The UW’s Best Bathroom

Nature Calls is legendary for quirky touches such as a prairie-grass wall design and scrap-metal animal sculptures. Photo and Video by Althea Dotzour

At UW–Madison, you can spark a debate by asking about favorite study spots or local hangouts. But there’s broad consensus when it comes to the best place to freshen up between classes: the wryly named Nature Calls bathrooms on the first floor of Nancy Nicholas Hall, home to the School of Human Ecology.

The topic of the most pleasant lavatory on campus pops up with amusing frequency on the UW–Madison Reddit channel. Invariably, the top commenters nominate Nature Calls, with praise that seems over the top for a washroom.

“The cans … are legendary.”

“It’s a tropical experience you’ll not soon forget.”

“It is truly a magical experience.”

Once you walk into the facilities, you can see — and hear — why. The soothing sounds of nature, from chirping birds and a babbling brook to rain and thunder, emanate from overhead speakers. The sights are equally captivating: a swirling, stream-like floor design embedded with river rock; a tree stump propping up a pebble-filled countertop; resin-paneled walls wrapped with a prairie-grass design; a deep blue ceiling with twinkling fiberoptic lights that mimic a starry midnight sky.

Quirky touches round out Nature Calls, including bright red stalls that imitate English telephone booths (a droll reference to “calls”). Mounted above each stall is another artistic spin on nature, with scrap-metal sculptures of animal heads. The men’s and women’s bathrooms have identical layouts, save for a urinal replacing a stall in the former.

Nature Calls debuted in 2012 with the opening of the new wing of Nancy Nicholas Hall, designed by Sasaki Associates in Boston and local architect Diana Dorschner. But its inspiration dates to the School of Human Ecology’s original building. After an orange velvet couch and an inflatable cow mysteriously appeared in the women’s bathroom, visitors started to leave behind their own whimsical decorations. It became such a source of pride that Professor Beverly Gordon ’68, PhD’84 wrote a nearly 10,000-word academic article on the phenomenon in 2003, titled “Embodiment, Community Building, and Aesthetic Saturation in ‘Restroom World.’ ”

Nature Calls preserves this communal spirit and even includes a wall of shelving in the entryway, inviting visitors to continue the tradition of creative contributions.

As the entry sign reads: “A touch of humor. A play on words. A destination for all.”

Published in the Spring 2025 issue