Also, why would it sound crass in just the US to use the word that literally all the other countries use? Ladies room and mens room arent that formal in the US. I do agree I heard bathroom and restroom used the most there, with restroom for the public toilets and bathroom for the ones with a bath.
I've always been confused by the terms washroom, restroom, bathroom, lavatory, toilet and toilet room. My impression is that Canadians would rather say washroom while Americans would probably say
If the room only has sinks for washing, it's a washroom. If it has toilets, it's a restroom. If the room is in your home, it's a bathroom. Here's an odd idiom of the US. If someone asks, "May I use your bathroom," the person is asking to use the room to eliminate, not to bathe. So, a room in the home with a toilet & sink is called a bathroom, even if it lacks a tub or shower.
I have a specific question: Are Americans more inclined to use "bathroom" or "restroom" about a bathroom/restroom with several sinks and stalls in a company building?
FWIW, for toilets in public establishments, "washroom" is more of a Canadian term; Americans would say "restroom." "Bathroom" is for private homes.
I usually use the term "restroom" (or "toilet" if I want to make sure that everyone in the Czech Republic understands me at once), and, while I've always understood that the terms "john" and "loo" ...
Restroom: Of course no one wants to rest in the room containing the toilet; restroom is an obvious euphemism. Interestingly, English (like some other languages) can express the "toilet-room" concept only via indirect terms like this. Restroom: Originally meaning a public toilet, this seems to be of American origin, with the earliest usages found around 1900. It’s an extremely common usage ...