Bathroom

A bathroom is a room in which people wash their bodies or parts thereof. It can contain one or more of the following plumbing fixtures: a shower, a bathtub, a bidet, and a sink (also known as a wash basin in the United Kingdom). A toilet is also frequently included. There are also specific toilet rooms, only containing a toilet (often accompanied by a sink). In North American English, these tend to be called "bathrooms" or "half bathrooms", "washrooms", or "powder rooms" as a euphemism. In British English, they are referred to as "the loo", "water closets" or "WC", "toilets", and occasionally "cloakrooms" – and also "lavatories" when they are public.

Historically, bathing was often a collective activity, which took place in public baths. In some countries, the shared social aspect of cleansing the body is still important, for example with sento in Japan and, throughout the Islamic world, the hammam (often known inaccurately in the West as a "Turkish" bath).