What is bathroom camping? The viral trend where people sit in bathrooms just to feel a little peace
TikTok users are revealing their bathroom camping habits and realizing that everyone else is doing it too. Bathroom campers aren’t in the restroom to use the toilet, sink, or shower—they’re locking themselves in restrooms to hit pause on an overstimulating world. Restroom campers on TikTok say they do all kinds of things in there. They scroll social media, listen to music, smoke, or vape. Some people hype themselves up and others simply zone out. People say bathroom camping is, frankly, therapy.
“Sitting on the closed toilet just staring at the door trynna zone out.”
What is bathroom camping?
Bathroom, or restroom camping, is the practice of resting in a bathroom for an indeterminate period of time, without needing to use the sink, toilet, or shower. Bathroom camping allows someone to close a door on the world and create a small, private place where they can restore themselves. People do it in bathrooms at home, school, or work, or while out with friends. Some shared that they bathroom camp in other small spaces where they can be alone like their vehicles or closets.
Why are people restroom camping?
People commenting on restroom camping posts say they go to the bathroom to reset when they need a break. Some shared that they remember bathroom camping as kids growing up in large families with no privacy or space to themselves. Like the great outdoors for some, the restroom is an ideal place to be alone in a physical space where sensory information is reduced. Bathroom camping can relieve pressure and help people self regulate.
"Theres nothing going on in the bathroom—it's just me and me"
In a June 23 TikTok with 84.6 thousand views, self-described “S-Tier restroom camper,” @hendorunit said that he goes to the bathroom to refresh when he feels overstimulated.
The 20-year veteran restroom camper shared, “I'm not gonna lie sometimes to get to the point where I'm in there for a couple hours literally just thinking about life. There's nothing going on in the bathroom. There's no windows to look at. It's just straight—me and me—in that bathroom.”
@hendorunit Restroom camping #fypシ #relatable ♬ Gymnopédie No.1 / Erik Satie(884659) - BPProject
"I'm on the toilet just watching TikTok rn."
@callmenationyt wrote in a June 23 TikTok video, “Restroom camping gotta be like top 5 investments I made when I was like 9.”
@callmenationyt Only at my crib tho #fyp #callmenationyt ♬ sunet original - tonilk_
“I go to the bathroom at work like 11 times a day just to stand in there.”
But bathroom camping can be a trauma response
Yes—bathroom camping can be a joyful way to check in with yourself. The data says TikTok users are in there pleasure reading, dancing, and smoking blunts. But others are seeking refuge from unsafe situations on the other side of the door, or using the practice to manage mental health issues.
@imany0l’s bathroom camping PSA from June 23 has 1.6 million views. The video is captioned, “Just found out bathroom camping could be a trauma response.”
@imany0l #fyp #foryoupage #relatable #trending #viral ♬ Missing Pieces - Slowed - Killswitch Memories & Flawed Mangoes
People who are neurodivergent, or suffer from PTSD, severe anxiety, or chronic depression could shut themselves in bathrooms in order to cope with overwhelming feelings. TikTok user @vampyrechan offered support to others. They shared a vulnerable account of their relationship with using the bathroom as a safe space.
“The bathroom felt like the only place I could be sure I was alone. I realized how often I did it, even as an adult when I was no longer in an abusive space. I had to accept that I was finally safe and though bathroom camping was a tool used to survive... Still working on things but have made great improvements. I hope everyone finds a safe place in the world where they can heal.”
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