We not be George Costanza when it comes to in-depth knowledge of city bathrooms – but we can recognize a good bathroom when we see one. Despite Houston’s vibrant cafe, bar, and restaurant scene, oftentimes you find that bathrooms are overlooked in terms of the aesthetic whole; relinquished merely as an after thought. This is why we’ve decided to spotlight some of our favorite bathrooms in town that add that extra bit of love to safe spaces – what you do in those bathrooms is up to your own discretion.
1. Cherry Bar
The real mystery in Twin Peaks was what the bathroom looked like in the Red Room. Consider that riddle solved at Cherry Bar, a darkly lavish ’80s and ’90s bar and nightclub in Market Square. As with its main interior, Cherry’s bathroom features dramatic red lighting as well as serrated zebra tile. Additionally, bathroom attendants will find inside these artsy aseos, a blown-up news print headlined “Drugs Win Drug War” as well as a pair of lipstick-red urinals one might mistake for a Andy Warhol pop-art piece.
2. MAD
Donde esta el baño? Find out at this luxe, Spanish restaurant on Westheimer. Emulating the theatricality of a Madrilenian nightclub, Mad is an immersive experience from the front door to the bathroom door. If the mainroom isn’t stimulating enough, the corridor off the wing features an immersive tunnel of mirrors and neon light. If you haven’t spent all your phone storage on selfies by then, you can catch a few pics in their bathrooms outfitted in abstract light pieces and flashy colors.
3. Unicorn Disco
Furnished with shagadelic psychedelia complete with flashy neon signs and a cigarette machine straight out of the 60’s, new downtown hangout, Unicorn Disco, gives Houstonians the chance to blast into the past. Plus, a little secret for you guys: after you finish using the restroom (and washing your hands) push the red button for a personal dance party.
4. Space Cowboy at Heights House Hotel
Space Cowboy is a tropical oasis complete with vintage sun-brellas, colorful beach chairs, and a shimmering pool. The Palm Springs-esque watering hole is certainly a vibe, whether its the retro color scheme, vice-like mural, and effervescent lawn-scape. Its retro lights and neon abundance is conducive to no shortage of photo-ops – bathroom included.
5. Wonder Bar
Quoting their Facebook, Wonder Bar is “an interactive and imaginative bar that will feature unique installations.” In the same vein as The FOMO Factory, or the Color Factory, Wonder Bar in Houston features a variety of whimsical installations, but with the added bonus of snapping selfies over rounds of sweet colorful cocktails.
6. Musaafer
Following the elevator entrance, one is immediately floored by the beauty of the interior. The interplay of colors, textures, patterns, lighting and glass fixtures, and elegant artifacts makes for a positively stunning atmosphere found in every nook, cranny, and restroom.
7. Axelrad
Axelrad is as much a concept piece as a bar: the two-story venue is a century-old manifestation of artists’ visions, from the artisan tap handles, to the seating and textiles. Outside, dubbed the Neon Garden, is a vast patio lined with hammock nooks and bedecked with long community tables. In line with this aesthetic, its bathrooms offer a neon-lit, abstract-adjacent places to take a wiz.
8. Buc-ee’s
If you thought that we would possibly put together a roundup of the best bathrooms and leave out Buc-ee’s – you’re sadly mistaken. The gas station franchise and conglomerate has over the years become a cultural institution amassing a statewide cult-following. How did it all begin, you ask? Clean bathrooms.