What kind of bathrooms?

[LesBrass]

I've been doing a lot of planning/research/reading over the last couple of days and I've been looking at various albergues, towns and hotels that folks have recommended.

During this process I stumbled across this photo of a very lovely looking albergue bathroom... but I think it's a mixed bathroom, so perhaps not very private?

Are mixed bathrooms something we should expect? I think in my head I was imaging more of a cubicle/stall set-up, similiar to those on campsites.

I also wasn't expecting anything quite so plush looking.

 

[bystander]

Thank the Lord you didn't post a photo of them in use.

I'm not sure my agèd heart could have taken the shock!

 

[wayfarer]

I haven't seen anything as posh as those on my Caminos.

 

[LesBrass]

These very pretty showers are part of the Albergue Jakue in Puente la Reina

http://caminopedia.com/?page_id=951
http://caminopedia.com/?page_id=951
Are they likely to be mixed? what's the normal set-up?

 

[bystander]

Are they likely to be mixed? what's the normal set-up?

LesBrass, is your question in hope or despair?

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Mixed. Some will be rather primitive!

 

[cher99840]

Some are mixed, not most, but several that I was in. I preferred private accommodations but not many were posh except in the occasional posh hotel I stayed in.

Modesty is not a problem in the mixed ones, as long as you are prepared to exit a stall and find a man in his boxers brushing his teeth.

@bystander, you are too funny.

 

[LesBrass]

LesBrass, is your question in hope or despair?

Despair

I dont mind simple, I can do primative, I can do cold too (we're campers and we prefer the small out of the way sites)... I dont even mind boxers and teeth brushing... but the glass cubicle doors would leave me feeling a tad over exposed

 

[dougfitz]

I cannot recall where, but there were a couple of places where bathroom facilities were 'shared', but my recollection is that there were doors to each individual shower and toilet cubical. In many places the male showers/toilets were pretty open, often without even a shower curtain, but I don't recollect any similar lack of privacy on the places that were mixed.

 

[Phillypilgrim]

Everyday it is different. That is the beauty! Best shower for me, "Albergue Verde" in Hospital de Orbigo had massaging jets!

 

[mspath]

Les,

There is NO single standard set-up for showers, toilets, dorms, bunks, etc on the camino!! I haven't seen the shower that you show but there is a VERY snappy similar unit in the private Albergue Verde in Hospital de Orbigo.

Most places have separate toilet/shower facilities for each sex, but not all; some have separate facilities but in undivided spaces; most have doors that close, but not all; many have showers that water you and not the ceiling or your clothes, but not all; some have knobs that turn, but others buttons that you push for water.

If you need a sanitized toilet seat and/or spotless surroundings this is definitely NOT your thing! Can you balance soap, shampoo, and sponge in one hand while trying to regulate water temperature and/or flow with the other? When done can you put your clean clothes on while balancing on one leg to avoid puddles on the floor? Can you accept that nothing you carry stays clean or dry or tidy? Camino reality is a gradation of grey and damp and mess!

Nevertheless that's life. Such conditions which may seem appalling before a camino often will be remembered with a smile or a simple shrug long after the journey is over.
One thing is certain, afterwards, you will always especially appreciate HOT water!!

Margaret Meredith

 

[LesBrass]

Les,

If you need a sanitized toilet seat and/or spotless surroundings this is definitely NOT your thing! Can you balance soap, shampoo, and sponge in one hand while trying to regulate water temperature and/or flow with the other? When done can you put your clean clothes on while balancing on one leg to avoid puddles on the floor? Can you accept that nothing you carry stays clean or dry or tidy? Camino reality is a gradation of grey and damp and mess!

Margret that sounds like a normal camping trip for us

I remember one site in the foothills of the Pyrenees not too far from Perpignan one February... we were the only ones on the site and I think we took him by surprise. The only way I could get vaguely non-icy water in the shower block was to run from shower to shower pressing each button... for some reason this warmed the water for a few seconds from ice to cool... I gave up in the end, but I was so cold I struggled to get myself dressed with damp clothes sticking to my cold damp skin... from your description, these trips will have been good training for the camino!

 

[xin loi]

Girls from Oz had big Ponchos to use as a Mobile Bano in the fields of the Mesata. We only had shared banos in 2 or 3 places. Vast majority were very clean, modern facilities. Had a difficult time getting used to staying in places where I did not have to put used toilet paper in a bucket instead of flushing it. Felt guilty flushing it.

 

[Dutch]

Heyyyy i stayed in albergue/hotel jaque, but i had my own room in the albergue dept.
Damn, if i knew they had pilgrim showers like this, i would never have gotten a single

I know where i am showering next time around

 

[LesBrass]

Heyyyy i stayed in albergue/hotel jaque, but i had my own room in the albergue dept.

Hi Dutch - dont suppose you remember how much a room was? It looks like a great place to stop. The website says 11€ for the large dorm.

 

[Dutch]

A private room you mean? I believe i payed 30-35 euro. Private room, with bathroom. Clean.
Albergue jaque is really a hotel, but with an albergue in the basement. The "cheap" rooms like i had are also in the basement.

I looked at the bunkrooms and they seemed very nice and clean too. I did not see those showers though. Sooo sad

Jaque is the first albergue you see when going to puente la reina. A bit before town.

