And we’re not the only ones who think so! In fact, throughout history, the bathroom has been a place where architects, engineers, and designers have let their imaginations totally run wild. We’ve already told the incredible story of how Red Oak’s plumbing grew into the advanced and complicated system we know and (usually) love today – but what about the rest of the world?

From enormous ancient baths to awe-inspiring modern toilets, these are some of the most incredible bathrooms in history:

1.) The Romans Really Knew Their Way Around Plumbing

While some have recently called the Romans’ plumbing system “overrated,” we still find it pretty remarkable. On top of designing and building a complex sanitation and aqueduct system – which included the massive Cloaca Maxima, a sewage system built in the heart of the Roman capital – the Roman Empire was home to pretty incredible communal toilets, some of the first in the world. And on the other side of the bathroom spectrum, the Romans were also famous for their sophisticated community baths, some of which are still in working order today, such as this beautiful site in Bath, England.

2.) Old Hollywood Glamour 

Let’s jump forward a few millennia, from imperial columns to Hollywood glitz. During the Golden Age of Hollywood, many beloved stars used their wealth to design extravagant homes – including giving their bathroom the gilded treatment.

Marilyn Monroe’s old penthouse, for example, includes lots of marble, an enormous mirror, and a large, impressive Jacuzzi, while Katharine Hepburn’s Los Angeles mansion included a pristine white ladies’ room, which you can view at the Daily Mail here.

3.) Fun in Freezing Temperatures

It seems like people have explored every inch of the planet these days – and with people come bathrooms, even in some of the most extreme places on Earth.

Case in point? We’ve constructed toilets designed to withstand the bitter cold and intense winds of the poles, including this urinal, which is constructed just about 350 meters from the geographic South Pole, a place that “was not able to even be reached until the early 1900s,” according to urinal.net (no, really, that’s a site!). This outhouse at McMurdo Station in Antarctica is another marvel: It’s designed to reduce environmental impact, and its contents (solid waste only) actually get bundled up and shipped away regularly to leave the arctic unspoiled (and, hopefully, odor-free).

4.) Incredible Public Toilets

Many people are hesitant to use the bathroom while out and about in public – but it may be easier to convince a nervous bathroom-goer to use some of the world’s truly amazing public toilets.

Take the UriLift Pop-Up Urinal, which springs up from the ground at 10 p.m. and disappears around 3 a.m., the better to stop bar-hopping revelers from public urination. Or, for those looking to have a little more of a view, try artist Monica Bonvicini’s “Don’t Mess a Sec,” which lets you look out at the street thanks to its one-way mirror walls. Originally dreamed up as an art installation, this mind-melting pop-up bathroom has appeared in London and Basel, Switzerland.

5.) Toilets That Are Out of This World (Literally)

It’s 2016, and people – and their toilets – aren’t just bound to the Earth’s surface anymore.

The toilets at the International Space Station are incredible examples of design and ingenuity – and they better be, considering that NASA once spent $19 million for a Russian-built toilet system to go into place in 2008. What did all of that money go toward? These “space toilets,” for lack of a better word, feature leg restraints to help keep astronauts in place while they do their business, and crew members can use individual “urine funnels” to recycle their waste into potable water.

And whether a plumbing system is built in space or right here in Red Oakland, accidents can happen at any time. That’s where we come in! Drop Combat Plumbing a line for all of your plumbing questions and concerns. Day or night, our team is here and happy to help – as long as we don’t have to trek to Antarctica.