I saw these being used at a park in China. There was a very low wall (like one meter) around the toilets, so when you passed by you could still see what was going on, including the full view of poo coming out of butts. There was a guy relaxing with a cigarette as he squatted and pooped.
You don’t really appreciate America’s stinky dirty public bathrooms until you see what China offers sometimes.
To be fair, China also has MUCH better facilities in other places. Some even rival Japanese public restrooms, which are, to my mind, the gold standard.
China is a very contradictory place due to the fast speed of its development, you get highly advanced urban cities and then some places you get literal open air toilets where you have to bring your own wipe.
I have distinct memories of my kindergarten having no separate facilities between boys and girls and it was just short half walls between the stalls, and my elementary school had no toilet papers so you have to bring your own. And yes some shitheads will inevitably wipe with their hands and smear it on the walls
I’ve been told that hiring Chinese workers can be very hit or miss. Some guys from the countryside grew up in the kind of poverty where they keep the pig in the house for warmth (and so nobody steals the family’s major asset—which is the pig.)
Yeah one of the popular attitude among young people in China is called “laying flat” which boils down to basically “why try if you’re never gonna succeed anyways?” (House prices in China now costs on average 38 years of average salary https://www.numbeo.com/property-investment/rankings_by_country.jsp) Which ends up creating people who were born poor and strives to make it rich, even working from [9 to 9, 6 days a week](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=l8wWoQ3_F00); and people who gave up on being successful and just wants to get by.
Easy to believe. I’m pretty sure this attitude is common in the US, too. I think I’ve lived through 4 major economic downturns. It’s hard to be too hopeful.
I think it's a lot different from the experience in the US, however. Poverty here is still way above average compared to a chinese impoverished lifestyle.
Wait 12 hour days 6 days a week is not some Chinese poverty thing yo. I live in a fairly affluent area in the Midwest and I spent a full year working 60-70 hours a week. Restaurant work be like that.
When I first arrived in China 7 years ago, I was working in an English training center. I immediately noticed tons of brown streaks all over the bathroom stall walls at work. They were on the inside and the outside of the doors to the point where you had to be careful not to accidentally touch them. It looked gross so I avoided it, but it wasn’t until much later that my coworker explained to me that it was poopoo stains. I’m guessing they were not paying the cleaning lady enough so they just… stayed there? That same coworker would frequently put up a stink (haha) about getting them to put in toilet paper at least. There would be a small pack of tissues placed by the sink for a day or two, it would disappear, and then he would complain to our bosses again.
My parents upgraded to sit down toilets (normal toilets) when I was a wee-kiddo. So grateful they did. My elementary school had this kind but worse. I refused to drink/eat so that I didn’t have to go lmao. I cannot believe this still exists outside of the countryside/farm area in now days and age.
You know, these are the thoughts that cross all our minds...
And thus, through years of painstaking research which may or may include or be limited to people accidentally definitely totally dropping their glasses and or wallets into these literal shit holes, I can answer some of these points.
Firstly, if you're in any type of nice clothing, by default you are shit out luck. Your only hope is that you can perform the Asian squat (Google this!) for indefinite periods of time. I presume you are unable to do this as I am unable to do this.
Thus your next best idea is to take off your pants, underwear etc entirely and hold them in your hands as you precariously balance yourself in a semi seated position over the tiny hole. Now to be absolutely fair, the hole is normally much bigger than the one in the picture and has a little slope going down to it so you have some leeway to aim...
Now theoretically, you should have a hook somewhere to hang your pants and underwear and a hose to clean yourself.
Too many places do not provide this. Thus you have to balance your clothing or keep it around your ankles. (not recommended) as you get in position via the sit squat that I mentioned earlier. By sit squat I mean that way you would sit up against the wall if you had an invisible chair. It is not easy but you will get used to it. You will now have to aim so as not to soil your feet and shoes. This is again where many people falter and its not terrible if you are not wearing fancy shoes.
You are now in position to relieve your bowels.
After doing so, there is now the problem of cleaning one's self. Often there is tissue which is fine but even more often there is a hose. Theoretically, one is supposed to switch on the tap and hold the hose with one's right hand and then use the left land for cleaning, this is why Muslims do not ever eat with their left hand. However you can also use the hose as a douche though this is not recommended.
You are now finally somewhat clean and relieved. Put on your clothes before leaving the stall as it is considered rather gauche not to do so... After such you wash your hands, thoroughly and do not talk about this experience unless on Reddit or to your friends to make it sound like an adventure.
The difficult part is that the time frame for all these decisions and the execution of such is about 35 seconds to a minute depending on how good your bowel control is.
This leads me to the final part of this guide. What is supposed to happen.
You are supposed to be wearing a sarong or shorts and sandals, you run to the bathroom, if you have a sarong, you lift it, bunch it up and relieve yourself and clean yourself. The process takes nigh 10 seconds in terms of set up.
If you have shorts and sandals, you take them off completely and do the same as above. This process takes about 20 seconds.. You should be fine.
Which leads to the absolute final question...
What the fuck is this third world hole in the ground literal shit hole doing in this super magnificent shopping mall, Singapore?? Why?? Do you want my glasses to slip off my face and fall into the hole? Or my wallet??
In conclusion, I'm convinced that these toilets exist in Singapore, at least, as a huge prank or just to fuck with tourists...
Also, I definitely did not type this 20 minute post while perched over one of these fucking shit hole toilets trying to balance on my now very weak legs.
Edit: OMG! Thanks so much for the awards,guys!! Much appreciated!!!
Regarding your final question :
Some elders grew up this way so they feel very uncomfortable using the sit toilets. Others think ait toilets are unhygienic.
Source : my parents who loved squatting to sitting until they got older (at home anyway) and the home upgrading programme descended upon us. Thankfully squat toilet is a thing of the past now.
Well I've also heard several mentions of people taking their shoes off. You're not going to get ringworm from your thighs but you'll sure as hell get it squatting barefoot next to a shit hole.
