door. It also had a fan for the noise covering effect. 

Overall, I would give this bathroom a 9.5/10. It was nearly perfect minus its location. 

Bathroom number 10: Public restrooms in the center of the Fine Arts building.

Artistic style: 10/10.

The stalls were red and the tiles made super interesting patterns. The sinks were some kind of granite-looking color, too. 

Cleanliness: 7/10.

In true bathroom fashion, one of the toilets was still, well, filled with excretions. The floors and sinks were clean, though! 

Smell: 8/10.

The smell was simply neutral, but in a clean way. 

Accessibility: 9/10. 

The doors opened automatically and stayed open for a while. There were also very many stalls, so it’s not likely you’d be waiting very long. 

Findability: 7/10.

It was easy to find and there are a few signs that point to it.

Privacy: 7/10. 

The gaps under doors were quite large, but gaps on the sides of the stall doors were small. 

And last but not least…

Bathroom number zero: The portapotty by the baseball field. 

I’ve heard that there are rumors surrounding this portapotty and that it is the only bathroom for those who attend baseball games. I can personally attest and admit that the rumors are true. 

There are bathrooms close by, but the only bathroom I could find, as a fan, was a startling blue portapotty just waiting to traumatize someone into never leaving their house again. 

Artistic style: 1/10. 

It was blue, so I had to give it one point. Other than the color, the inside had no functioning hand sanitizer, and you could see … well … everything inside the toilet. And I mean everything.

Cleanliness: 1/10.

There was … at least a seat to evacuate your bowels into. Other than that, I’d rather never speak on this topic again. 

Smell: 3/10.

I believe my brain may have tried to force forgetfulness upon me, but from what I could remember, it wasn’t horrendous. Just a general gross smell that just about anyone experiences when using a portapotty.

Accessibility: 0/10.

For every category in this section, I have thought, “must I even go over this part?” 

It’s not a very large portapotty and it has a step to get into it. I nearly took down one of the walls when turning to lock the door. 

Findability: 6/10.

The only good score on this “bathroom” will go to its findability. It was just behind the bleachers, its blue coloration standing out firmly against the reddish building next to it. 

Privacy: 3/10.

Despite the fact that it felt like the equivalent of using the restroom in a cardboard box, it felt pretty private. This was proven to be untrue as soon as my friend and I had a conversation, 15 feet away, through the plastic walls. 

Overall, I don’t think I need to explain anymore. 1/10, AKA, slightly better than squatting in the woods.

Verdict: 

If you’ve made it this far, you may be wondering why you even read this. Hopefully this list may serve helpful for the anxious bathroom users, or for anyone looking for a good chuckle. 

Now for the good part. My final verdict on my favorite bathroom on campus would be … the private bathrooms in the Fine Arts Center! It was a tough choice because even the best bathrooms had some sort of flaw. The Fine Arts section is one of my favorites, so the bathrooms were no different, I suppose. 

This list by no means covers every bathroom on campus, as there are quite a few. I encourage those who read this to embark on a journey to find your perfect bathroom and to explore the ones not mentioned. I’ve even been told the village has some very accessible ones right on the side of the campus roads.

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