Visiting LA? Our public bathrooms are tricky to find but we’ve got maps

Nature’s call waits for no one, but with mega-events like the World Cup attracting even more people, where do you go when you have to go?

For out-of-towners, we’re sorry to say — it’s complicated. For reasons we’ll go into below, we don’t have a robust stock of outdoor restrooms, like the pay toilets you see in Europe.

Instead, people largely rely on bathrooms in stores, like Starbucks or Target. You just have to pray you’re gifted with the holy grail of restroom codes.

If that doesn’t work, there’s a hodge podge of other options. For those times when you're caught short, check out the handy maps we’ve put in this guide.

Find a bathroom

The few public bathrooms we do have are run by different city departments. Here are some examples.

• Metro’s Throne bathrooms, currently at more than 20 stations

Throne bathrooms at Metro stations give you 10 minutes of use.

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Throne

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Courtesy Metro

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This started as a pilot program in 2023 and has now expanded to more than 20 station locations along Metro lines (find the map here). The stalls are generally open from 6 a.m. to 12 a.m., and are opened via a mobile app. They give you a 10-minute window of use. According to the Metro website, the program will increase to 64 locations through 2028. 

• StreetsLA’s standalone stalls

A public toilet on the corner of Martin Luther King Jr Blvd and Avalon Blvd in Historic South Central.

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Brian Feinzimer

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LAist

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This is a small network of 14 bathrooms that you’ll find on the sidewalk. They’re largely in downtown L.A. and the San Fernando Valley and are open 24/7.

• Other places with bathrooms

We also have bathrooms at public places maintained by the local government. You can check this map from the the L.A. City Controller’s Office, which includes bathroom and water fountain locations from multiple departments, including Metro, city and county parks departments and the Los Angeles Public Library system.

One of the downsides to be aware of is that most of these spots are subject to varying open and closing hours. For example, some parks close at sunset.

Sometimes, these locations can be a gem because — although they’re actually public — many people don’t think about stopping at a park to pee. (Reporter’s note: words I never thought I’d type.)

• Check out bathroom reviews from (pardon our French) the blog Where to Shit in Los Angeles.

If you’re feeling adventurous, you could find a loo with a view. It includes Burbank, downtown L.A., Hollywood and North Hollywood, Koreatown and Pasadena.

Keep in mind, this is a blog. Still, we thought the in-depth ratings on cleanliness and “secrecy” (ahem, taking a leak in peace) made it worth the visit.

• When in doubt, pull out your phone.

You could also go the obvious route and just type “restroom” into your phone’s map app to find even more options. Enjoy your visit to the can!

Why is it like this in L.A.?

Free public toilets have a long, fraught history in the city of L.A., but California used to have pay toilets in a lot of places. Issues arose over fees between men’s and women’s bathrooms, and the barrier it caused for people without money.

In 1974, assemblymember March Fong Eu, along with free toilet activists (yes that’s a thing), successfully fought to get rid of pay toilets. At the time, the thought was that local governments would step in to build a network of free public toilets. Spoiler: That hasn’t happened yet to a level that could support 4 million residents.

A snapshot of the issue can be seen in the 2026 ParkScore Index from the nonprofit Trust for Public Land. They evaluate the quality of parks across different cities, including how many amenities each city has. The nonprofit found that L.A. has 1.4 bathrooms in its parks for every 10,000 residents.