By Dylan Fink | Sports Writer
After a long day of classes, which may have included a trip to Panda Express in the SUB, the typical Baylor student may seek relief. Somewhere to find peace, reconciliation and a breath of somewhat fresh air. Every day, thousands of students across Baylor’s campus search for the perfect bathroom.
With hundreds of bathrooms on campus, and no two bathrooms alike, it is almost impossible for a student to decide in the moment. That is why I have conducted extensive research over the years to compile a top-five list of the best bathrooms for students to choose as their relief spots.
The criteria for the list were a combination of multiple categories — cleanliness, privacy, peacefulness, accessibility and quality of experience. While there are a multitude of good places to go about one’s business, I present the top five bathrooms on Baylor’s campus.
5. Mark & Paula Hurd Welcome Center second-floor bathroom
The second floor of the Hurd is truly a treat to partake in. Being the newest addition to Baylor’s campus, the bathrooms excel in cleanliness and privacy. The walls of the chosen haven were built so recently that the second-floor Hurd experience is carried by a new-car smell that floats through the facilities.
While I cannot say enough good things about the usage of the second floor of the Hurd, the biggest con is accessibility. A building that is already far away from the central part of campus, and experiences so much daily traffic, is accompanied by a climb to the second floor to find the slightest bit of peacefulness.
The second floor of the Hurd is out of the way and a bit inconvenient to visit, but if you find your way out to that corner of campus, it is definitely worth the venture.
4. Waco Hall first-floor family bathroom
Hear me out on this one. The first floor of Waco Hall has a hidden gem that most people don’t know about. A family bathroom, designed for parents dealing with a potty-training-aged child, features two toilets in one room.
A single yet spacious bathroom with two locks on the door offers a higher level of privacy than other spots on campus. Hidden in a secluded corner of the historic building but still within earshot of the soothing baritone of the Baylor Men’s Choir, the family bathroom embodies what it means to have a peaceful experience.
3. McLane Student Life Center locker room
This one is visited out of necessity. It’s common knowledge that the SLC locker rooms are not the cleanest, don’t have the best airflow and are a danger zone for running into your HIS 1300 professor fresh out of their post-workout shower.
Anybody who has ever been to the SLC has probably experienced the desperation of needing to visit the locker room bathroom. While the SLC does not perform well in any of the above-listed categories, the locker room bathroom has been there for everyone in their darkest moments.
The SLC locker room bathroom isn’t a looker by any means, but it’s there for you when you need it most.
2. Carroll Science Hall second floor
My most personal and most visited on this list is one that all students ought to experience. Carroll Science, a building known for its aesthetic construction, does not remove its iconic style from the second-floor bathroom.
A smaller space with only one stall benefits from dim yellow lighting. The smell of old books and extensive knowledge floating through the air may make the user’s experience in the second-floor Carroll Science bathroom nostalgic of their first time watching “Dead Poets Society.“
The second-floor Carroll Science bathroom excels in every category needed for a great Baylor restroom. The aura of the building alone makes users of the bathroom feel more intelligent when they leave than when they entered.
1. Armstrong Browning Library basement
The “Mona Lisa” of Baylor bathrooms. The pinnacle of peacefulness. The LeBron James of a quality go.
The Armstrong Browning Library basement bathroom is a wonderful experience. Limestone walls and a cool breeze create a time that is parallel to none.
A coat room with the most relaxing leather couch to wait for your turn to experience the comfort of the Armstrong Browning basement is a welcome addition to the bathroom that crafts the serenity of the time to be experienced.
I don’t want to spoil the basement bathroom experience too much. Simply put, if you’re searching for the highest level of quality and cleanliness, combined with incomparable peace and privacy when you need it most, you must visit the Armstrong Browning Library basement.
