Will Female Urinals Ever Catch On?

After trying for 13 years to make them work, the Salzburg convention center in Germany has decided to replace the building’s female urinals with regular toilets.

0001 hen the Salzburg convention center installed urinals in their women’s restrooms in 2002, it led to an upsurge in embarrassed women running out of the restroom, believing they had entered the men’s room by mistake. Thirteen years later, that problem hasn’t gone away. In fact, even the women that knew the urinals were there didn’t seem willing to adopt the “skiing position” required to effectively urinate into the low-hanging porcelain structure.

A row of female urinals. The Salzburg convention center installed urinals in their women’s restrooms in 2002, but are now conceding to the fact that they just aren’t catching on like they were predicted to.

It seems the great female urinal experiment, conducted mostly in Europe, has failed to convince women to adopt the unconventional plumbing fixture. The urinals were initially touted as water saving devices, and more as hygienic than toilets. Manufacturers of the urinals say they’re cleaner than the alternative because the user doesn’t have to make contact with any part of the toilet. Our female readers will no doubt be familiar with the infamous “hovering” technique, which likewise eliminates body/seat contact, albeit with messy results for poor aimers.

Female urinals with a modern design. Initially touted as more hygenic and eco-friendly, many go unused as women seem weary to adopt them.

Female urinals aren’t necessarily commonplace in any country, but they aren’t unheard of. Portable urinals, especially, have been featured at events in the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, Finland, Ireland, and the UK. The design varies quite a bit with the manufacturer and from location to location.