How to use the Squat Toilet in Asia
Preparing for your big trip and dreaming of warm beaches or frosty peaks, it’s easy to forget about the little things you’ll do everyday, like having a poop in Asia’s squat toilet. Say goodbye to the comfort of a clean western public bathroom and prepare to pay to use some questionable Asian toilets. It’s all part of the great travel adventure!
Welcome to the fun of accidentally peeing on your shoe or ‘almost’ falling into the toilet… every time. It’s uncomfortable, unfamiliar and why are there so many different accessories? It’s awkward asking a local for tips or instructions, so here are five things you might want to know in advance. For women, some extra tips below.
1. Asia’s Squat Toilet
Common throughout Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, China, Laos, India, Japan… you get the idea. This is probably the most common toilet in use worldwide, you will no doubt encounter this challenge if you want to travel to exotic places without western luxuries or are traveling on a budget.
The challenger: The squat toilet is usually just a long ceramic oval at floor level with a hole at one end, usually near the half dome shape if it has one. In Japan, these toilets are usually very clean, but that is not always the case in other countries.
Squat Toilet Instructions
- Prepare yourself. Drop your pants to a secure position not too far that they might get wet on the floor or in the way, but at or below the knees to give yourself some room to maneuver
- Find the end with the hole, stand with one foot on each side close to the hole but not directly on top of it. You do not want splash back.
- Lean forward and squat low, keeping your weight centered and relatively even in your feet, heels down. Warning: Propping yourself on the balls of your feet will put tension on your leg muscles, you’ll start to lose your balance after a few minutes. Don’t worry about getting super low, gravity is your friend here.
- Make sure the way is clear, including your pants and shoes… you don’t want them getting in the way.
- Brace your hands against the wall if you need extra support. But try to find a hands free position. You’ll need them later. Ideally, you shouldn’t feel any strain on your legs.
For more detailed instruction if you still aren’t sure.
As silly as this sounds, it may be a good idea to practice squatting for 5 minutes at home before your trip. You may not be used to the muscles required to support yourself comfortably, although you will grow more comfortable over time.
2. Cleaning Up After Ya-Know…
The squat toilet amenities will vary by country, but all seem to never have public toilet paper. Instead they have either a hose with a handle that works like a water gun or a bucket and ladle combo. Something new to figure out.
Whichever option you have, the general rule is water from the front, hand from the back. Yes, your hand to scrub, preferably the left hand for hygiene and etiquette reasons. You may have toilet paper with you, but the usual routine in a lot of places is to scrub with your hand and dry with paper. To what extent you want to ‘do as the locals do‘ is up to you.
Always carry soap in a small bottle to wash your hands afterwards as the local facilities may not have any. Careful, the ladle can be awkward to use effectively and the bum gun can be surprisingly strong. You want to make sure everything is pointed in the right direction or you’ll get really wet. Depending on your position, it can be easier to run the water down from the back.
3. Toilet Paper DOs and DONTs
You need to think: “I will always need my own toilet paper”. Do not get lulled by a nice hotel or hostel to think otherwise. Baby wipes are also your best friend! Pack many.
In the stall, there is often a little trash can. The paper goes inside once used. Do not put paper in the hole unless you have no other choice (especially baby wipes that do not disintegrate easily), the plumbing systems can’t handle the paper. If you think putting used paper in a bin is gross, remember that the locals might only use paper to dry. In some cases, a plastic bag or ziplock bag for your used paper or wipes would be the appropriate thing to do. You could be saving some poor worker having to fix the plumbing system, a job no one wants. Spend enough time in Asia, you learn the scale of the waste and garbage disposal problem, every little bit helps.
4. Air Drying or Paper Drying
With so much water being flung about in that tiny stall, you might be thinking how to dry yourself if you’ve gone paper-free (which I recommend). Let me introduce you to the bottom-twist. Se Below.
In South Asia and India, it is often very muggy and humid. Somedays you are sweaty and damp no matter what you do. So having a little moisture down below is not the worst thing that can happen. However if you find yourself getting irritated by the dampness, even after a good shake, I recommend bringing a little cotton cloth along with you (to dry only). Something small you can fit in a ziplock bag and wash conveniently.
5. ‘Gundam Toilet’ – Japan’s Crazy Robot Toilets
On the other end of the spectrum, in Japan and now increasingly common in high-end resorts in South Asia, you have the electronic toilet with more buttons than your TV remote control. Before people strapped iPads to walls, the Japanese had wall mounted controls for their toilets. You can press a button for almost everything from raising the seat, to heating, to a super heated jet stream (bidet).
Toilet Tips for Women
Traveling in less developed countries means having to make some hard sacrifices for personal comfort. While men have more liberty both socially and physically in using the toilet, the woman’s friend in this situation is preparedness: Be ready for everything! Being forced to pay to use a disgusting public toilet can feel extremely unfair, especially when your male equivalent could just pee against a wall, in public… Easily.
A bad toilet experience can easily ruin an otherwise great day, even impacting you’re traveling companions. It’s 2018, for $10 to $25 you can simply buy an anti-bacterial rubber she-wee (Go-Girl) and save yourself a lot of unpleasantness.
1st Choice: Shewee
- Material: Thermoplastic
- Reusable: Yes
- Size: Medium
- Buy on Amazon: Yes, Here
2nd Choice: Go-Girl
- Material: Medical Grade Silicone
- Reusable: Yes
- Size: Small
- Buy on Amazon: Yes, Here
Fore more tips, I recommend checking out Her Packing List.
We hope this helps! We really do!
We choose not to imagine failure when it comes to squatty potties. Hopefully you find some of these tips helpful and avoid some unfortunate toilet related accidents on your next adventure in Asia or other similar countries. If you like this, check out our favorite travel apps we recommend. If you have a friend planning a trip to Asia soon who might benefit from some toilet tips, please share!
Cheers, tally on!
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