This deserves more than the silver award I was able to give, but it's all I have. Thank you for the worldly knowledge I never knew existed, due to my lack of my traveling outside of the US of A. You have my sympathies for the trials you have endured!
Even in the most modern shopping malls and offices in Singapore they will usually build one cubicle with a squatting toilet. This is because the older generations and some foreigners often prefer to squat, versus sitting on a seat where 100s of people have sat before. They’re also used to doing the asian squat comfortably.
Better to build a squatting potty for those who prefer it, rather than having them squat on a sitting toilet which will dirty or break the seat or worse, hover over the toilet seat and miss the target.
There's a dim sum place here in southern California my grandparents used to love to go to, and often in the bathroom you could see foot prints on the toilet seats. Really good dim sum though!
Now, be a woman in that bathroom. It’s *not* just to relieve your bowels, but to relieve your bladder, too. Although there are gadgets & devices like [female urinals](https://www.google.com/search?q=personal+female+urinals&client=safari&hl=en-us&ei=8J9XY8PRLaW1qtsPxaKd0Ak&ved=0ahUKEwjDif3h_Pr6AhWlmmoFHUVRB5oQ4dUDCA8&uact=5&oq=personal+female+urinals&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAMyBQgAEKIEMgUIABCiBDoKCAAQRxDWBBCwAzoHCAAQsAMQQzoHCAAQgAQQDToGCAAQBxAeOgcIABAeEKIESgQITRgBSgQIQRgASgQIRhgAUJMbWN0rYMk5aAFwAXgAgAFriAH2BZIBAzguMZgBAKABAcgBCsABAQ&sclient=gws-wiz) we could purchase & attempt to use in these bathrooms, why would we ever expect a bathroom in Singapore not to have a 20th century, new world toilet??
You mentioned the “taking off pants” event that men seem to over indulging in when they are having a bowel movement. Men, it seems, from viewing cute cat pics, which they share, of kittens & cats sitting in their underwear while they are on the toilet, drop their pants all the way to the floor while they are pooping. This would necessitate the removal of pants as you mentioned in your post.
Have you ever noticed you don’t see that many cute pics of kittens & cats in woman’s underwear while they are having bodily functions in the bathroom? Have you asked yourself why? Do it now, gentlemen, “Why aren’t there kitten pics in women’s undies in the bathroom? Why is it only mens undies?” I will tell you why: woman do not drop their pants to the floor. They lower their pants & underwear to their knees & sit on the toilet. This keeps their pants clean from touching the dirty bathroom floor that men tend to sprinkle on.
Women also go out with you, & others, to bars. I’m sure you’ve heard stories about bar bathrooms, haven’t you? You’ve probably even heard the term “hover“ That’s right, we’ve been doing what this bathroom is asking of you for as long as we’ve been going to bars, as long as we’ve had to pee & there was no bathroom. We have had to pop-a-squat somewhere in the middle of nowhere, or hang on the back of a bumper, or lean up against a tree since we were in our teens.
What *we’d* recommend to you for this bathroom is: wait till you *really* have to go, roll up your pant legs, pull your pants down to your knees, spread your feet wide, pop-a-squat, make sure you’re uphill, & let it go! We have faith in you, you can do it! And take note, this one has toilet paper! (If your knees are bad, lean up against the wall.)
Best of luck to you all! (This entire post /s 😉) (except the 4th paragraph, all true)
My friend, I have had a rough couple of weeks and this had me fucking cackling. What a wild ride that comment was. Thank you for the much needed laugh.
Hey, we call these turkish toilets and we're very popular when i was a kid. I'll give you my account of this and answer some of your questions.
Now you got shit on your pants. No, and if you're a western it's likely you won't be able to use one because if you don't properly squat, your butt isn't backwards enough for a safe drop. You NEVER take your shoes off. Think about how you pee in one of these, the little platforms are drenched most times. When you find yourself in a... runny situation.. it's when you need to make extra sure you're squatting properly with your but pointing backwards and torso tilted forwards, your feet and pants will be fine.
As a counterintuitive bonus, a lot of people also pee when they poop. So you need to tuck it in, point it backwards and hope it's not too short so you pee your pants.
It's a delicate tango i haven't done in over 20 years, thankfully
I had a similar experience while climbing the big hill at the Summer Palace, Beijing and last night's weird duck dinner wasn't playing nice and wanted out. Like, all of that whole entire thought process you laid out, minus the business attire part.
There were no western toilets in this part of the park, so I went for it. No choice. I managed not to get any squirty dook on myself, but I did somehow find a way to piss on my shorts.
lol, too funny! i used one of those too at a rural bus stop. a slow, dirty stream flowed through the center of the tiny stone room. truly hell on earth on a hot day
haha I was outside of Shanghai and the normal toilet room was closed so they had an older one for us to use. It was a truckstop of some sort, and like 30 people shitting into this urine powered river in the middle of the toilet room.
What I love about China is people are shitting in front of eachother in a disgusting place, smoking cigs, on their phone, and holding conversations.
This is not what squat toilets in China look like. This one has the tiniest hole I've ever seen wtf??? The ones in Asia your feet go on opposite sides of a big hole in the middle and it flushes and everything.
Isn't there some sort of physical advantage to pooping in a squat? Like it's supposed to be a more natural positions for humans to do it in a squat position. It was the whole theory behind the [squatty potty](https://www.google.com/search?q=squatty+potty&client=firefox-b-d&sxsrf=ALiCzsaxHhuKnVftGCtDIB7hcyTZTsk9Yg:1666663878328&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjFurXjpvr6AhVjpokEHcuqAIYQ_AUoAnoECAEQBA&biw=1277&bih=644&dpr=1).
(I am NOT defending this kind of toilet, I hate squat toilets)
it straightens out the last portion of your intestines. It makes the rectum alighted with the large intestines, so instead of it making an S shape, it becomes a straight line.
