SQUATLET

All you see is a big hole in the ground. There's no throne for you to sit on and relieve yourself. But that's the point. It's a squat toilet so you squat instead of sit.

Honestly speaking, if I hadn't visited my grandmother's home in Pakistan during my childhood, I wouldn't have known what to do with one of these. It looks strange and something from the medieval ages but you'd be surprised at how many cultures use this human defecation posture till today.

Photo Courtesy of the Lota Blog

It sounds challenging but I'm sure as a child, most of you have 'squatted' in the woods while camping or some place where a bathroom was not accessible. It's really the same thing. And if you really think about it, this could be a lot cleaner than sitting on a seat because you're not really touching anything! Your feet are planted firmly on the ground on either side of the squat toilet and your tosh is up in the air. Literally. But the question is how, or where do you position your pants and unmentionables while, ahem, answering nature's call. A skirt or dress would surely be easier to handle but anything below the waist that is divided to fit your legs separately would be challenging. While it sounds embarrassing, I have to admit, I have used one and every time I have, I had to take off every item of clothing below the waist before using it. And to this day, I don't know how it would be possible to sit, sorry squat, without doing so.

On a serious note, the squat toilet is used in Pakistan, India, China, Japan, Korea, Iran and Turkey. Some cultures refer to it as the natural-position toilet or nile pan and while this may sound ridiculous, there are a lot of people out there who say squatting has more benefits than sitting, medically speaking. According to prominent medical specialists, this particular posture can prevent colorectal cancer because the anorectal angle during squatting requires less bowel elimination effort than sitting which results in smoother bowel movements. It is also much better for people suffering from the spastic pelvic floor disorder, a condition in which patients experience contracting of muscles during defecation.

 

Now, don't just sit there, click here if you'd like to know more about the benefits of squatting.