Poppy Red - The Arcadian, Birmingham

It's clearly Arcadian week this week...

Now, Poppy Red is a tricky one.

I kind of like these loos; I like the fact that the basin area feels quite spacious, I like the slightly odd shape, I like the fact that they're down a little corridor (for some reason, this always appeals to me ...) and I like the dark shinyness.

And yet ... there's something just a bit boringly average about them.





Whoops - bit of a wonky loo seat there. Actually, I guess that kind of sums them up - there's some nice shiny sleek lines going on here, but also just something that feels a bit tired. Like a middle-aged ex-clubber that has let themselves go a bit...

Decor: 6/10
Shinyness and slick black tiles on the wall, good. Other decor .. hmm.. feels a bit like it just needs a bit of a sprucing up.

Cleanliness: 7/10
Not bad, for a bar/club. A few stray bits of loo roll, but nothing to worry about. Could be because of the strange excess of antiseptic hand lotion that was going on:



They are also far cleaner than the Gents. And before you ask, I didn't have to go in, in order to know this. I could smell them from the corridor. Stinky boys.

Ambience: 6/10
Not bad. A little lacking in character; despite the overall unique pointy triangle shape.

Lighting: 7/10
Good. Nice halogen glow off some shiny surfaces, but not too bright - too much dazzle gives you that horrible 'light on, end of the night' feeling.

Stay & Play: 6/10
Down a corridor; which is nice. Decent area around the sinks, which is nice. Big mirrors, which is nice. But lacking in ambience and general character.

Recommendations:
I think your basic infrastructure is there for a pretty good loo. Just needs a re-vamp.