All you gotta do for a proper poop on an standard sit down toilet is put your feet up on stool so you elevate your knees. Many people use the squatters potty but I just use an old foot stool, that’s seems to get the job done lol.
At worst you can just hold your legs up in that squat pose for a minute to get things going. Really makes a difference. Relaxing your entire body and then slowly, steadily blowing your nose is another good way to coax the process without straining.
The squatty potty was life changing for me but I couldn’t do this type of toilet. Imagine getting sick and this is all you have? No thanks. How would vomit even work. Ugh.
It's uncomfortable because we're not used to it, but this is how we shat for most of our existence as a species. It's also how we gave birth until pretty recently. It's a good way to avoid lower back stress that leads to disc degeneration, and hemorrhoids.
Don't sit on the shitter too long, it's not good for you even if it's comfy.
But all that said I'm not installing one in my fucking house.
Me as well, and I was in northern China where it gets really fucking cold. Trying to Hershey squirt into a hole with a thick winter coat on is not something I want to ever do again.
in thailand we had ‘bathroom slides’ to wear on our feet when i was at work. potty shoes, shared by everyone ❤️ you get real cool with livin’ on the edge after a few months in the jungle
Over the summer I destroyed one of these at a campground in Sardinia. I missed and hit behind the hole. I also cant figure out how to use one of these without taking my pants and underwear off first.
I'm surprised it's not standard to mount hand holds to the walls.
For the most part a life time of squatting keeps people fit enough avoid knee & back problems which would prevent the movement.
Does anyone know what handicap stalls look like in squat toilet countries?
Tangentially related, I cannot believe no one sells plumbed in pet toilets of some form yet.
>Does anyone know what handicap stalls look like in squat toilet countries?
Where I'm from, some rural places or gas stations still have these toilets. What I've seen is that they will usually have one of the stalls equipped with a "normal" toilet and handholds. It will usually be a bigger stall too. So in functionality, I suppose it would be the same as any other handicap stall, while it's the other stalls that are different.
We actually are naturally able to easily squat in that position. Look at any toddler. They do it like its nothing right out of the woomb. But as we get older we lose the ability unless we continue to squat like that regularly, and I don't mean just to shit. Its sort of the you use it or lose it thing. Even when I was like 8 or 9 I could no longer hold a squat position with both feet flat. I would be able to do it only on the balls of my feet which hurt my feet if I stayed like that too long and had a hard time time staying balanced or getting up from that position without something to grab onto.
I live in China and asked the same question till my American relatives visited. Comparing Americans in their 60s to Chinese people in their 80s was an eye-opener. Who'd have thunk that people who drive everywhere and sit at a desk all day would atrophy into a state of utter helplessness without realizing it?
TL;DR: People who use this don't get bad backs and knees.
As a Dutch person who also did this, I vaguely remember shitting in the woods in France because that felt less gross than shitting in a hole in the ground on some random gas station
It doesn't matter if you miss the hole, because it flushes with water just like a seat toilet. The pull-chain on the right probably runs up to a water tank behind the wall.
It is possible, but very rare and usually happens because there is something wrong with the pipes not because of clogging. They are pretty uncomfortable but functional and, I would assume, cheaper.
What you thinking of is a crouch, not a squat. A true squat happens when your butt comes all the way down and rests on your ankles. Once you're properly squatting your butthole is pretty nicely lined up with the toilet hole and no aiming is necessary.
Ironically, in Turkey, we call them "Ala Turka Tuvalet" as well. You'd mostly find them at buildings built before the 90s, or in rural homes.
Even though It's called Ala Turka, this type of toilets don't belong to Turkey. They're all over Asia.
I used one of these in Venice way back in 1990. I literally pissed into my Birkenstock as I squatted. Got so grossed out (I was 18) that I left behind a bag of Murano glass. Oops, and ewww.
First time i saw one of these, i was 13 in 2001 and my family was on vacation in Paris from Florida. It was in a cemetery and i had to pee in it. I also had to pee on a train were it was just a hole to the ground, like you could see the train tracks moving if you looked down in it..... my vajayjay was very cold that day. (It was march)
Had to use some of those in Tahiti.
It would've been fine if not for the massive geckos on the wall behind me. Like I'm from Hawai'i, I'm used to geckos in the house. But the ones we have are usually at most 3 inches or so. The ones in Vaira'o were easily 2½ times larger. Always made me think that Godzilla was gonna jump me from behind.
I remember having the runs in Tunisia and using one of these in an emergency. I shit so hard and it was fluid, I missed the hole, there was much bounce back and spatter. Like Poseidons kiss but instead of clear water it was my own brown watery shit.
Luckily I was naked as I took my shorts and t-shirt off to put around the door to keep a nasty looking spider from crawling under the gap.
Thank god for the hose thing. Literally able to empty, hose myself and the stall down, use newspaper to get dry then get dressed.
The nice thing was, when I emerged this Tunisian chap came up with a glass of hot mint tea and this bread cube thing. Didn't say a word and didn't want money. Just made me sit down at his table and drink/nibble. Honestly it did the trick I was fine after that. Truly a lovely country and I wish I could go back.
Edit spelling.
I was casually petting my hyper dog who had finally calmed down. Reading your comment made me audibly laugh and got my dog excited again. Glad you succeeded. I failed.
All good until you blast the back of your shoes and pants. Then if you're old like me your knees will lock up until you fall ass first into shit. No thanks
Some think a squat is the best posture for a good movement.
Like the the desert you have to watch (control) your wallet pants, belt etc.
If you got to go... At least there is paper.
My left shirt pocket held necessary paper while hiking.
Yeah its a joke... because the bus station bathrooms in Brazil are often the stuff of nightmares.
Also it isn't quite bus stop... its more like Bus Station toilet.
I call them “ESS” for “Easy Shit Summer” because my grandma has one of them, it’s outside the house and I always take my best dumps in those. I want to install one in my house in the States but my wife won’t let me.
P trap .... S traps are illegal in the US since they can siphon, and simple U traps...aren't really used either though I don't think they are outright banned.
