A Guide to Using Public Restrooms in Mexico
Answering questions such as when you should pay and tip and if you need to bring toilet paper.
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Today’s newsletter is a free guide to using public restrooms in Mexico, including information on paying and tipping, bringing toilet paper, washing your hands, and more!
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Any traveler worth their salt knows that bathrooms and the culture behind using them changes from country to country. In parts of Europe, it’s extremely common to find the dreaded trench-style urinal, where men line up, shoulder to shoulder, hogs out and swinging, to pee in unison into what’s basically a long, filthy spittoon. In the Caribbean, you’ll very often see signs advising you not to flush toilet paper (often with a little note saying that it damages the reefs and hurts the fish) and to instead deposit the soiled sheets into a basket next to the toilet. In India (and Japan!), squat-style toilets are the traditional cultural norm, and Japan also, famously, has its robot bidet toilets that will wash (and dry!) your nether parts, all while playing a cheery little song and thanking you at the end for your transaction.
In Mexico, too, rules and norms apply that you may not be familiar with (although, sadly, the toilets won’t sing for you). If you plan to visit Mexico, it’s good to understand ahead of time how facilities might be accessed and used, and what you can do to prepare yourself if you might need to use a toilet that’s away from your lodging.
Editor’s Note: This topic was suggested by a loyal reader, Luke. Thanks for the idea, Luke! If you, my other readers, have subjects you’d like covered, please let me know.
Public Restrooms Are Not That Hard To Find (if You Know Where To Look)
It’s often said that Oaxaca doesn’t have enough public restrooms, and while that’s true, part of the solution to finding these facilities is knowing where to look. Mexico has a great many museums, some of them free to enter, and you can pretty much count on them to have public restrooms. Government buildings, too, are likely to have public restrooms, although you may be stopped by a guard at a front desk who will want you to either sign in or who may require you to have an appointment (which obviously you won’t have). You can also often find public restrooms inside parking garages, but they will almost certainly be dirty and in poor condition.
But the best place to reliably find public restrooms is undoubtedly a mercado. Public markets, large and small, are guaranteed to have public restrooms. You’ll need to pay to get in (which is addressed in the entry beneath this one), so make sure you’ve got exact change.
If all else fails, you could also try just walking into a large hotel and asking where the bathroom is. There’s a small chance you may be asked if you’re a guest, but a great many hotels also have restaurants, so it’s not like you’re committing a crime by sneaking in to use the toilet.
Public Restrooms Often Are Guarded by Turnstiles (So Carry Exact Change)
In Mexico, public restrooms often are guarded by a large, subway-style metal turnstile, and you’ll need to deposit exact change in order to enter and use the bathroom. The cost will be minimal, typically 5 or 10 pesos, which in U.S. dollars, not accounting for currency fluctuations, is between .25 and .50 cents.
If there is a turnstile but not an attendant, look for a machine dispensing toilet paper. Except in airports, you will not find toilet paper available for free in the stalls, so make sure you’ve got your paper needs squared away before it’s too late.
Public Restrooms Often Have an Attendant Who Will Give You Toilet Paper (Whom You Should Tip)
You may be surprised to find that public toilets in Mexico are often cleaner than those in the United States. This is because, quite often, there is an attendant on duty whose job is to constantly clean and maintain the restroom.
Sometimes this person may be seated immediately outside of the restroom, and sometimes they may be seated near a small table inside. Unless a price is prominently displayed, payment is not mandatory. Do keep in mind, though, that the attendant is paid mostly (if not entirely!) by tips, and this is not the moment to be a cheapskate. Typically, a 5 or 10 peso tip is generous, but feel free to scale up, as it’s not a fun job.
The attendant will be the one who gives you toilet paper, which has typically been pre-portioned. If they don’t give you enough paper to get the job done, just ask them for more.
Toilet Paper Is Not Available for Free in Stalls (so You May Want To Bring Some With You)
It’s important to reiterate this point: toilet paper will not be freely available inside the stalls of public restrooms, except in places like airports, museums, and government buildings. Instead, someone will either hand you pre-portioned paper, or you’ll be required to buy it from an automated dispenser that often is located outside of the bathroom itself (so bring exact change!).
After two and a half years of life in Mexico, I’ve never actually needed to carry paper with me, but a good friend had a bathroom emergency in Mexico and found themself without paper or a means of securing it. Be prepared!
Public Toilets Will Not Have Toilet Seats (Except in Airports)
Public toilets, such as in markets (and occasionally in restaurants as well), quite often will not have toilet seats. You’ll either need to hover or be willing to put your butt directly onto the bare, chilly porcelain.
As with everything in Mexico, this custom may vary from place to place, and perhaps tourist destinations I have yet to visit (such as Cabo or Puerto Vallarta) are better about this sort of thing. But the only place I’ve consistently seen public restrooms with toilet seats is in Mexican airports, and I suspect that’s because of the sheer number of international visitors who expect (and I think, demand) that toilet seats be present. If you have firsthand experience with this, let us all know in the comments!
Toilets May Not Have Running Water (*This Is Not Typical*)
This is very uncommon in urban settings, and I think only tourists venturing off the beaten track will experience this, but you may find yourself facing a toilet with no handle and no obvious way to flush. If this occurs, look for a small plastic bucket or large(ish) cup located near the toilet. You’ll need to fill the bucket or cup either from a large bucket or drum of water, or from the tap of a sink, and then pour the water directly into the toilet bowl. The increased volume of water and corresponding increase in pressure will cause the toilet to “flush” (more or less).
You (Almost Without Exception) Cannot Flush Your Toilet Paper
Unless you are in a resort or a particularly modern building, it is very unlikely you will be unable to flush your soiled toilet paper. Instead, you are expected, nay, required, to deposit your used paper into a small trash can that sits immediately next to the toilet.
For most tourists, this can feel pretty weird. But the reason you’re being asked to do this isn’t because of a strange cultural practice; it’s because toilets are often plumbed with pipes that are too small to accommodate toilet paper, because plumbing systems may be antiquated and prone to clogs and leaks, and because of drought, where there simply is not enough water to be able to always flush the toilet.
You should know that if you do decide to flush your toilet paper anyway, you very likely will clog the toilet and may even break a pipe somewhere in a wall. So, unless you want to be responsible for that problem, do yourself (and everyone else) a favor and toss your paper into the trash can.
For a detailed analysis of why you can’t flush toilet paper in Mexico, check out this in-depth report!
You May Want To Carry Hand Sanitizer or Cleansing Hand Wipes
Mexico’s hygiene is much better than people give it credit for, and people are good about washing their hands here. Even roadside taquerias under tents will have handwashing stations set up so that you can clean your hands before digging into your food.
That being said, it’s not a bad idea to carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer or individually sealed packs of alcohol-soaked hand wipes. Bathrooms may run out of soap, sometimes during droughts sinks may not work, and it’s possible a bathroom simply may not have running water. For those cases, as atypical as they may be, you’ll be glad you came prepared.
Ugh, I still need to write this also about Costa Rica! No toilet seats, no flushing paper, and putting it in a little can next to the toilet with a lid that you can only open by stepping on the lever on the can (where you -mostly women!- have to stand up dirty paper in hand, to step on the can to pop the lid to dispose paper -ugh, because who wants to try to pry open the can with their fingers while sitting on the toilet?!! All a mystery and something you have to know/get used to in a Latin/Central American country!
You can even write about toilets and make it engaging!