And while some of these modern bathroom tricks are for the best (home urinals, anybody?), a lot are totally unnecessary, and just leave us scratching our heads. Case in point? These bizarre, confounding, and downright weird bathrooms from around the world:

1.) A Totally Clear Stall… In the Middle of a City Street

A totally functional toilet, plopped down in the middle of the street. So far, so weird. Even weirder? The walls around the commode are made of one-way glass – meaning that you can look out at crowds while you do your duty, even if they can’t see you.

Would you really believe that nobody could peer in, or would you freeze up? That question was at the heart of the design, called “Don’t Miss a Sec,” originally constructed as an art project by Monica Bonvinci. And we think she nails it – seeing the faces pressed against the glass in publicity photos are enough to make us rethink our privacy for years to come.

2.) Faces Staring Back at You

Walls of urinals are places where people tend to avoid eye contact. Some bathrooms around the world, however, aren’t giving nervous restroom-goers the option; instead, the designers of these restrooms are placing observers directly in front of the urinals.

We don’t mean living people, though. If anything, the actual watchers are even creepier: The idea of high fashion mannequins in a Portuguese shopping center and judgmental cardboard cutouts in New Zealand are enough to keep us from going number one in public for a long time.

3.) The Video Game Toilet

Unlike L-riders here in Red Oak, Japanese metro-riders don’t need to worry about holding it until they get to work. Instead, some bustling train stations in Tokyo come complete with toilets that turn nature’s calling into a competitive game: Sensors built into the bottom of the urinal monitor the force and location of your stream, allowing you to play one of four games, from “Wash the Graffiti” to “Milk From Nose,” which actually puts you in direct competition with the last person to use the urinal.

Even better? If you’re proud of your scores, you can download them to a flash drive and take them with you as proof of your quote-unquote victory.

4.) The 30-Story Drop

A lot of people are afraid of going to the bathroom in public. A lot of people are afraid of heights. What do you get when you smoosh those two phobias together? The bathrooms at Felix at The Peninsula Hong Kong.

Located on the 30th floor of the building, the restaurant offers sweeping, panoramic views of the city, but none quite like the view from the men’s room, where stark black urinals line up flush against floor-to-ceiling windows giving you a great view of the distance to the pavement below.

Who says going to the bathroom can’t be a thrill ride?

What do you think? Could you go in any of these tricky toilets, or would you just hold it?

As always, we hope that when you think “bathroom,” you think “Combat Plumbing.” Whether you need answers, a quick fix, or a total system overhaul, our talented team is here and happy to help. Drop us a line, day or night, to get started!