 

[LesBrass]

Dutch - It's on my list as a possible place to stop. I've been compiling a list, trying to tie in places that folks have recommended here... it's a slow process but I've got another 47 days to finish it.

 

[Dutch]

If you are uncertain about the showers, you can always ask to have a look before actually checking in. You wouldn't be the first one to check things out before checking in.

They look more like spa showers to me then albergue showers but then on the camino you never know. Some are really nice, while others are really nice to skip

 

[LesBrass]

that's a good idea. I'm not really too bothered - we've come across all sorts on our travels. I guess a little bit of privacy would be prefered... but I think if I'm tired and cold and there is a chance of a warm shower then I'll just live with it... and those showers do look pretty wonderful! I've never come across anything that good at any campsite I've stayed in!

At least I'll know to expect the unexpected

 

[Metropolly]

LesBrass, to answer your question - your modesty will be protected. I can't think of any albergue that would provide that kind of bathroom for mixed male/female use. Don't worry about all the seasoned-pilgrim hardship tales. With your extensive non-luxury camping experience you will probably not find the accommodation to be a problem. Did you visit the podiatrist, by the way? Good news?

 

[Scott Sweeney]

There is a very nice albergue in Muxia that is mixed, but by the time you get there...........you really don't seem to mind.

 

[LesBrass]

LesBrass, to answer your question - your modesty will be protected. I can't think of any albergue that would provide that kind of bathroom for mixed male/female use.

that's good news

Did you visit the podiatrist, by the way? Good news?

appointment next week... fingers crossed it will all be well.

 

[jmcarp]

Loved the albergues with two handles on the showers: Cold and Ice Cold

 

[Kiwi-family]

If those particular showers bother you there is always the municipal in the same town - cheap, clean, small dorms, great kitchen, right in town, close enough to the bridge for an afternoon wander, and doors on the (mixed) showers!!

 

[MichaelSG]

Loved the albergues with two handles on the showers: Cold and Ice Cold

I know what you mean but I still prefer the two faucets on the fountains, water & wine!

 

[tyrrek]

Hi LesBrass
Remember that you can sometimes share a private room in a hostal with a couple of your walking buddies to get a bit more privacy without breaking the bank. The bathrooms in even modestly priced hostals are almost always clean and modern in my experience. Facilities for clothes washing are usually better in albergues, though. Buen Camino!

 

[LesBrass]

Hi LesBrass
Remember that you can sometimes share a private room in a hostal with a couple of your walking buddies to get a bit more privacy without breaking the bank. The bathrooms in even modestly priced hostals are almost always clean and modern in my experience. Facilities for clothes washing are usually better in albergues, though. Buen Camino!

I'm thinking that perhaps once a week I may stop off in a private room. I can have a lie-in, give all my clothes a really good wash, and just pamper myself a little... that's the plan... but of course plans can change

 

[Metropolly]

Great plan, LesBrass. I hate communal bathrooms and have often thrown money at the problem. On some caminos I've suffered albergue-dodger's guilt. I once shyly confessed to staying in private accommodation 'about once a week' (it was more like two or three times a week in reality) and someone said: 'Yes, once a week is exactly enough.' How I blushed with shame. But albergues are not a compulsory part of the camino.
Having said that, I forced myself to use them almost every day in the final month of my camino last year, as a kind of ritual stepping outside my comfort zone. On the few occasions in that month that I did 'cheat' and slope off to a hotel, I found I couldn't sleep without the comforting familiarity of the noisy young group I'd fallen in with. The bathroom was always worth it, though

 

[tyrrek]

On some caminos I've suffered albergue-dodger's guilt.

Ha ha! I love that term 'Albergue-dodger'. I'm shocking - on my first Camino I was already albergue-dodging by the time I hit Roncesvalles.

 

[Icacos]

....... The bathroom was always worth it, though

As were the windows, over which one had complete control. (Read: the 'north wind' blowing through.)

 

[susanawee]

Despair

I dont mind simple, I can do primative, I can do cold too (we're campers and we prefer the small out of the way sites)... I dont even mind boxers and teeth brushing... but the glass cubicle doors would leave me feeling a tad over exposed

I am with you there LesBrass and can say that I Did feel quite exposed in that particular bathroom, but, after a few minutes under that lovely hot water, I soon got over my shyness -

 

[Dutch]

Albergue-dodger? Hahha...i like that. Does a private room in an albergue count as dodging? If so, than i cracked in Puenta la reina.

Otherwise i dodged big time for the first time at the santa domingo de la calzada parador
(The one just outside the main street)

 

[xin loi]

Not sure why, but one albergue had the men's urinals in the hallway going to the separate sex bathrooms

 

[Dutch]

 

[musicagl]

For me, the most frustrating bathroom feature was not mixed use (common), but no place to hang your dry clothes while in the shower. I think only once did I come across a setup with two part cubicle, part A for disrobing and part B, the actual shower. I was expecting the two-part setup based on years of camping experience.

 

[gidivet]

I have a mini backpack which is quite water resistant. It contained a change of clothes, soap and some valuables which couldn't be left in the dorm. I always found at least one hook in the shower cubicles to hang the bag. Dirty clothes and towel went through the shoulder straps. Worked well.