Photo by John Fleury.
Welcome to Dear John, a column that ranks the bathrooms at some of D.C.’s most well-known establishments.
By DCist contributor Alan Zilberman
With abundant fanfare, the Navy Yard’s Bluejacket brewery opened last week. The place is worthy of the hype: it looks gorgeous with its high ceilings, and the beer is delicious (try The Ingenue, trust me). Attached to Bluejacket is The Arsenal, the brewery’s restaurant which is run by the husband/wife team behind Birch and Barley. But with all the talk focusing on beer and food, there is little discussion of the facilities. Even without an outstanding hand-drying option, this bathroom is worthy of the same praise the attached brewery/restaurant has been receiving.
+5 for retro lamps around the sink: The bathroom is dimly lit, save for lamps that run along the sides of the bathroom sink. They’re warm yet industrial-looking, and they have a strange way of making my reflection look badass. I like that kind of ego-boost after an embarrassingly long stay at the urinal.
-1 for the illuminated display near the bathroom: This one is a little counter-intuitive. Next to the bathroom is a display that lists all the available beers. Each draft gets its own unique design, and the display is an impressive, functional detail. The only problem is that it’s a distraction from the business at hand. When I visited Bluejacket, I was seated on the upper level away from the display, and it looked so good that I stopped on my way to the bathroom. Then again, maybe my minor detour just indicates that the trip was not a dire one.
+3 for a solid lock on the stall: Ever since I started this column, friends have eagerly told me what bothers me about their bathroom experiences. One well-taken complaint was inadequate stall locks: a lock is sometimes the only thing preserving any sense of decency, and as such they must be sturdy. There is only one stall at the Bluejacket men’s room, but its lock creates a powerful barrier. There is no need to worry about it coming loose.
-2 for an unnecessary trashcan: There are no paper towels in the Bluejacket bathroom. There are two urinals, one stall, one sink, and one hand-dryer. What purpose does the trashcan serve? It’s not like anyone would take a dump in there (I assume). Bluejacket does not offer mints near its entrance, so I cannot fathom a reason why someone in the men’s room would need to discard waste that’s not from within their bodies.
+10 for a Dyson Air Blade: This is the gold standard of hand-drying options, and I’m glad Bluejacket’s commitment to excellence extends to hand-drying. I was fairly certain I’d visit the brewery/restaurant again soon, and the Dyson Air Blade sealed the deal.
Overall score: +15. The score might have been lower because I’m not sure whether the bathroom offers adequate facilities. Two urinals and one stall is not much, but for now I’m willing to give The Arsenal at Bluejacket the benefit of the doubt. This is an excellent bathroom, and it’s part of an exciting new restaurant. Check it out before The Nationals begin their new season and the space gets overrun with drunk baseball fans.