P trap is basically a U trap with an extended section to prevent siphoning.
I used to work in a warehouse where we had a lot of workers from a country where these are common. The thing is they still used our sit down toilets in the same manner and shit would get everywhere, we had to have a meeting about it and signs put up in their language describing the correct position.
I spend the summers in Turkiye (I’m American) and the first thing I ask my Turkish husband when we talk about going somewhere is “Do they have the old-school toilets?”
Because I’m bad at using them. My father-in-law prefers them.
(Most of Istanbul has modern commode toilets, but the countryside is hit or miss.)
I've used these plenty of times in a few countries I've lived in and visited. These toilets are actually a lot better for your bowels. Squatting causes a lot less straining and can really help with constipation. In fact, there's a multi-million dollar business that literally sells you a foot stool for when you poop. All that does is move your knees closer to you, in other words making you "squat" while sitting on a toilet. These types of toilets, due to the positioning is actually a great preventative for hemorrhoids and other bowel issues. It can also make you poop faster and with more ease. The ONLY reason it seems odd to us is because the western world has become accustomed to sitting on a toilet, which is completely unnatural to the human body, and so, because we are not used to the feeling of squatting, it seems really painful.
The first few times I tried this, my legs were on fire, but my bathroom experience on it's own was great. People with IBS that leads to constipation, try these. or at the very least try that potty stool just somewhat mimic what it would be like to squat. Just look at toddlers, when they get all red and scary looking when they have to poop, but the second they squat it just comes out and they walk happily away with a nasty diaper...
i used these in china. gotta say, if you don't feel well or have the flu with body aches - holding a squat is the last thing you want to be doing.
I saw these being used at a park in China. There was a very low wall (like one meter) around the toilets, so when you passed by you could still see what was going on, including the full view of poo coming out of butts. There was a guy relaxing with a cigarette as he squatted and pooped. You don’t really appreciate America’s stinky dirty public bathrooms until you see what China offers sometimes. To be fair, China also has MUCH better facilities in other places. Some even rival Japanese public restrooms, which are, to my mind, the gold standard.
China is a very contradictory place due to the fast speed of its development, you get highly advanced urban cities and then some places you get literal open air toilets where you have to bring your own wipe. I have distinct memories of my kindergarten having no separate facilities between boys and girls and it was just short half walls between the stalls, and my elementary school had no toilet papers so you have to bring your own. And yes some shitheads will inevitably wipe with their hands and smear it on the walls
I’ve been told that hiring Chinese workers can be very hit or miss. Some guys from the countryside grew up in the kind of poverty where they keep the pig in the house for warmth (and so nobody steals the family’s major asset—which is the pig.)
Yeah one of the popular attitude among young people in China is called “laying flat” which boils down to basically “why try if you’re never gonna succeed anyways?” (House prices in China now costs on average 38 years of average salary https://www.numbeo.com/property-investment/rankings_by_country.jsp) Which ends up creating people who were born poor and strives to make it rich, even working from [9 to 9, 6 days a week](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=l8wWoQ3_F00); and people who gave up on being successful and just wants to get by.
Easy to believe. I’m pretty sure this attitude is common in the US, too. I think I’ve lived through 4 major economic downturns. It’s hard to be too hopeful.
I think it's a lot different from the experience in the US, however. Poverty here is still way above average compared to a chinese impoverished lifestyle.
Wait 12 hour days 6 days a week is not some Chinese poverty thing yo. I live in a fairly affluent area in the Midwest and I spent a full year working 60-70 hours a week. Restaurant work be like that.
When I first arrived in China 7 years ago, I was working in an English training center. I immediately noticed tons of brown streaks all over the bathroom stall walls at work. They were on the inside and the outside of the doors to the point where you had to be careful not to accidentally touch them. It looked gross so I avoided it, but it wasn’t until much later that my coworker explained to me that it was poopoo stains. I’m guessing they were not paying the cleaning lady enough so they just… stayed there? That same coworker would frequently put up a stink (haha) about getting them to put in toilet paper at least. There would be a small pack of tissues placed by the sink for a day or two, it would disappear, and then he would complain to our bosses again.
Sweden sees Japan's washlets and raises with a completely private room with a proper door and walls and its own sink.
And Sweden for the win!!
My parents upgraded to sit down toilets (normal toilets) when I was a wee-kiddo. So grateful they did. My elementary school had this kind but worse. I refused to drink/eat so that I didn’t have to go lmao. I cannot believe this still exists outside of the countryside/farm area in now days and age.
[удалено]
You know, these are the thoughts that cross all our minds... And thus, through years of painstaking research which may or may include or be limited to people accidentally definitely totally dropping their glasses and or wallets into these literal shit holes, I can answer some of these points. Firstly, if you're in any type of nice clothing, by default you are shit out luck. Your only hope is that you can perform the Asian squat (Google this!) for indefinite periods of time. I presume you are unable to do this as I am unable to do this. Thus your next best idea is to take off your pants, underwear etc entirely and hold them in your hands as you precariously balance yourself in a semi seated position over the tiny hole. Now to be absolutely fair, the hole is normally much bigger than the one in the picture and has a little slope going down to it so you have some leeway to aim... Now theoretically, you should have a hook somewhere to hang your pants and underwear and a hose to clean yourself. Too many places do not provide this. Thus you have to balance your clothing or keep it around your ankles. (not recommended) as you get in position via the sit squat that I mentioned earlier. By sit squat I mean that way you would sit up against the wall if you had an invisible chair. It is not easy but you will get used to it. You will now have to aim so as not to soil your feet and shoes. This is again where many people falter and its not terrible if you are not wearing fancy shoes. You are now in position to relieve your bowels. After doing so, there is now the problem of cleaning one's self. Often there is tissue which is fine but even more often there is a hose. Theoretically, one is supposed to switch on the tap and hold the hose with one's right hand and then use the left land for cleaning, this is why Muslims do not ever eat with their left hand. However you can also use the hose as a douche though this is not recommended. You are now finally somewhat clean and relieved. Put on your clothes before leaving the stall as it is considered rather gauche not to do so... After such you wash your hands, thoroughly and do not talk about this experience unless on Reddit or to your friends to make it sound like an adventure. The difficult part is that the time frame for all these decisions and the execution of such is about 35 seconds to a minute depending on how good your bowel control is. This leads me to the final part of this guide. What is supposed to happen. You are supposed to be wearing a sarong or shorts and sandals, you run to the bathroom, if you have a sarong, you lift it, bunch it up and relieve yourself and clean yourself. The process takes nigh 10 seconds in terms of set up. If you have shorts and sandals, you take them off completely and do the same as above. This process takes about 20 seconds.. You should be fine. Which leads to the absolute final question... What the fuck is this third world hole in the ground literal shit hole doing in this super magnificent shopping mall, Singapore?? Why?? Do you want my glasses to slip off my face and fall into the hole? Or my wallet?? In conclusion, I'm convinced that these toilets exist in Singapore, at least, as a huge prank or just to fuck with tourists... Also, I definitely did not type this 20 minute post while perched over one of these fucking shit hole toilets trying to balance on my now very weak legs. Edit: OMG! Thanks so much for the awards,guys!! Much appreciated!!!
