Dare to Ask: Ice in urinals? Well, fancy that

By Phillip Milano

Question

Why do urinals in fancy restaurants have ice in them?

P., Jacksonville

Replies

I always assumed it was an attempt to reduce odors in a classier way than using a perfumed urinal cake.

Jerry, 61, New Britain, Conn.

So if you don't flush, the hot urine will melt the ice and kinda flush it for you. If you don't flush a urinal, the salt in your urine will build up and clog the pipes.

Mark, Michigan

It is thought that it keeps the stink down.

Wendi, Philadelphia

Mostly due to dropped ice or when people in restaurants claim they have something in their glass they dump the remains there. They aren't supposed to but depending on your server and their attitude you might not worry about it and take care of business.

Bruce, 49, Newark, N.J.

Expert says

If we only knew what that last guy from Jersey was trying to say, all would be well with the world. But perhaps some things, like a public option, just aren't to be.

Public urinal deodorizing options, that's another story. Paradichlorobenzene-free urinal cakes? Waterless no-flush? Sanor System ("Clean Restrooms, Happy People")? Plain old ice chips? We shudder at the choices. And since the award-winning reporter who asked us this probably didn't want to go Googling it at work, there we were to provide comfort and sanitation -- er, sanity.

Turns out icy urinals aren't a hallmark of expensive hotels and restaurants, but of old ones, said Kevin Moll, CEO of Denver-based National Restaurant Consultants, which offers wisdom to the hospitality industry.

"With the sewer lines in older hotels, because they're so long, a foul odor can permeate up through the pipes, so ... if you keep ice in there, or even just water, it keeps the odor away. The melting ice creates a constant drip, enough to keep it away."

Older hotels or eateries may still use iron pipes, too, and when iron and urine mix, it's nothing to sniff at.

"The newer places have PVC pipe, so it's rare to find ice in their urinals," Moll said. "In older places if there's no water or ice, the acidic urine hits the iron and can create a smell."

Sit-down toilets have water in them, so ladies' rooms don't need ice, he added.

Since we're talking, what's in those fancy bathrooms that are off-limits to we of the proletariat, anyway?

A quick list from Moll, and then we really have to go:

Expensive hand lotion and French-milled soap, mouthwash, breath mints, all-linen towels, a seating area, top-of-the-line sink and water closet hardware, bidets and, in some off-the-chain cases, clear-glass stall doors and walls that miraculously fog up upon closing the door. Now that's going in style.

Oh, and, of course, a concierge to make you feel all special inside.

"Excellent restrooms are extremely important to a place's success," Moll said. "If it's important to the top management, it will trickle down -- just like the ice."

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Phillip Milano, author of I Can't Believe You Asked That! (Perigee), moderates cross-cultural dialogue at Y? The National Forum on People's Differences. Visit www.yforum.com to submit questions and answers. Send general column comments to phillip.milano@jacksonville.com. You can also hear his podcasts or watch his TV spots.