Finding a Bathroom Fast With Crohn's or Colitis

Finding a bathroom fast with Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis is often easier with a bit of planning. Many people know where restrooms are on the routes they use most, keep a restroom finder app on their phone, have a few calm words ready for staff, and carry a small spare kit. In some US states, a restroom access law (often called Ally’s Law) and the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s free “I Can’t Wait” card can help you ask for an employee-only restroom.

Many people with IBD worry about bathrooms, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of. This guide covers the practical side: places, apps, words, and kit. It isn’t about symptoms or treatment. For those, talk with your care team.

How do people with IBD find a bathroom fast?

Mostly, they do the work before they need it. When urgency hits, there isn’t time to search, so the useful part happens on a calm day: routes, apps, words and a kit, each covered below. None of it is a guarantee. It just means fewer moments with no plan.

Map the routes you use every week

Most days follow the same few paths. Some people spend a few minutes once noting the options along each one.

For each regular route, note:

• Which places have restrooms you can walk into: large stores, libraries, cafés, gas stations, hotel lobbies, train and bus stations, hospitals, malls.
• Opening hours. A café that closes at 3 p.m. isn’t much help on the way home.
• Codes, keys or “ask at the counter” setups, so you know what to expect.

Some people save these as pinned places in their phone’s map app, or in a short note.

At events and in public places, some people:

• Find the restrooms first, when you arrive.
• Pick an aisle seat or a seat near the exit when you can.
• On road trips, look up rest stops and stations along the way before you leave.

Restroom finder apps

When you’re somewhere new, a finder app fills the gaps. Two that are run by IBD organizations:

• We Can’t Wait (US), from the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, a restroom finder for iPhone and Android. The Foundation says it lists publicly accessible restrooms, including ones contributed by businesses that are aware of patients’ needs, plus restrooms added by app users.
• GoHere (Canada), from Crohn’s and Colitis Canada. Its page describes it as a free app that maps nearby washrooms or washrooms along a planned route, with a virtual access card you can show when asking for access.

We aren’t endorsing either app. Listings can be out of date, so treat any app as a starting point.

What is Ally’s Law (the Restroom Access Act)?

Ally’s Law, or the Restroom Access Act, is the common name for US state laws that aim to let people with certain medical conditions use an employee-only restroom when no public one is available.

It’s named after Ally Bain. The Foundation tells her story: she was diagnosed with Crohn’s at 11, and at 14 she was refused the use of an employee-only restroom while out shopping and had an accident. She then worked with the Illinois legislature, and the first law passed there in 2005.

According to the Foundation’s Restroom Access State Laws page, the model legislation:

• Covers people with certain medical conditions, including Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and people with ostomies.
• Generally applies when the retail establishment has two or more employees working at the time.
• Generally applies when the employee restroom is somewhere safe for you and isn’t an obvious security risk for the business.
• Often requires you to show a document signed by a medical professional confirming your condition. States often allow the Foundation’s “I Can’t Wait” card.

In August 2025, the Foundation said the Restroom Access Act had been enacted in 20 states. Not every state has one, and the details differ from state to state. The Foundation’s state laws page has a map showing where a law has been enacted, where legislation is active, and states with neither, so check your own state there.

It’s also worth knowing the limits. The Foundation itself says that in states with these laws, patients and volunteers have been disappointed by a lack of awareness and compliance, and by the absence of enforcement mechanisms. So a law can help you ask, but staff may not have heard of it.

This is general information, not legal advice. Laws vary by place and change over time.

How to get the “I Can’t Wait” card

The “I Can’t Wait” card is a small card from the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation that explains, in a few words, that you have a condition that means you need a restroom urgently. You show it to staff when you ask.

Here’s what the Foundation’s own pages say about getting one:

• It’s free for anyone with IBD who may need it.
• By phone: the state laws page says to call 888-MY-GUT-PAIN (888-694-8872) to request a card.
• By email: the membership page says to email your name and mailing address to [email protected].
• With membership: Foundation members get a membership card with “I Can’t Wait” on the back. The Foundation says welcome packs typically mail four to six weeks after membership dues are received.

If you live in a state with a restroom access law that asks for a signed note from a medical professional, you might ask your care team about it at your next visit, so you have it before you need it.

