Second-year business students Mihai Bara (19) and Marin Jaho (20) were bored one time while studying. They wandered through Theil and got lost in the Erasmus building. They were bowled over by the luxurious toilet on the top floor, where the Executive Board sits.
RSM Toilet review reviews a different men’s toilet every Tuesday and Thursday. After two weeks and seven posts, the toilet reviewers already have hundreds of followers. Sitting on his favourite toilet Mihai talks about the secret of a good toilet review.
What makes the top floor toilet in the Erasmus building so special?
“First you walk up the stairs and pass portraits of professors on the first and second floor. Outside the window, you see a roof with plants and flowers. On the top floor, you may just spot the Dean coming out of the toilet! Then you open the door of the toilet and there is absolutely no smell. The mirror is huge, polished black floor tiles, the flat sink is clearly a designer piece, the walls are painted silver, the brush floats neatly above its bowl. And this flushing system in the toilet… The water rinses things out from several sides. I have no words for that. So fancy! I’d like that at home, too.”
What are your criteria as a toilet reviewer?
“A couple of important features are always how clean it is, whether you have space, how it smells, how busy it is and the nature of the ‘experience’. This means the experience around it, so how you get there and what you then experience and get to see.”
‘Experience’ as a criterion almost sounds like a tourist recommendation. Perhaps you are encouraging restroom tourism on campus.
“That would be fun. We hear from students that they are only too happy to trade the crowded restroom in the UB for the second floor of the Theil building, so they are willing to travel quite a distance. When judging the ‘experience’ element, we check whether you can get there via a nice elevator and whether you pass by something special, such as the portraits in the Erasmus Building, or the piano room on the top floor of Theil. And in Sanders, you have to go through an employee wing before you can go to the restroom. That’s what makes it exciting. Those kinds of attractions contribute to a higher score.”
What is the absolute horror scenario at Woudestein?
“While the quietness would lead you to suspect otherwise, the restroom in the UB is downright terrible. It is always way too crowded, there is never a dry roll to dry your hands. It stinks. That’s not really where you want to be. Erasmus Sport is no fun either. That toilet is hard to find, the drying roll often hanging on the floor. Especially during and after lunch, the place is dirty.”
Are there any toilets that we definitely need to know more about? Hidden gems?
“Yes! A spotless facility in the Sanders building, with plenty of urinals and it smells like candy. That’s not perfume, because you can smell it on every floor. Very special.”
Can a toilet also score bonus or minus points on your list?
“On the fifteenth floor of the Mandeville Building, they have a note with instructions on how to use the toilet brush. That is insulting your intelligence, brushing up your brushing skills. That’s a typical minus. Just like one of those patronising sensors on the sink’s faucet. As if you are a kindergartner, unable to turn off the tap! On the other end of the spectrum, a warm water tap is very special and worth a bonus point.
“With urinals, it depends. In Polak, the urinals are separated by walls. This is completely unnecessary, and without those walls there would be room for an extra toilet or more space. Last one: views are a big plus. On the second floor of the Theil building, you can look out over the north side of campus. Amazing!”
Why do you want to end the interview all of a sudden?
“Sorry, gotta go…”