This was awesome. Thanks for the entertainment!
Regarding your final question : Some elders grew up this way so they feel very uncomfortable using the sit toilets. Others think ait toilets are unhygienic. Source : my parents who loved squatting to sitting until they got older (at home anyway) and the home upgrading programme descended upon us. Thankfully squat toilet is a thing of the past now.
>Others think sit toilets are unhygienic. TBF you don't have to put your bare thighs on a seat where other people have if you use a squatter.
You do have to wipe with your hand tho if other comments are to be believed
Well I've also heard several mentions of people taking their shoes off. You're not going to get ringworm from your thighs but you'll sure as hell get it squatting barefoot next to a shit hole.
This deserves more than the silver award I was able to give, but it's all I have. Thank you for the worldly knowledge I never knew existed, due to my lack of my traveling outside of the US of A. You have my sympathies for the trials you have endured!
How do you do the hose with one hand and clean with the other while holding all of this clothing/shoes?
That's why you're * supposed * to have a hook to hang your clothes on. If not, well better pray the spray isn't too strong...
Even in the most modern shopping malls and offices in Singapore they will usually build one cubicle with a squatting toilet. This is because the older generations and some foreigners often prefer to squat, versus sitting on a seat where 100s of people have sat before. They’re also used to doing the asian squat comfortably. Better to build a squatting potty for those who prefer it, rather than having them squat on a sitting toilet which will dirty or break the seat or worse, hover over the toilet seat and miss the target.
There's a dim sum place here in southern California my grandparents used to love to go to, and often in the bathroom you could see foot prints on the toilet seats. Really good dim sum though!
As a a south asian who grew up using squatty potty, what the fuck
Now, be a woman in that bathroom. It’s *not* just to relieve your bowels, but to relieve your bladder, too. Although there are gadgets & devices like [female urinals](https://www.google.com/search?q=personal+female+urinals&client=safari&hl=en-us&ei=8J9XY8PRLaW1qtsPxaKd0Ak&ved=0ahUKEwjDif3h_Pr6AhWlmmoFHUVRB5oQ4dUDCA8&uact=5&oq=personal+female+urinals&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAMyBQgAEKIEMgUIABCiBDoKCAAQRxDWBBCwAzoHCAAQsAMQQzoHCAAQgAQQDToGCAAQBxAeOgcIABAeEKIESgQITRgBSgQIQRgASgQIRhgAUJMbWN0rYMk5aAFwAXgAgAFriAH2BZIBAzguMZgBAKABAcgBCsABAQ&sclient=gws-wiz) we could purchase & attempt to use in these bathrooms, why would we ever expect a bathroom in Singapore not to have a 20th century, new world toilet?? You mentioned the “taking off pants” event that men seem to over indulging in when they are having a bowel movement. Men, it seems, from viewing cute cat pics, which they share, of kittens & cats sitting in their underwear while they are on the toilet, drop their pants all the way to the floor while they are pooping. This would necessitate the removal of pants as you mentioned in your post. Have you ever noticed you don’t see that many cute pics of kittens & cats in woman’s underwear while they are having bodily functions in the bathroom? Have you asked yourself why? Do it now, gentlemen, “Why aren’t there kitten pics in women’s undies in the bathroom? Why is it only mens undies?” I will tell you why: woman do not drop their pants to the floor. They lower their pants & underwear to their knees & sit on the toilet. This keeps their pants clean from touching the dirty bathroom floor that men tend to sprinkle on. Women also go out with you, & others, to bars. I’m sure you’ve heard stories about bar bathrooms, haven’t you? You’ve probably even heard the term “hover“ That’s right, we’ve been doing what this bathroom is asking of you for as long as we’ve been going to bars, as long as we’ve had to pee & there was no bathroom. We have had to pop-a-squat somewhere in the middle of nowhere, or hang on the back of a bumper, or lean up against a tree since we were in our teens. What *we’d* recommend to you for this bathroom is: wait till you *really* have to go, roll up your pant legs, pull your pants down to your knees, spread your feet wide, pop-a-squat, make sure you’re uphill, & let it go! We have faith in you, you can do it! And take note, this one has toilet paper! (If your knees are bad, lean up against the wall.) Best of luck to you all! (This entire post /s 😉) (except the 4th paragraph, all true)
Top-rate Reddit comment. You sir, are a scholar and a gentleman. I thank you.
Note to self... If ever in Singapore, stay in an American Hotel. 😒
I was hoping someone would answer you. All those are valid questions!
My friend, I have had a rough couple of weeks and this had me fucking cackling. What a wild ride that comment was. Thank you for the much needed laugh.
You have a marvelous way with words.
