By Yepoka Yeebo
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — A St Louis ice cream parlor's bathroom has triumphed over two legendary Manhattan restrooms to win the title of "Best Bathroom in the Nation," contest organizers announced on Tuesday.
Bryant Park's flower-filled restrooms came in at an honorable third place in the public vote, which was organized by Cintas, a bathroom supply firm.
New York was the only city with two finalists. The Muse Hotel, near Times Square, was fifth on the list of 10 finalists. Its facilities were decorated with evocations of the Seven Deadly Sins.
The city has never taken the top spot in the nine-year history of the contest.
The winner, the Fountain on Locust ice cream parlor, boasted hand-painted murals and designer mirrors.
Runner-up honors went to Salt Lake City's Grand America Hotel and its marble restrooms.
Joe Carella, spokesman for Bryant Park, said staffers still believed their bathroom was the best in the world.
"While we're disappointed, it has to be said that Bryant Park's bathroom is really in a different category because it's an outdoor, stand-alone facility," he said, adding: "As such, it's probably the best in the world."
Carella asserted that other finalists were tucked away in hotels and restaurants, while Bryant Park was more of a "people's bathroom," with 700,000 visitors a year.
Ericka Nelson at the Muse Hotel said that while they were happy for the winners, they were already angling for the top spot next year.
Cintas said tens of thousands of bathroom fans voted online in the annual poll.
