Thailand Bathrooms

Thailand bathrooms, yes there will come a time when you are out and about and you will need to use a Thai toilet.
Just be aware that there are some fairly scary ones out there.

Thai Toilet Hose:

One of the first things you will notice is that there is no toilet paper. Generally in areas with many tourists such as an airport, shopping mall, high end hotels etc. You will most likely not notice any difference.

However you may be faced with the “Thai Toilet Hose” also known as a bum gun. It is located in about the same area as you would expect to find the toilet paper dispenser. Except there is a pressure hose in its place. How to use it should be quite obvious. You use the pressurized water to clean up what you would have used toilet paper for back home.

Thai Toilet

Back in 2012 the Thailand health ministry announced plans to install western style flush sit down style toilets at all public facilities. Eventually most of the Thai style squat toilets will be gone.

What do Toilets look like in Thailand and How to use them?

Thai Style Squat Toilet

The old Thai style squat toilets. Are usually found in older places. Establishments that were build before Thailand became such a popular tourist location. You will tend to find these in places such as bus stations, beach bathrooms, a family house in a rural area, hotels etc.  They are mainly located inside old establishments. Any public facility built after 2012 will almost certainly have the regular western sit down flush style toilet installed.

Remembering back to the first time one of these were seen, no one was sure quite what to make of it.

It is often forgot the “shock” some westerners feel when they see this type of toilet. After you see a couple of these, you will get use to it and also wonder what all the fuss is about.

As for the flushing system for these we have come across two different kinds.

1. Push button flush
   Where there is a button on the wall and you press it and the toilet flushes, as you would expect.
2. Manual Flush
   These one generally have a built in basin in the corner of the room. Some have a large barrel located next to the toilet. Both have a smaller pan/bowl/bucket that you use to take water from teh basin/barrel and use it to flush the squat toilet.

Sometimes if you are lucky they also have a Thai toilet hose \ Bum gun available and you can use that in order to flush the toilet after use. The big advantage of these is you can use it to pretty much clean up the entire room.

Should You Flush Toilet Paper Down a Toilet in Thailand?

Generally if you are at something modern and modern it should be OK.

However look out for any signage explicitly asking you not to. For example if you are staying in an older or cheaper hotel out on a small Island and it has a sign saying not to do so, dont do it.

We recall an incident in Cambodia when staying with friends. One guy went and used the toilet as he would back home.
Next thing we hear some swearing coming from the toilet. He had ignored the “do not flush toilet paper”. The toilet had become blocked. Desperately trying to unblock it he flushed again and it overflowed out of the bowl and on to the ground.

He had to make an embarrassing phone call to the receptionist and his face turned bright red then the three young maintenance girls showed up to clean up his mess.

Pay Toilets in Thailand

So something I do not quite understand about bathrooms in Thailand is there are some that charge you a small fee. Typically 3-5 Bhat. You would think that if the bathroom was nice high end and new you would pay more for it right?

Well not in Thailand. Turns out the more old and run down it is, the higher the chance is that you will be required to pay a  fee to use it.

Free Toilets

Free Thailand Bathrooms are located in major Airports, Shopping Malls (some charge for toilet paper), Hotels, Cinemas, Petrol stations etc. The newer, cleaner, nicer the bathroom the chances are it will be free to use.
 

Photo above left is from the Kad Suan Kaew Shopping Mall Convention Center Lobby, reception of the Baan Din Ki Hotel in Chiang Mai.
Photo above right if from the Gateway Hotel Bangkok in Bangkok Thailand

Pay Toilets

Paid Thailand Bathrooms are located in older establishments, markets, beach toilets, older parks etc. How ironic is it that the older, dirtier and smellier the toilet it the more likely hood there is you will need to pay.

They only reason possible for them to charge a fee may be because it is connect to a septic tank and when the toilet gets full there is a charge for a service to come along and suck up all the you know what.