12 of the best public ladies rooms in NYC

We admit it. We have PBP – public bathroom phobia. And when you’re out and about in NYC that can be a problem. So we turned to Helene Galek, an actress, writer, who also has a day job in sales for China Grill Management, and is in and out of hotels and restaurants all over the city everyday to compile this list.

THEATRE DISTRICT (Avoid the lines at the theatre restrooms!)
1. WESTIN HOTEL – 43RD ST/8TH AVE
   Go up the escalator and make a wide swinging right turn toward the back (away from front desk) through lobby. Very nice lighting and mirrors all around.
2. PARAMOUNT HOTEL – 46TH ST/BWAY & 8TH AVE
   Go straight towards the back of the lobby bearing to your left. Great bathroom mirrors to check out how you look from the back!
3. W TIMES SQUARE – 47TH ST/ WEST OF BWAY
   Go to 7th floor and make 2 right turns.

MEAT PACKING DISTRICT

4. HOTEL GANSEVOORT – 9th AVE/13TH ST
   Walk straight through lobby bearing to your right and past the concierge desk. Two very spacious single restrooms with terrific lighting and Moltan Brown soap and lotion!

CENTRAL PARK SOUTH

5. RITZ CARLTON CENTRAL PARK – CPS/6TH AVE
   The Grand Dame of them all!!! It was awarded the highest honor of bathroom designs!
   Walk in and turn right to elevators, take them down one floor, head right and then around a small curve. There are actually 3 different rooms so plenty of space to primp, spread out and luxuriate!

GRAMERCY PARK/UNION SQUARE AREA

6. GRAMERCY PARK HOTEL – LEXINGTON/22ND ST (across the street from the famed key-only Gramercy Park)
   Go through lobby heading left past fireplace and front desk.

UPPER WEST SIDE

7. EMPIRE HOTEL – BWAY/63RD ST
   Walk through doors and turn left either to elevators to the mezzanine floor or up the grand sweeping thickly carpeted staircase. (I love descending on those stairs – very Scarlett O’Hara!) And keep going left until the end of the hall. Great mirror too!

SOHO

8. TRUMP SOHO – SPRING ST/VARICK AND 6TH AVE
   Walk through lobby and take a left turn to go down the stairs!

TRIBECA

9. TRIBECA GRAND – 6TH AVE/WHITE ST
   Dramatic architecture instantly sweeps you away from NYC into some mini vacation to anywhere else! Go through doors and walk straight back bearing right until you see the staircase on your right (right before the concierge desk), Descend and turn left and that takes you to the stylish restroom area on a quiet floor.

LOWER EAST SIDE

10. HOTEL ON RIVINGTON – RIVINGTON/ESSEX ST
    Go through door and take stairs or elevator to 2nd floor and turn left, right, left down hall.

MURRAY HILL

11. W TUSCANY – 39TH ST/LEXINGTON and 3RD AVE
    Go through lobby, bearing left straight to back – lots of stalls! A lobby employing classic clean lines and adorned with lemony/floral fragrance, it’s especially a cool respite in the summer. Also has apples and sometimes wine tastings around 6 pm!
12. CROSBY ST HOTEL – CROSBY ST/SPRING and PRINCE
    Talk about eclectic design – and soooooo Soho! From wire sculptures, to paper mache (the dogs by the concierge desk and my favorite – made from the Sunday comics!) amidst comfortable drawing room furniture, your senses are totally tweaked when you come in from the narrow concrete crowd! Separate drawing room off lobby too. Very English!

Reprinted with permission from The Three Tomatoes.com