SINGAPORE has the worst restrooms she had ever seen, declared Nancy Sit.
That was the impression the Hong Kong actress had when she was filming here a few years ago, according to a report published in Shin Min Daily News.
She was referring to a washroom in a certain shopping mall which she declined to name.
The New Paper on Sunday decided to check on the public toilets.
But instead of the usual suspects (read: hawker centres and shopping malls), we trawled the little girl's rooms of 20 of Singapore's most well-known nightclubs over two nights.
Surprise, surprise. We did not find as many pee-stained toilet bowls and vomit-smeared sinks as we expected.
So, which clubs have the cleanest and dirtiest women's toilets?
ROYAL FLUSH
St James Powerhouse, Sentosa Gateway
Best sinks, definitely. There wasn't a bit of leftover residue in the long row of sinks.
And the best part? The immaculate powder room. For the party girl in all of us.
We don't know anyone who spends more than half an hour in the toilet, unless they are having the runs.
But club patron Tiffany Low, a 23-year-old student, said that she and her friends can spend up to 45 minutes in the Powerhouse restrooms each time.
'We even have lengthy conversations in there because it's usually clean,' she said.
'I don't think that's strange because a lot of groups of girls do that too.'
Mr Andrew Ing, 41, chief operating officer of St James Power Station, said: 'We spend a lot of time and energy to ensure that we have clean toilets for our guests, so it's nice to see (our efforts) being recognised.'
Double O, Robertson Walk
If a toilet can ever smell nice, it's the ladies' toilet at Double O.
And by that we mean no smell.
The Double O toilet had the driest floors.
The cubicles were so well-kept that hanging one's handbag behind the door was a breeze.
But when we were there, the queue for the ladies' toilet was so long that an impatient female clubber was seen going into the gents instead.
Ms Jasmine Ho, 32, a sales and promotions executive, said: 'My only gripe with the restrooms here are the queues.
'But considering the huge crowd, the standard of cleanliness is very commendable.'
Ms Francesca Liam, brand manager for Double O, said their toilets are always in 'tip-top' condition.
Zouk, Jiak Kim Street
Overall, extremely clean.
The floors were spotless and the cubicles spick and span.
The only hiccup was that the flush didn't work on the first try.
Ms Mari Muramoto, 28, assistant marketing manager for Zouk, said: 'Every restroom is assigned a dedicated toilet cleaner who provides the service of handing out paper towels.
'Our toilets are equipped with automated fresheners as well.'
TOILET-TRAINING NEEDED
Rupee Room, Clarke Quay
A tissue-strewn floor and grubby toilet bowls - definitely not a sight for the easily nauseous.
Let's just say we couldn't wait to get out of there.
Zirca, River Valley Road
A clubgoer was heard remarking: 'You can smell it before you see it.'
She wasn't exaggerating.
The cause of the smell? It appeared to be coming from the wet floors.
We hope most of it is just water.
Attica, Clarke Quay
Instead of standing permanently at the communal sinks outside the toilets, the four cleaners should try going inside once in a while.
It's no wonder they didn't notice the wet toilet seats and grimy floors.
Perhaps that's why the restroom is so dimly-lit - so patrons can't spot the dirt.
So what did the three clubs with the muckiest toilets during our checks have to say?
Well, we don't know. Our attempts to contact them over two days through phone calls and e-mails were unsuccessful.
This article was first published in The New Paper.