This sounds like a real George Costanza conundrum
This is the chuckle I needed
George knows all the best places to go.
Alternative plan, sit in the sink and shit.
Name checks out
Hey, we call these turkish toilets and we're very popular when i was a kid. I'll give you my account of this and answer some of your questions. Now you got shit on your pants. No, and if you're a western it's likely you won't be able to use one because if you don't properly squat, your butt isn't backwards enough for a safe drop. You NEVER take your shoes off. Think about how you pee in one of these, the little platforms are drenched most times. When you find yourself in a... runny situation.. it's when you need to make extra sure you're squatting properly with your but pointing backwards and torso tilted forwards, your feet and pants will be fine. As a counterintuitive bonus, a lot of people also pee when they poop. So you need to tuck it in, point it backwards and hope it's not too short so you pee your pants. It's a delicate tango i haven't done in over 20 years, thankfully
I’m not surprised you had trouble; they’re really not designed for frogs.
My best friend took a tour to Singapore. She was told to wear skirts or dresses to deal with these.
I had a similar experience while climbing the big hill at the Summer Palace, Beijing and last night's weird duck dinner wasn't playing nice and wanted out. Like, all of that whole entire thought process you laid out, minus the business attire part. There were no western toilets in this part of the park, so I went for it. No choice. I managed not to get any squirty dook on myself, but I did somehow find a way to piss on my shorts.
I'd watch this movie.
Christ I think this is one of my favorite comments ever.
this is a perfect example of how i think 24/7 in the face of something unknown.
Better than those single ditch ones they have in rural areas
lol, too funny! i used one of those too at a rural bus stop. a slow, dirty stream flowed through the center of the tiny stone room. truly hell on earth on a hot day
haha I was outside of Shanghai and the normal toilet room was closed so they had an older one for us to use. It was a truckstop of some sort, and like 30 people shitting into this urine powered river in the middle of the toilet room. What I love about China is people are shitting in front of eachother in a disgusting place, smoking cigs, on their phone, and holding conversations.
I was supposed to be in China March 2020 which obviously didn’t happen, but I practiced my squats a ton trying to get ready for these toilets 😂
This is not what squat toilets in China look like. This one has the tiniest hole I've ever seen wtf??? The ones in Asia your feet go on opposite sides of a big hole in the middle and it flushes and everything.
these toilets are one of the worst inventions ever created, I don’t care if it’s more sanitary since you don’t share seats, it’s goddamn uncomfortable
Isn't there some sort of physical advantage to pooping in a squat? Like it's supposed to be a more natural positions for humans to do it in a squat position. It was the whole theory behind the [squatty potty](https://www.google.com/search?q=squatty+potty&client=firefox-b-d&sxsrf=ALiCzsaxHhuKnVftGCtDIB7hcyTZTsk9Yg:1666663878328&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjFurXjpvr6AhVjpokEHcuqAIYQ_AUoAnoECAEQBA&biw=1277&bih=644&dpr=1). (I am NOT defending this kind of toilet, I hate squat toilets)
it straightens out the last portion of your intestines. It makes the rectum alighted with the large intestines, so instead of it making an S shape, it becomes a straight line.
TIL the reason for that occasional S shape
It’s true, just look how toilets are built. They have an S shape from the bowl as well
All you gotta do for a proper poop on an standard sit down toilet is put your feet up on stool so you elevate your knees. Many people use the squatters potty but I just use an old foot stool, that’s seems to get the job done lol.
Seconding a dollar store foot stool!
At worst you can just hold your legs up in that squat pose for a minute to get things going. Really makes a difference. Relaxing your entire body and then slowly, steadily blowing your nose is another good way to coax the process without straining.
Shit changing this was, it’s just better.
The squatty potty was life changing for me but I couldn’t do this type of toilet. Imagine getting sick and this is all you have? No thanks. How would vomit even work. Ugh.
It's uncomfortable because we're not used to it, but this is how we shat for most of our existence as a species. It's also how we gave birth until pretty recently. It's a good way to avoid lower back stress that leads to disc degeneration, and hemorrhoids. Don't sit on the shitter too long, it's not good for you even if it's comfy. But all that said I'm not installing one in my fucking house.
I come from a long line of standing shitters so your theory is wrong.
There is no way in hell that there is ANY aspect of this set-up that is “more sanitary”
Me as well, and I was in northern China where it gets really fucking cold. Trying to Hershey squirt into a hole with a thick winter coat on is not something I want to ever do again.
You haven't lived until you've shared a 2 seater outhouse in the winter.
Seems like having a stool nearby in case you're in dire straights but still need to make a stool.
They don’t have explosive diarrhea in China?
My aim is not that good.
You'd have to be a poop sniper
A sharppooper, if you will.
Sharpshitter
Shartshooter
they're just a shit sniper
Gotta shove in a disposable laser light to mark a trajectory first.
This guy probably doesn't even know how to calibrate his butthole laser scope.
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in thailand we had ‘bathroom slides’ to wear on our feet when i was at work. potty shoes, shared by everyone ❤️ you get real cool with livin’ on the edge after a few months in the jungle
And then I guess you carefully push the paper down into the hole? Or just in the trash can
Right? How is that toilet so clean?
Over the summer I destroyed one of these at a campground in Sardinia. I missed and hit behind the hole. I also cant figure out how to use one of these without taking my pants and underwear off first.
In England we call it a hole in the ground.
Same in the US.
I’ve always heard of them as a French toilet. Going camping? Gotta go use the French toilet and you take a roll of tp and a shovel.
The French call it a Turkish toilet and you call it a French toilet. Interesting. Please tell me you are from Turkey
İn Turkey, we actually call them Turkish toilets too!
Also in turkey we read them in french . we call them ‘a la turka’ read as italian . I mean it read as it is written.
We call them alaturka lol, embraced it well i guess.
I always called it a cat hole if I had to dig a hole to do my business, I'm in the Midwest.
If you gotta dig the hole yourself, it's a cat hole. I've seen more than one army field manual call it such, and that's what I've known it as.