What to say when you need a restroom now

When it’s urgent, you don’t owe anyone a long explanation. Many people find short, calm and specific works well. You can say as much or as little about your condition as you like.

Short and general:

“Hi, I have a medical condition and I need a restroom urgently. Is there one I could use, please?”

With the card:

“I have Crohn’s disease. This card explains it. Could I please use your restroom? It’s urgent.”

If they say it’s staff only:

“I understand. It’s a medical need and I can’t wait. Is there any way I could use the staff one, just this once?”

If the answer is still no:

“Okay. Where’s the nearest restroom I could get to quickly?”

A few things some people find useful:

• Ask the manager or the person at the counter, who is more likely to be able to say yes.
• Lead with “medical” and “urgent”. Those two words make the situation clear quickly.
• Stay polite, even if they refuse. Arguing costs time. Ask for the nearest option and move.

Keep a spare kit

Many people keep a small kit in their bag, car, desk or locker: wipes, spare underwear and easy clothes, a sealable bag, tissues, hand sanitizer, a phone charger so maps and apps keep working, and their “I Can’t Wait” card or a photo of it. Add any personal supplies your care team has suggested you carry.

Our IBD emergency kit guide has the full checklist. If you’d like something to hand to staff, there’s a printable restroom request card too.

Bathroom anxiety: you’re not the only one

Many people with IBD worry about where the next bathroom is, or about having an accident in public. The Foundation notes that not knowing where a restroom is can lead people with IBD to change how they live, and can affect work, school, travel and social events. In the Foundation’s national survey, 72% of respondents who’d had an accident in public believed they could have avoided it if there had been a nearby accessible restroom.

So if you feel embarrassed, that’s a normal reaction, not a personal failing. A few things some people find useful:

• Planning ahead, as above. Some people find that knowing they have a plan takes the edge off.
• Telling one person you trust, like a friend, partner or coworker, so you’re not covering on your own.
• Giving yourself an exit, like driving yourself to events, or saying upfront that you might leave early.
• Remembering that everyone uses the bathroom. Asking for one is an ordinary request, even when it feels huge to you.

For more on the emotional side, see IBD and Mental Health. For bathrooms on the road, see Traveling With IBD.

When to talk with your care team

If bathroom worry is starting to shape your life, such as skipping work or school, avoiding friends, not traveling, or losing sleep over it, that’s worth raising with your care team. You don’t need to wait until it’s severe. They can talk it through with you and may be able to point you to support, including mental health support if that would help.

It can help to bring specifics: how often you’ve changed plans, and which situations worry you most. Questions Worth Asking Your Care Team has ideas for describing the last few weeks clearly.

The Foundation’s IBD Help Center is also there for information and support at 1-888-MY-GUT-PAIN.

How Flarely helps

If you log BMs in Flarely, urgency is one of the three taps, along with blood and pain. The Summary tab shows a calendar of your BMs with urgency marked, plus a view of any single day, so you can look back over your own weeks when planning a long day out.

If you want to talk with your care team about urgency or bathroom worry, Flarely can make a 30-day summary PDF in one tap that you can share with them or anyone you trust.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ally’s Law?

Ally’s Law, also called the Restroom Access Act, is the name for US state laws that aim to let people with certain medical conditions, including Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis, use an employee-only restroom when a public one isn’t available. The first passed in Illinois in 2005. Not every state has one, so check the Foundation’s state map.

How do I get an “I Can’t Wait” card?

The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation says it’s free for anyone with IBD who may need it. Call 888-MY-GUT-PAIN (888-694-8872), or email your name and mailing address to [email protected].

Can a store refuse to let me use the bathroom if I have Crohn’s or colitis?

It depends on where you are. In states with a restroom access law, certain retailers may have to let you use an employee restroom when conditions are met. Rules vary, and the Foundation says awareness and compliance are uneven.

How do I cope with bathroom anxiety with IBD?

Many people find planning ahead helps: knowing where restrooms are, carrying a spare kit, and having words ready for staff. If bathroom worry is affecting work, school or your social life, talk with your care team.

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Flarely is for your own wellbeing. This guide isn’t medical advice. For medical questions, talk with your care team. It isn’t legal advice either; rules vary by place and change over time.