This toilet review could have been titled “The Bunker” because it felt like we were in an underground nuclear bomb shelter. But we decided to go with “The Multi-Purpose Room” because of all the activities that can be accomplished in this Bulgarian bathroom.
Functionality - If you study the picture above you will see that there is your standard toilet, a shower faucet (with no enclosure for a shower) and a sink. What you can’t see is that the sink is the only sink in the apartment and there is no dishwasher. So the sink you see is the kitchen sink where you prepare food and clean dishes. Who doesn’t want to make a deposit to the porcelain bank, stand up, take a shower and finish off with some dish cleaning? One room where you can accomplish three major tasks is the definition of functionality.
Cleanliness - While I admire the effort to cram as many activities into one space, I also have my concerns about the cleanliness of this situation. I would feel slightly more comfortable if the shower was enclosed but it’s not so that means shower water and steam goes everywhere and only 2 ft. away are the dishes. So you’re bathing with dirty dishes or you’re bathing with clean dishes that now have shower water on them. And I have to eat off them? No thanks. Or take the shower scenario away and pretend I just cleaned dishes but now I have to take care of my business. Now there is tainted air in the bathroom getting all over the dishes we are going to eat from?! No thanks. Not Clean.
Toilet Paper Situation - The depth perception is hard to gauge in the picture but the toilet paper roll is on a ledge above the average sitting head and a full arm’s length behind. Unless you are double jointed or an Olympic gymnast, this is a difficult task that takes some creative maneuvering.
Ambiance - Whether you like doing your business in a cave is a personal preference. Me? I enjoyed the experience. We visited Churchill’s War Rooms in London where Winston Churchill hid out during WWII and I thought this bathroom would have been similar to what ole Winston had in the war rooms. In a bunker, surrounded by rock… check. Throw as much crap into a room as possible including the kitchen sink… check.
Privacy/Safety - The most redeeming quality of the bathroom is the privacy/safety. As I stated in the opening description this room felt and looked like a nuclear bomb shelter so in my estimation it’s the safest bathroom in all of eastern Europe. As we’ve learned, just because a bathroom is safe from attacks from the outside world doesn’t necessarily mean it’s safe from internal attacks. But in this case the door was solid with a lock and a room/hallway between itself and the bedroom. Safety inspection checks out.
Overall - If the owner’s came to me for advice on how to improve their bathroom I would say, “Move that toilet paper roll where a normal person can reach it and enclose that shower so I’m not showering with my leftover pasta from last night.” Other than that, I applaud the resourcefulness of having a room that if a nuclear war broke out you’d not only be safe in this room but you could also shower, poo and clean your dishes.