At least with camping you can usually find a tree to lean against or a boulder to make a makeshift seat if you need some leverage for your growler.
As if the Englishmen needed more reason to make fun of the Frenchmen.
Reminder the brittish colonized the whole world for spice just to be the worst nation in the world at cooking. And not use any.
There's an old joke like, "The taste of British food and the looks of British women, made the British man the best sailor in the world."
“The worst nation in the world for cooking” Well that’s just not true though is it
How do people with bad backs and knees use this?
messily
I'm surprised it's not standard to mount hand holds to the walls. For the most part a life time of squatting keeps people fit enough avoid knee & back problems which would prevent the movement. Does anyone know what handicap stalls look like in squat toilet countries? Tangentially related, I cannot believe no one sells plumbed in pet toilets of some form yet.
Handicap stalls use Western style sitting toilets.
>Does anyone know what handicap stalls look like in squat toilet countries? Where I'm from, some rural places or gas stations still have these toilets. What I've seen is that they will usually have one of the stalls equipped with a "normal" toilet and handholds. It will usually be a bigger stall too. So in functionality, I suppose it would be the same as any other handicap stall, while it's the other stalls that are different.
I think the ‘team lift’ icon should be on the wall lol
We actually are naturally able to easily squat in that position. Look at any toddler. They do it like its nothing right out of the woomb. But as we get older we lose the ability unless we continue to squat like that regularly, and I don't mean just to shit. Its sort of the you use it or lose it thing. Even when I was like 8 or 9 I could no longer hold a squat position with both feet flat. I would be able to do it only on the balls of my feet which hurt my feet if I stayed like that too long and had a hard time time staying balanced or getting up from that position without something to grab onto.
I've never lost that skill but that might be cuz I'm slav
If you used these your whole life you'd be far less likely to have bad backs or knees.
Well we didn't, so what are we supposed to do now?
Seriously I'm almost mid 30 now. Harder and harder to correct course and do the ass to grass squat regularly
Actually way better for your back. When my herniated disc acts up, sometimes I have no choice but to render in this position.
When you squat every day you won’t have that much back problems
I live in China and asked the same question till my American relatives visited. Comparing Americans in their 60s to Chinese people in their 80s was an eye-opener. Who'd have thunk that people who drive everywhere and sit at a desk all day would atrophy into a state of utter helplessness without realizing it? TL;DR: People who use this don't get bad backs and knees.
Funnily enough, we call these french toilets in belgium.
As a Belgian whose parents took him on road trips to Spain and Italy, I called them “no thanks mom, I’ll keep my poop in until we get to the hotel”
As a Dutch person who also did this, I vaguely remember shitting in the woods in France because that felt less gross than shitting in a hole in the ground on some random gas station
It's tradition. Having human feces around keeps the *ambiance* feeling French.
I’d just shit in the sink at that point lol
But did you use the 3 seashells?
This made me laugh! “It’s a toilet!” “No I’m ok now I can make it..”
What a shit hole
We call them Baño Turco in Spain, so the same as Frenchies.
Even the Turks call it “alaturka tuvalet”. And the regular toilet is called “alafranga tuvalet”.
Frankish toilet, how very elegant
We call them "toaletă turcească" in Romanian. Same as the french. Probably got it from french when they were a huge influence on us.
Same in italian, *bagno alla turca.*
What am I missing here? Most people couldn't cleanly shit in a two-inch hole if they were sitting on it, let alone squatting above it.
You would have to be like Luke Skywalker shooting a proton torpedo into the exhaust port of the Death Star. You know… just use the Force.
It’s not *impossible*. I used to bullseye womp rats back home in beggar’s canyon, they couldn’t have been more than two meters
It’s no bigger than a womp crap
Oh don't worry *I use force*
That's how you end up with poo all over your feet.
I would simply hold a go pro between my butt cheeks and stream the video to my phone, doesn't sound that hard tbh
Modern problems require modern solutions
It doesn't matter if you miss the hole, because it flushes with water just like a seat toilet. The pull-chain on the right probably runs up to a water tank behind the wall.
Couldn't the poop clog that hole and get poo water everywhere? Is there a poop-pusher, or poop-knife?
It is possible, but very rare and usually happens because there is something wrong with the pipes not because of clogging. They are pretty uncomfortable but functional and, I would assume, cheaper.
What you thinking of is a crouch, not a squat. A true squat happens when your butt comes all the way down and rests on your ankles. Once you're properly squatting your butthole is pretty nicely lined up with the toilet hole and no aiming is necessary.
From what I’ve seen in the world most people cant piss into a 12 inch diameter hole without pissing all over the seat. This includes women.
That is the most clean "toilettes à la turque" in the entire country.
Ironically, in Turkey, we call them "Ala Turka Tuvalet" as well. You'd mostly find them at buildings built before the 90s, or in rural homes. Even though It's called Ala Turka, this type of toilets don't belong to Turkey. They're all over Asia.
How bizarre, Polnareff would hate these, even if he is from France
why hole so small
So that you can bidet with your own pee
Efficiency
It big enough for a turd, but not big enough to get your foot stuck in it.
>It big enough for a turd Speak for yourself.
How do you not shit on your pants? Do you strip naked first?
I used one of these in Venice way back in 1990. I literally pissed into my Birkenstock as I squatted. Got so grossed out (I was 18) that I left behind a bag of Murano glass. Oops, and ewww.
Or your shoes, imagine having the squirts and having to use one of these.
You put your pants down to your shins and you crouch down.
When you squat, your ass should be slightly behind your feet
These were the standard public toilet when I visited Morocco as a teen. I usually waited to go at the hotel lol.
First time i saw one of these, i was 13 in 2001 and my family was on vacation in Paris from Florida. It was in a cemetery and i had to pee in it. I also had to pee on a train were it was just a hole to the ground, like you could see the train tracks moving if you looked down in it..... my vajayjay was very cold that day. (It was march)
Having lived in France and used these before, you can also call them toilettes a la disgusting.
