Soviet apartments had a separate rooms for the toilet and the area with a bath/shower/sink. The area behind the toilet was usually a hinged wall that could be opened to reveal the entry point for utilities.

I assume toilet hands were an unspoken issue, because there was no possible way to traverse from the toilet room to the washroom without touching anything.

For a complete tangent, I’ll mention that Soviet toilets had a “poop shelf” so that people could eyeball their stool to gauge their health. One flaw of this design is that there was no odour suppression offered by toilets that immediately immerse stool in water.

I guess by design since odor can inform health too. Also, a poopshelf may lack odor control, but it offers splash control.

> One flaw of this design is that there was no odour suppression offered by toilets that immediately immerse stool in water.

Still better than a Poseidon kiss.

I think their style is an import from Germany in the first place, but it stuck.

I believe German toilets have the same shelf.

Mostly in older buildings. I don't think you see it as often in more modern bathrooms anymore.

Ah yes, [a Dutch toilet](https://noplacelikeanywhere.com/destinations/dutch-toilets-a...)! A most regrettable invention.