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2 NYC Restaurants Among Those Vying For Title In 'America's Best Restroom' Contest

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Who says you have to be a king to sit on a throne? This year's "America's Best Restroom Contest" highlights the most luxurious lavatories in the country. Two of the finalists are in New York in the contest sponsored by Cintas.

It's pure bathroom bliss at Brooklyn's Habana Outpost restaurant. Lavish foliage and a Caribbean flair greet you in the eco-friendly restroom. Tubing connects the outside rain gutters to a filtration system designed by local architect students.

"They feel outdoors as soon as you walk in. The sun is coming in, you feel the fresh air. It's a bit of escape on Fulton Street," Darcy LeFleming, the general manager at Habana Outpost, told CBS 2's Katie Fehlinger.

"The challenge was to design a rainwater collection system to harvest that water to flush the toilets," she said.

But if you're in the mood for a more medieval flush, Tribeca's Ninja New York restaurant takes you to the age of the samurai.

You can powder your nose in a 15th Century Japanese village while sitting behind the controls of a high-tech keypad that lets you adjust your toilette experience -- the contraption garners quite a reaction.

"We always hear the screaming from the bathroom," owner Yazaki Haruo said.

You can fire up the heated seats, activate the built-in deodorizer or water spray -- which oscillates or pulsates.  After that, you can dry off with the built-in dryer, meant to dry just what you're thinking.

Among the other finalists, the light show installed at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts in Arizona. In Las Vegas, there is a competitor whose urinals line a piece of the historic Berlin Wall.

The contest runs through Sept. 19.

"We want to win," Haruo said.

"Now that we're a top 10 finalist, we really want the title," LeFleming said.

Win or lose, either place might be the perfect getaway if you're feeling flushed.

Do you have a favorite Tri-State Area bathroom? Tell us which one in the comments section...

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