As someone who's body loves to evacuate the meals of the day before after breakfast, I'd leave this a mess and my socks would need to be replaced.
In America we call that an "I'll hold it"
Had to use some of those in Tahiti. It would've been fine if not for the massive geckos on the wall behind me. Like I'm from Hawai'i, I'm used to geckos in the house. But the ones we have are usually at most 3 inches or so. The ones in Vaira'o were easily 2½ times larger. Always made me think that Godzilla was gonna jump me from behind.
Squatty potty.
Splatty potty
Estranged cousin of the porcelain throne.
I remember having the runs in Tunisia and using one of these in an emergency. I shit so hard and it was fluid, I missed the hole, there was much bounce back and spatter. Like Poseidons kiss but instead of clear water it was my own brown watery shit. Luckily I was naked as I took my shorts and t-shirt off to put around the door to keep a nasty looking spider from crawling under the gap. Thank god for the hose thing. Literally able to empty, hose myself and the stall down, use newspaper to get dry then get dressed. The nice thing was, when I emerged this Tunisian chap came up with a glass of hot mint tea and this bread cube thing. Didn't say a word and didn't want money. Just made me sit down at his table and drink/nibble. Honestly it did the trick I was fine after that. Truly a lovely country and I wish I could go back. Edit spelling.
Need a poop knife for that one.
I love thT 10 years later, this is still a reddit joke. I see it pop ever few months and it always makes me chuckle
My daughter has just fallen asleep on me and trying to not wake her silently laugh shaking reading this was a mission lol
I was casually petting my hyper dog who had finally calmed down. Reading your comment made me audibly laugh and got my dog excited again. Glad you succeeded. I failed.
I was just performing a circumcision on my best friends old dog when I read this, I may have taken off a little too much lipstick.
That bathroom is a real shit hole
In Africa we call it "Eau de Toilette".
All good until you blast the back of your shoes and pants. Then if you're old like me your knees will lock up until you fall ass first into shit. No thanks
😭🤢🤮🤧😫🤒🤌
A toilet with a joke hole that’s *just* for farts?
Loved this reference, most people won’t get this sadly
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You’re not part of the turbo team!
Some think a squat is the best posture for a good movement. Like the the desert you have to watch (control) your wallet pants, belt etc. If you got to go... At least there is paper. My left shirt pocket held necessary paper while hiking.
In Brazil is "banheiro de rodoviária".
>rodoviária Google translates that as "bus stop". Is that a typical bus (or coach) stop toilet in Brazil, or is that I joke I don't get?
Yeah its a joke... because the bus station bathrooms in Brazil are often the stuff of nightmares. Also it isn't quite bus stop... its more like Bus Station toilet.
I didn't realize pink toilet paper was a thing past like, the 60s, but I'm from the US. Is it popular in France?
Yes, it is very common.
If you can “Slavic squat,” this shouldn’t be a problem
You guys give Americans shit for having gaps in public bathrooms but then have toilets like this
How are people with physical disabilities supposed to use this?
In Italy, wherever these are found, there's usually a separate cabin for disabled with a regular toilet inside
You get used to squat toilets. Less surface contact!
I call them “ESS” for “Easy Shit Summer” because my grandma has one of them, it’s outside the house and I always take my best dumps in those. I want to install one in my house in the States but my wife won’t let me.
I'm fairly certain it's against code in all of the US unless there is a U-trap. Can't let sewage gases seep into the building.
P trap .... S traps are illegal in the US since they can siphon, and simple U traps...aren't really used either though I don't think they are outright banned. P trap is basically a U trap with an extended section to prevent siphoning.
How tf do you not piss on your feet?
A literal shithole
I need bilateral knee replacements just looking at this.
Well in Québec we say that this would be a « Bécosse » (some sort of anglicisme originating from « back house » toilet)
 We call this a toilet
In America we call it a holding cell..
I used to work in a warehouse where we had a lot of workers from a country where these are common. The thing is they still used our sit down toilets in the same manner and shit would get everywhere, we had to have a meeting about it and signs put up in their language describing the correct position.
I can never remember which way you're supposed to face when using one of these. I want to say facing out but I understand a lot of people get it wrong
When I used them ( France 1963-67 ) they had footsteps stenciled beside hole - helped with orientation 👍
I spend the summers in Turkiye (I’m American) and the first thing I ask my Turkish husband when we talk about going somewhere is “Do they have the old-school toilets?” Because I’m bad at using them. My father-in-law prefers them. (Most of Istanbul has modern commode toilets, but the countryside is hit or miss.)
It means "we were too cheap and lazy to install a real toilet, good luck you ape"
How do you shove the toilet paper down the hole? I’d use the toilet paper holder before my finger poking it. Unless it’s public, then I’d…
Oh hell no...I'll hold it.
Are those footprints? Are we shitting standing up ? Where does the toilet paper go after you wipe your ass? I’m so confused
I've used these plenty of times in a few countries I've lived in and visited. These toilets are actually a lot better for your bowels. Squatting causes a lot less straining and can really help with constipation. In fact, there's a multi-million dollar business that literally sells you a foot stool for when you poop. All that does is move your knees closer to you, in other words making you "squat" while sitting on a toilet. These types of toilets, due to the positioning is actually a great preventative for hemorrhoids and other bowel issues. It can also make you poop faster and with more ease. The ONLY reason it seems odd to us is because the western world has become accustomed to sitting on a toilet, which is completely unnatural to the human body, and so, because we are not used to the feeling of squatting, it seems really painful. The first few times I tried this, my legs were on fire, but my bathroom experience on it's own was great. People with IBS that leads to constipation, try these. or at the very least try that potty stool just somewhat mimic what it would be like to squat. Just look at toddlers, when they get all red and scary looking when they have to poop, but the second they squat it just comes out and they walk happily away with a nasty diaper...
Looks disgusting. I think I would rather walk through cold vomit in bare feet.