Female Comfort Rooms

The idea of home is very fluid nowadays. One of the many ways to identify a home is where toilet tissues unroll endlessly and clean water gush out in places where we expect. Thus, the entire washroom experience can be enjoyed no matter while we sit, squat, stand or fidget.

However, in Baguio and Sagada, a 30 seconds relief may end up as a great struggle ranging from one minute to four minutes and 17 seconds. Several days in these two tourist hot spots has allowed me to gain an insight to the total level of enjoyment by the standard of their toilets, known as comfort rooms (CR) in the Philippines.

Departing from Clarke Airport, the public toilet on the way to Baguio is classified as One Star. It is simply a drainage system which allows faeces to pile up as time goes by. Doors are non-existent and during the process of urination, it is better to stare at your own knees or arms.

Two Star Comfort Rooms are slightly better. These are either without doors, without flushes, or crammed units. Our visit to the University of Philippines Baguio couldn’t have been complete without a toilet inspection. Upon entering the cubicle, there was only enough space to make a 180 degrees turn and do it. Very much like most comfort rooms in Baguio and Sagada, water doesn’t come with just one push or nudge. A bucket is used to scoop water manually. Sometimes it requires more than one or two scoops to get the water as clear as when you entered.


One thing is particularly evident for toilets in Sagada. The windows are positioned very close to the toilet seat. At the St Joseph Guesthouse restaurant toilet, the same leveled window is next to the toilet seat. I kept my head low and dare not swing my head too much in case someone caught my unintended attention. However, this is considered Three Star due to the fully covered doors and more often than not, the functioning flushes. At the cottage I stayed in, there was no toilet seat so I resorted to the numbing coldness that took over during every toilet visit.

Nevertheless, the Four Star toilet since I have arrived in the Philippines is undoubtedly at La Brea Inn in Baguio. With one little flush, all our wastes are drained away instantly. Toilet tissue is replenished everyday and it is possible to comfortably warm up the toilet seat while reflecting on the events which occurred earlier in the day or even week. There is no need to do the horse stand, nor fold up long pants.

I have yet to see a Six Star comfort room, but to this date, the comfort rooms at Camp John Hay Manor is rated a Five Star. As you open the door with the little stick man in a skirt, an invigorating breeze welcomes you. The tiles are cautiously arranged and the mirrors bring out sparkles in your hair. It is spacious and clean, equipped with no less than two rolls of toilet tissues. The comfort room is suitable for hanging out with your girlfriends or to exchange some quick news feeds.

I like the feeling of clean water running through my fingers and my toes. I’m aware that even a Six Star comfort room may not refresh me like the Bokong Waterfall in Sagada. Perhaps a visit in the next decade to the comfort rooms of Baguio and Sagada will exceed my expectations so you never know…

You never know what lies behind closed doors.

By Mindy