I’ve never heard of such a thing!!

[Amethyst]

My sil saw a picture of something today. It looks sort of like a doctor’s exam table, but the legs are very short. Sil told dh “oh I know what that is! It’s a menstrual cramp bed. Y’know they have them in women’s restrooms”. Dh believed her cuz, well, he’s never been in a women’s restroom. But I have! I’ve been in 62 years worth of public restroom. If there has been a place to sit (or even conceivably recline), I have NEVER heard anything referred to as a menstrual cramp bed!! Have you?  Or is this just my sil being my sil? 

[Ausmumof3]

Nope. Never heard of it:

[Heartstrings]

Never heard of it.  I’ve been in nicer bathroom that had seating areas with chairs and side tables, but never a bed.  
 

 

[SKL]

I've seen lots of pieces of furniture that look like that in women's restrooms, but I didn't know they are called that.  LOL.  But I could see why someone would call them that.  😛

[Katy]

Oh yeah, they actually had something like that in the courthouse women’s bathroom when I was a little kid. Along with a fainting couch! I’d forgotten about it. 

[KidsHappen]

My doctor has one in his office. There is barely room to perch your rear on the seat. It reclines though and then the bottom basically functions like a labor and delivery bed. It is very uncomfortable for me and that is the one I was trying to get on when I fell and broke my L1. I am not exactly sure of it's intended function.

[MercyA]

I am trying and failing to picture this. Does anyone have a photo?

[Amethyst]

Here it is. 

[Arcadia]

12 minutes ago, Amethyst said:

Here it is. 

 

Recovery couch

ETA:

e.g. https://www.3bscientific.com/us/wood-leg-couch-24-wide-w65034-clinton-3620-24,p_1046_16845.html

Edited December 21, 2023 by Arcadia

[Katy]

I loved to climb all over it when I was a little girl. I bet that room was the only private place to breastfeed  in the courthouse. It was sort of a lounge you walked through to get to the room with the sinks and toilet stalls. 

[knitgrl]

I read an article a year or two ago about the history of public restrooms for women. It started around 1900 with department stores having like an anteroom/lounge sort of thing before the actual bathroom, I think because they thought women couldn't handle hours of shopping on their feet or something? I'll add a link if I can track it down.

ETA: It might have been this article. There's a lot of copy pasta out there. My memory is not so good, but it's the general gist.

Edited December 21, 2023 by knitgrl

[scbusf]

I am 51 years old and have lived in several medium-sized cities. I do not recall ever seeing one of those.

[Brittany1116]

9 minutes ago, knitgrl said:

I read an article a year or two ago about the history of public restrooms for women. It started around 1900 with department stores having like an anteroom/lounge sort of thing before the actual bathroom, I think because they thought women couldn't handle hours of shopping on their feet or something? I'll add a link if I can track it down.

I assumed it was because women tend to shop with other women and/or children and it was space for people waiting on others. 

[Amethyst]

But if it’s just a place to rest (or recover from shopping) why the short legs? I’d recover better in a chair (or a bed that wasn’t so difficult to get up from). 

[mommyoffive]

never heard of it or seen it

[GoVanGogh]

I have never seen or heard of that, but the initial description (short exam table) made me think of the exam tables in my spouse’s urology oncologist’s office. They are so comically short!!! 

[gardenmom5]

I've been in restrooms that have an area with a short legged "bed" where you could lay down. It usually has not been an actual PUBLIC restroom, but a business, or even the adult women's restroom in a school.

[saraha]

Huh, I have lived in several states and have never seen this

[marbel]

14 hours ago, knitgrl said:

I read an article a year or two ago about the history of public restrooms for women. It started around 1900 with department stores having like an anteroom/lounge sort of thing before the actual bathroom, I think because they thought women couldn't handle hours of shopping on their feet or something? I'll add a link if I can track it down.

ETA: It might have been this article. There's a lot of copy pasta out there. My memory is not so good, but it's the general gist.

