From the Los Angeles website: It might be the Wilshire Grand’s splashiest amenity.
In the men’s bathroom on the 70th floor lobby of the newly-opened Downtown hotel, male guests can relieve themselves while aiming directly at the Los Angeles skyline.
The bathroom’s trough-style urinals are made of angled sheets of glass, meaning men can do their business against the glass, with nothing to block their views. Better yet, when the flush is activated, water from a copper pipe above pours down the glass like a waterfall cascading into the 110 Freeway. (See it in action, above.)
The golden concept is the product of two years of design graft, according to the head interior designer of the Korean Air-developed tower, Chris King of AC Martin.
“We needed certain plumbing code certifications, and it took a fair amount of prototyping and mockups and working with the city and its agencies,” he told The Real Deal. “The entire process paralleled the time it took to build the structure.”
The developer also required administrative approval from the Department of Building and Safety, according to an agency spokesperson.
King and his team drew inspiration from trough urinals common in athletic settings, he explained. “It’s 100 percent unique.”
So, whose idea was it?
While the rumor mill indicated that the urinals were a direct request from Korean Air chairman Cho Yang-ho, King insists that they were the product of a collaboration between ownership and the design team.
“Very early on, ownership wanted to make sure we embrace the view and that the public will always have access to the views, not just hotel guests,” he said.
The other bathrooms aren’t too shabby either.
On the 71st floor of the tower at 900 Wilshire Boulevard, the bathrooms in La Boucherie restaurant are faithful to the Marie-Antoinette-meets-California-cowboy theme of the restaurant.
The bottom line? Visit the Wilshire Grand if you haven’t already, because urine for a treat.