The women’s restroom at BWI Airport’s Concourse B.

/ BWI

When you think of the best bathroom you’ve ever been in, a highly trafficked airport lavatory is probably not the first that comes to mind. But Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport is in the running for the 2023 title of “America’s Best Bathroom” nonetheless.

The airport recently built new restrooms in Concourse B that made their grand debut this spring. The airport is modernizing more restrooms throughout Concourses B, C, and D as part of a $55 million facelift.

The restrooms are gleaming white with a blue accent. The toilets have full-length doors. They have a red or green light above them to show if they’re occupied. The urinals are widely spaced to allow room for a rolling bag to fit next to you. Sensors let custodians know if supplies need to be refilled. Natural light seeps in through honeycombed privacy windows.

The urinal areas are wide enough to keep your rolling bag by you.
A women's restroom in BWI's concourse B
The entrance of the restrooms in Concourse B have a dreamy blue detail.
Restrooms have full-height stall doors with lights above them to show occupancy.

Are these bathroom ratings a lil silly and totally a promotional pitch for Cintas, the cleaning and restroom supply company running the contest for 22 years? Yes.

Did I trick myself into thinking that I’m above writing about viral campaigns meant to drive brand awareness? Also, yes.

But then I saw the pics of the bathrooms. We have some VIBES.

The airport might be outmatched, as other thrones ranked sit in classy joints like high-end restaurants, New York bars, Utah ski resorts, and Minnesota rest areas.

Drusie & Darr hotel in Nashville, Tennessee, has a famous 1930s-era Art Deco men’s room and now has a new ladies’ room lavishly decorated with striped walls and floors of variegated pink marble, arched doorways, rose gold-framed mirrors, pink fixtures, and glamorous lighting throughout. Eat your heart out Barbie.Cintas
The Rabbit Hole in Greenville, South Carolina has a whimsical take on an Alice in Wonderland theme. Engulfed in wall-to-wall framed images of various noble rabbits, a rose garden ceiling sits above and the words from an Alice in Wonderland audiobook are read over a speaker, the contest website says.Cintas
Drusie & Darr hotel in Nashville, Tennessee, has a famous 1930s-era Art Deco men’s room and now has a new ladies’ room lavishly decorated with striped walls and floors of variegated pink marble, arched doorways, rose gold-framed mirrors, pink fixtures, and glamorous lighting throughout, the contest website says.Cintas
Juban’s Creole Restaurant in Baton Rouge, Louisiana renovated its bathroom in dark blues with pops of millennial pink create a backdrop for perfect selfies, according to the contest website. A pale pink couch rests in front of a Cher quote in the women's restroom. Cintas
El Rio in San Francisco has a bathroom that evokes a futuristic Tokyo-bound subway with brightly colored and patterned tile and paint, backlit mirrors -- including a full-length version with multiple lighting options -- and sleek and modern sinks and fixtures, the contest website says.Cintas

Will BWI win? Probably not. But we should absolutely applaud it for elevating the art of the airport bathroom, making our flying experience a little less crappy.

Vote for your favorite here by August 11.

Filed Under: BWI, BWI bathrooms, BWI Concourse B,