What makes a public restroom great? Cintas, a leading maker of uniforms for businesses, asked that question seriously, and felt it was worth giving credit where credit is due by handing out the "America's Best Restroom Award." This bathroom inside the Shoji Tabuchi Theatre in Branson, Mo., took home 2009's top honor.
The Shoji Tabuchi Theatre's bathrooms boast luxurious amenities. The ladies powder room has wainscoting, live cut orchids at every granite and onyx pedestal sink, stained glass, chandeliers and a ceiling reproduced from the 1890s' Empire Period.
The gentlemen's lounge is also a treat. It has black lion's-head sinks imported from Italy, black leather chairs, a marble fireplace, and even a billiard room with a hand-carved mahogany pool table.
Second Place: Tremont Plaza Hotel, Baltimore
The public restroom in the lobby of Baltimore's Tremont Plaza Hotel took 2009's second-place title for America's Best Bathrooms. Built in 1866, the hotel has entertained stars of the stage, the field, the diamond and the big screen.
The Tremont Plaza Hotel's bathroom features imported marble, grand columns, chandeliers and hand-carved woodwork.
Third Place: Radio City Music Hall, New York
New York's Radio City Music Hall is the largest indoor theater in the world, so a lot of people have traveled through this now-award-winning restroom.
Designed in the early 1930s, the Radio City Music Hall's restroom features classic tile work, art deco furnishings and cork-covered walls.
Fourth Place: Zeffirino Ristorante, Las Vegas
Zeffirino Ristorante was founded in Italy in 1939 and was transported to Las Vegas' Venetian Resort, Hotel & Casino in 1999. The restaurant takes fourth place in Cintas' America's Best Bathrooms awards.
The restaurant offers authentic Italian cuisine amongst limestone columns and Venetian-style windows, overlooking the hotel's Grand Canal. The restrooms are equally opulent.
The luxurious amenities inside Zeffirino's restrooms inlude custom-made mosaic tile artwork, marble floors, glass chandeliers, a limestone water fountain and private restroom suites.
Fifth Place: The Drake Hotel, Chicago
Since the 1920s, The Drake Hotel has been a well-known travel destination on Chicago's Michigan Avenue. It has hosted royalty, heads of state and dignitaries.
The ladies' restroom does not disappoint. The decor includes in-stall make-up tables, palm tree murals, elegant sconces and multiple chandeliers.