America's top toilet named
Artistic Mediterranean motif takes top prize
By Meriah Doty
CNN
(CNN) -- Dingy gas station bathrooms be gone! Messy restrooms known to cause mental unrest no more!
The potty that takes the pot, the most luxurious latrine, the crème de la crème of lavatories, yes, the No. 1 restroom in America has been picked.
Voted the nation's finest restroom on Tuesday was the Mediterranean-style loo at the Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.
"Where else can you use a restroom and simultaneously pretend you are a pharaoh amongst the pyramids, Caesar surrounded by Rome's classical architecture, the pontiff or a CEO?" said Ruth Kohler, the center's director, in a recent press release.
Though rating human waste receptacles is not a top priority for most, the people at Cintas Corp., the largest U.S. uniform supplier and provider of restroom hygiene services, takes great pride in doing the duty.
"The important message here is hygiene matters -- for good health and good business," said Cintas public relations manager Mike Wallner in a press release.
The contest attracted more than 200 entrants, and thousands of voters participated through the company's Web site, the press release said.
Nine finalists were chosen based on originality, unique style or theme, exceptional hygiene maintenance and free access to the public.
The second place winner was Art Chicks Restaurant in Louisville, Nebraska, chosen for its '50s theme.
Third place went to bathroom manufacturer Wall USA of Boston, Massachusetts, for its high-tech self-cleaning port-a-potty.
A Mardi Gras motif won fourth place for Olivia's Circle fitness center in Albany, New York.
Waffle House of America in Lawrence, Michigan, took fifth place for its rose-decorated restroom with artwork for sale on the wall.
Restrooms at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, and the Grand Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, were former recipients of the top toilet title.