When my kids were babies and we went to the mall, I loved the women's lounge in Nordstrom. Couches, chairs, a changing table. Lots of nursing moms taking a break. It was a lovely place to stop. I still get nostalgic on the rare occasion I walk into a Nordy's restroom. 

(Nordstrom has changing tables in the men's rooms too.) 

(I was not against nursing in a more public place, such as a table in the food court, but it was just nice and peaceful in there.)

[MercyA]

The photo strongly reminds me of the bed that was in my elementary school's nurse's office. I googled photos of school nurse's offices and this was one of the first that came up:

[elegantlion]

I'm 56 and never heard of that either. I can't say if I've seen anything like that, but I would have never considered it for cramps. I would have just thought it was a style of furniture. 

[Amethyst]

6 hours ago, MercyA said:

The photo strongly reminds me of the bed that was in my elementary school's nurse's office. I googled photos of school nurse's offices and this was one of the first that came up:

This is a great picture! And it makes sense that a short legged table would be in an elementary school nurse’s office would be there. Short legs for short people. 

[Danae]

“School nurse’s office” is exactly what I thought when I saw the first picture.

[Emba]

10 hours ago, MercyA said:

The photo strongly reminds me of the bed that was in my elementary school's nurse's office. I googled photos of school nurse's offices and this was one of the first that came up:

 

4 hours ago, Danae said:

“School nurse’s office” is exactly what I thought when I saw the first picture.

School nurse’s office was what I thought of too

[gardenmom5]

12 hours ago, marbel said:

When my kids were babies and we went to the mall, I loved the women's lounge in Nordstrom. Couches, chairs, a changing table. Lots of nursing moms taking a break. It was a lovely place to stop. I still get nostalgic on the rare occasion I walk into a Nordy's restroom. 

(Nordstrom has changing tables in the men's rooms too.) 

(I was not against nursing in a more public place, such as a table in the food court, but it was just nice and peaceful in there.)

Nordy's started in Seattle.  -Here's your trivia for the day:  locals of a certain generation looked down on it.  It was "just"  a shoe store . . .They bought out Best, another clothing store.  My grandmother used her Best credit card at nordstrom. ) 

anyway - the dept store of my childhood was Frederick and Nelson.  I remember the women's LOUNGE (and it was a "lounge") in the downtown Seattle store.  Not even the downtown Seattle Nordstrom (they took over F&N's building) has a lounge in its league.  It was very large, chairs, chaises, make-up tables (with chairs) to fix your face, put your feet up . .  . . etc. etc. etc. Luxury carpets, high ceilings, chandeliers, a wall of big windows for lots of natural light  (the restrooms themselves were through another door) -  

[rebcoola]

2 hours ago, gardenmom5 said:

 

anyway - the dept store of my childhood was Frederick and Nelson.  I remember the women's LOUNGE (and it was a "lounge") in the downtown Seattle store.  

Yes!!  This store was gorgeous we used to travel there every year to buy European shoes ans see Santa. It was the best Santa experience!!

[KidsHappen]

On 12/20/2023 at 5:53 PM, Amethyst said:

Here it is. 

This is not what I was describing. The item I was describing had a seat about 5 inches deep and then when in the upright position the back was taller than my torso. It was mechanical so you could lay the back all the way down, plus adjust the head, feet or overall height. Like I said the bottom operated like a birth bed. And just looking at it it looks like it is built for birthing but I can't for the life of me figure why there would be in a ordinary doctor's office.

[gardenmom5]

1 hour ago, KidsHappen said:

This is not what I was describing. The item I was describing had a seat about 5 inches deep and then when in the upright position the back was taller than my torso. It was mechanical so you could lay the back all the way down, plus adjust the head, feet or overall height. Like I said the bottom operated like a birth bed. And just looking at it it looks like it is built for birthing but I can't for the life of me figure why there would be in a ordinary doctor's office.

do they, or did they, do gynecological exams?

[KidsHappen]

2 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

do they, or did they, do gynecological exams?

Yes, but that type of contraption didn't  work any better than regular doctor's exam tables. I think if the seat area was larger they would be fine.